Mussorgsky's (1839-81) Night on Bald Mountain was actually titled St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain.
St. John’s Night, or St. John’s Eve, is the night
before the Feast of St. John which happens to fall around the summer solstice.
Eastern Europeans have long celebrated it with a mixture of pagan
trick-or-treat traditions and religious observances and bonfires.
The first version appeared in 1867 and was
revised around 1872 and again in 1880. In this last version he added a
hauntingly beautiful quiet ending in which a church bell announces the dawn and
daybreak chases away the evil spirit.
Night on Bald Mountain has remained an audience
favorite ever since its appearance in Walt Disney’s landmark movie, Fantasia.
Do you remember these scary images from your
youth?
June 23: Happy Midsummer’s Eve! Happy St.
John’s Eve! Happy St. John’s Night!
June 24: Happy Saint John’s Birth Day!
Happy St. John’s Feast Day!
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