Through semiotic theories of the development of culture presented by Russian-Estonian theoretician Yuri Lotman, we are invited to reconsider the existing consensus that the concept of nation is inherently romantic and, therefore, national identity can only be developed through the convention of romanticism. This is challenged directly by the presence of national themes in Modest Mussorgsky's music, a self-proclaimed realist, and the fact that he is regarded as a representative of the Russian national sound in music today. This poses the question, can national identity be developed through realism? Pictorial and natural language expressed through the conventions of realism would suggest so, but realism in music is extremely difficult to define in and of itself, let alone identify sonically. This paper attempts to confront these problems and endeavors to contextualize it within the process Russian national identity formation through Mussorgsky's music.