With an imposing name like Modest Mussorgsky, this composer can only be from one place, Russia. This little-known Russian composer left a small yet impressive body of work when he died early of alcoholism. His remaining works are a display of Russian nationalism that celebrate the often grim yet colorful history of the Soviet Union. Nineteenth century Russian music was often inspired by Russian history and folklore, and although Mussorgsky's work shares these conventions of his contemporaries, one of his trademarks is his individuality, which was often conventionalized by composers who adapted his work for the masses.

Mussorgsky was a civil servant by trade and only a part-time musician. Although involved in his church choir and taught the piano by his mother, Mussorgsky pursued a military career in the Russian Imperial Guard in 1856. Around the same time, Mussorgsky met composers Cui, Dargomizhsky and Balakirev. Just two years later, he resigned with the intent to pursue a career in composing, and although he composed on his own in 1861, his dreams were thwarted when his family's estate ran into trouble. Once a wealthy landowning family, the Mussorgsky clan fell onto hard times, forcing Modest to put composing aside to earn money as a low-level civil servant.

Despite forgoing a full-time career as a composer, Mussorgsky continued to compose while living in a commune of intellectuals dedicated to musical Realism. This new school of thought was applied to Mussorgsky's music, and in the late 1860s, he was named among Russia's "Mighty Handful" of composers along with Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui and Borodin. Mussorgsky is best known for his masterpiece, "Boris Godunov", a piece which he struggled with for many, many years. Mussorgsky's work of genius was a great success in 1874, the same year that he composed his pioneering piano suite, "Pictures at an Exhibition." Sadly, Mussorgsky's alcoholism coupled with his financial problems resulted in his dismissal from government service in 1880 and death just one year later.