Boris Godunov (opera) fought an often losing battle against the conservatism of conductors and singers, who, raised on the plush Rimsky-Korsakov edition, found it impossible to adapt to Mussorgsky's comparatively unrefined and bleak original scores. Recently, however, a new appreciation for the rugged individuality of Mussorgsky's style has resulted in increasing performances and recording of his original versions. Musicologist Gerald Abraham wrote: For many, "Boris Godunov" is the greatest of all Russian operas because of its originality, drama, and characterization, regardless of any cosmetic imperfections it may possess. Models and influences A conflation of the 1869 and 1872 versions is often made when
The White Doe of Rylstone to make a weekly pilgrimage from Rylstone to Bolton Abbey. The historical parts of the story of "The White Doe" are taken from a ballad called "The Rising in the North", which Wordsworth had read in Percy's "Reliques of Ancient English Poetry", and also from Nicolson and Burn's "The History and Antiquities of the Counties of Westmorland and Cumberland". The influence of other ballads from Percy's "Reliques" has also been traced in the poem, and the dedicatory poem to "The White Doe" is filled with references to Spenser's "The Faerie Queene". The metre of the poem is similar to that