Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839－1881) is one of the most representative Russian Nationalism composers, also the composer with more achievements in piano works among " The Five ". The theme to be researched of this thesis is Mussorgsky‘s piano work Pictures at an Exhibition. Pictures at an Exhibition is one of my favorite piano works, it contains vivid characters and abundant stories. Each piece has an unique character and strong dramatic tension.

There are five chapters in this thesis. The first chapter divided by two parts to introduce the times and the background of Mussorgsky’s music career and composition style of him, also to familiarize the life of the painter, Hartmann. Chapter two representing the relationship between Mussorgsky and Hartmann to understand the motive and the background of this composition. The third chapter analyzes the various aspects of this work, including the title languages and meanings, music structure, musical language, tonality, material, etc., and summarizes them in forms and graphs. The fourth chapter emphasizes the painting scenes and source of elements, then deeply analyzes for music structure, the style, the harmony, the rhythm, the use of compositional language, special technique as well as interpretation by sections. Finally is the conclusion of this study. By collecting relevant literatures, analyzing scores, and listening to various versions of performances, hope to understand the motivation and purpose of the composer's creation of the work and to grasp the interpretation of the work precisely.