A Society Tale: The Goat (Svetskaya skazochka: kozyol), song for voice & piano

• Date: 1867
• Composer: Modest Mussorgsky
• Period: Romantic (1820-1869)

Review

Mussorgsky's song The Billy-Goat is a companion piece to his The Ragamuffin. The former was composed on December 19, 1867, and is essentially a catalog of insults hurled by a street urchin against an apparently hideous old woman. The latter song was composed five days later on December 23 and tells the story of a young girl who, although terrified of the hideous appearance of an old goat, is apparently perfectly willing to marry a hideous old man, provided that he is both rich and willing to die quickly.

Subtitled "a little anecdote from high society," Mussorgsky's text is as cynical as his music is clever, aptly using Mussorgsky's "folk" idiom to parody the text. Unblushingly vile, the young girl is mirrored in music of cunning cupidity and mincing malevolence.

Mussorgsky dedicated the song to Alexander Borodin, fellow composer and student of the charismatic leader of The Mighty Handful, Mily Balakirev. ~ James Leonard, Rovi

Albums with Complete Performances of the Work

Title	Date
Brotid
French and Russian Arias & Songs
Icon: Nicolai Gedda	2010
Les Introuvables de Nicolai Gedda
Liederabend: Salzburg Festival 1959
Moussorgski: Chansons	2003
Moussorgsky: Complete Songs
Mussorgsky: Complete Songs	1995
Mussorgsky: Song Cycles	1996
Mussorgsky: Songs	1995
Mussorgsky: Songs & Dances of Death; The Nursery	1999
Mussorgsky: Songs Vol. 1	1990
Northern And Russian Songs
Russia: A Golden Century of Song	2001
Russian Singing Voices of Earth and Heaven
Russian Songs
The Color of the Word	2008

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