Editing Boris Godunov (opera) (section)

==Versions==
[[File:Boris Godunov Score.jpg|thumb|Title page of the 1874 Piano Vocal Score. The text reads: "Boris Godunov, opera in 4 acts with a prologue, a composition by M. P. Mussorgsky; complete arrangement (including scenes not offered for production on the stage) for piano and voice; Saint Petersburg, by V. Bessel and Co."]]
''Note: Musicologists are often not in agreement on the terms used to refer to the two authorial versions of ''Boris Godunov''. Editors [[Pavel Lamm]] and [[Boris Asafyev]] used "preliminary redaction" and "principal redaction" for the 1st and 2nd versions, respectively,<ref>Taruskin (1993: p. 209)</ref> and [[David Lloyd-Jones (conductor)|David Lloyd-Jones]] designated them "initial" and "definitive."<ref>Lloyd Jones (1975: p. 15)</ref> This article, aiming for utmost objectivity, uses "original" and "revised."''

The differences in approach between the two authorial versions are sufficient as to constitute two distinct ideological conceptions, not two variations of a single plan.<ref>Taruskin (1993: p. 204)</ref><ref name="Emerson 1988: p. 237">Emerson (1988: p. 237)</ref>

'''1869 Original Version'''

The Original Version of 1869 is rarely heard. It is distinguished by its greater fidelity to Pushkin's drama and its almost entirely male cast of soloists. It also conforms to the [[recitative]] opera style (opéra dialogué) of ''[[The Stone Guest (Dargomyzhsky)|The Stone Guest]]'' and ''[[Zhenitba|Marriage]]'', and to the ideals of [[The Five (composers)|kuchkist]] [[Realism (arts)|realism]], which include fidelity to text, formlessness, and emphasis on the values of spoken theatre, especially through naturalistic declamation.<ref name="Emerson 1988: p. 237"/><ref>Taruskin (1993: pp. 217–218)</ref> The unique features of this version include:
*Pimen's narrative of the scene of the murder of [[Dmitry of Uglich|Dmitriy Ivanovich]] (Part&nbsp;2, Scene&nbsp;1)
*The original Terem Scene (Part&nbsp;3), which follows Pushkin's text more closely than does the revised version.
*The scene 'The Cathedral of Vasiliy the Blessed' (the 'St. Basil's Scene'—Part&nbsp;4, Scene&nbsp;1)
The terse Terem Scene of the 1869 version and the unrelieved tension of the two subsequent and final scenes make this version more dramatically effective to some critics (e.g., [[Boris Asafyev]]).<ref>Taruskin (1993: pp. 211–212)</ref>

'''1872 Revised Version'''

The Revised Version of 1872 represents a retreat from the ideals of Kuchkist realism, which had come to be associated with comedy, toward a more exalted, tragic tone, and a conventionally operatic style—a trend that would be continued in the composer's next opera, ''[[Khovanshchina]]''.<ref>Taruskin (1993: p. 265)</ref> This version is longer, is richer in musical and theatrical variety,<ref>Taruskin (1993: pp. 216)</ref> and balances naturalistic declamation with more lyrical vocal lines. The unique features of this version include:
*Two new offstage choruses of monks in the otherwise abbreviated Cell Scene (Act 1, Scene 1)
*The innkeeper's 'Song of the Drake' (Act&nbsp;1, Scene&nbsp;2)
*The revised Terem Scene (Act&nbsp;2), which presents the title character in a more tragic and [[melodrama]]tic light, and includes new songs and new musical themes borrowed from ''[[Salammbô (Mussorgsky)#Subsequent use of musical materials|Salammbô]]''<ref>Calvocoressi, Abraham (1974: p. 119)</ref>
*The conventionally operatic 'Polish' act (Act&nbsp;3)
*The novel final scene of anarchy (the Kromï Scene—Act&nbsp;4, Scene&nbsp;2)
Mussorgsky rewrote the Terem Scene for the 1872 version, modifying the text, adding new songs and plot devices (the parrot and the clock), modifying the psychology of the title character, and virtually recomposing the music of the entire scene.

This version has made a strong comeback in recent years, and has become the dominant version.

'''1874 Piano Vocal Score'''

The Piano Vocal Score of 1874 was the first published form of the opera, and is essentially the 1872 version with some minor musical variants and small cuts. The 1874 vocal score does not constitute a 'third version', but rather a refinement of the 1872 Revised Version.<ref name="Oldani 2002: p. 545" />