In September, 1860, Moussorgsky wrote to Balakirev: “I have also been given a most interesting piece of work to do, which must be ready by next summer: a whole act of The Bald Mountain (after Megden’s drama The Witch). The assembly of the witches, various episodes of witchcraft, the pageant of all the sorcerers, and a finale, the witch dance and homage to Satan. The libretto is very fine. I have already a few materials for the music, and it may be possible to turn out something very good.” In September, 1862, he wrote to Balakirev, saying that his friend’s attitude towards The Witches [sic] had embittered him. “I considered, still consider, and shall consider forever that the thing is satisfactory.... I come forth with a first big work.... I shall alter neither plan nor working-out; for both are in close relationship with the contents of the scene, and are carried out in a spirit of genuineness, without tricks or make-believes.... I have fulfilled my task as best I could. The one thing I shall alter is the percussion, which I have misused.” A letter to Rimsky-Korsakov dated July, 1867, shows that he did rewrite A Night on Bald Mountain, but remained unwilling to make further alterations.
During the winter of 1871-72 the director of the opera at St. Petersburg planned that Moussorgsky, Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Cui should each write a portion of a fairy opera, Mlada. Moussorgsky was to write music for some folk scenes, a march for the procession of Slav princes and a great fantastical scene, “The Sacrifice to the Black Goat on Bald Mountain.” This would give him the opportunity of using his symphonic poem. The project fell through on account of pecuniary reasons. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mlada was produced at St. Petersburg in 1892.
In 1877 Moussorgsky undertook to write an opera The Fair at Sorotchinsi, based on a tale by Gogol. He purposed to introduce in it A Night on Bald Mountain, and he revised the score.
It is said that the original version of the symphonic poem was for pianoforte and orchestra; that the revision for Mlada was for orchestra and chorus; that the work was to serve as a scenic interlude in the unfinished opera, The Fair at Sorotchinsi.
Rimsky-Korsakov as Moussorgsky’s musical executor revised the score of the poem. He retained the composer’s argument:
“Subterranean din of supernatural voices. Appearance of Spirits of Darkness, followed by that of the god Tchernobog. Glorification of Tchernobog. Black mass. Witches’ Sabbath. At the height of the Sabbath there sounds far off the bell of the little church in a village which scatters the Spirits of Darkness. Daybreak.”
The form is simple: a symphonic allegro is joined to a short andante; allegro feroce; poco meno mosso.
A Night on Bald Mountain, dedicated to Vladimir Stassov, is scored for piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, bass tuba, kettledrums, bass drum, cymbals, tam-tam, bell in D, and strings.
The first performance was at a concert of the Russian Symphony Society at St. Petersburg on October 27, 1886. Rimsky-Korsakov conducted. The piece met with such success that it was played later in that season.