Scholar Series – Stephen Husarik, Ph.D.

 The Scholar Series is an initiative by UA Fort Smith’s Center for Lifelong Learning to provide learning opportunities for the general public free of charge. UA Fort Smith faculty members will present a topic that draws broadly on the faculty member’s research and experience. 

The Scholar series will be held at lunch two Thursdays in March and two Thursdays in April 22 from noon to 1 p.m. in the Echols Conference Center on the UA Fort Smith campus. Admission is free.

For more information about our Scholar Series, contact the center at (479) 788-7220 or by email: [email protected]

March 17, 2011
Stephen Husarik, Ph.D.

Professor of Humanities/ Music

Digital Transformation of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition”

 1874 saw the opening of the “Victor Hartmann Memorial Exhibit” of drawings and watercolors in St. Petersburg, Russia. Just a few weeks after the close of the exhibit, Hartmann’s friend Modeste Mussorsgky fashioned ten of the pictures into sound along with a “Promenade” representing the composer himself walking among the displays. The original art show was soon forgotten, but Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” has become a staple of the music literature—appearing in countless recital programs, concerts, books, and media. The piece has lasted well over one hundred years largely due to its arrangement in orchestral transcriptions (Ravel), rock ensembles (Emerson Lake and Palmer) and electronic music compositions (Isao Tomita). Such arrangements have given new life to the composition, but at what expense?  Dr. Husarik will show Hartmann’s original pictures along with the music they inspired to illustrate how one musical picture (“Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks in their Shells”) has evolved into a totally new composition over the past century. This demonstration will reveal how digital media can erase historical meaning.