Привет! Сегодня я вам расскажу о символе русской культуры, Балалайке! In October, I started taking Balalaika classes with the one and only Anatolii Ivanovich, an amazing septuagenarian who, after a life of performing around the globe, settled back in Yaroslavl to teach children at the Conservatory (and that he does with a lot of passion and love). I originally wanted to try Balalaika mainly because "why not?": I was in Russia and had some free time. It was the first plucked string instrument I played (or at least attempted to) and I really grew to love the sound of it. The balalaika is a Russian stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body and three strings. It descends from the Domra, an instrument which originated in the Caucasus region of Russia. The balalaika is a traditional instrument and is central to Russian orchestral folk tradition. A traditional folk orchestra usually consists of balalaikas, domras, guslis, bayans, Vladimir shepherds' horns, garmoshkas and diverse percussion instruments. Under the Soviet Union, the balalaika was glorified as a distinctively proletarian instrument as it was part of the peasant culture and history. However, balalaika players' register isn't limited to folk music. I'd like to share with you a performance of Boris Feoktistov, a Soviet compositor and balalaika virtuoso, playing a rearranged version of Fritz Kreisler's Liebesfreud. Anatolii taught us a number of pieces, among which «Когда мы были на войне…», a military song composed by Viktor Stalyarov, the Государственный гимн Российской Федерации composed by Aleksander Aleksandrov (he actually wrote the music for the Soviet Union National Anthem but it was reused with different lyrics after the collapse of the USSR), and Прощание славянки (Farewell of Slavianka), a patriotic march written by Vasilv Agapkin in honour of the Slavic women accompanying their husbands in the First Balkan War. As time passed by, I was increasingly shocked by the predominance of war songs in the material we were learning. In fact, many Russian songs famous in the West relate in one way or another to military themes. The most striking example is Катюша. Katyusha was composed in 1938 and used later during the war to inspire the Soviet people to defend their land from the enemy. Interestingly, Katysha is both the name of the girl longing for her absent lover, sent to the front, that the song revolves around (Katyusha being the diminutive of Ekaterina) and the name of a Soviet multiple rocket launcher. The song is very upbeat, centred on hope, and the references to war or suffering are very scarce. The tune is very catchy for a military song and came to be a legendary Russian tune. I heard SO many different versions of this song. It is played absolutely everywhere. The disco version played during hockey matches has to be my favourite. Military songs are performed on occasions such as День защитника Отечества (Defender of the Fatherland Day, 23rd February) or День Победы (Victory Day, 9th May). On Victory Day, concerts are often organised to commemorate the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany. Below is a clip from the Концерт "Песни военных лет". Elena Vaenga performs Священная война (The Sacred War) by Aleksander Aleksandrov, accompanied by the Aleksandrov Red Army Choir (yup, this man did a lot in his life). The lyrics were published on 24 June 1941, two days after the start of Operation Barabarossa, the Axis invasion of the Soviet Union. This march, like many other war songs and a number of Stalin’s speeches at that time, puts the emphasis on the mission of the Russian people and their responsibility to their European neighbours to win this "война освободительная, война справедливая" and protect their Fatherland from the scourge that fascist power represented. This might be the most powerful war song related to the Second World War. People, to this day, stand while this song is performed in commemorative concerts as a sign of respect for the fallen soldiers. My balalaika teacher explained to us the weight and meaning of this song with tears in his eyes. It is understandable given that the Soviet Union particularly suffered during WWII. The human casualties are numbered to more than 20 million deaths, both civilian and military. If you add this to the blockades and food shortages, no Soviet family was left untouched by the war. Beyond the cheerful songs and the stronger and firmer military marches, the Second World War saw the production of songs that translated the sorrow of the Soviet people, songs that focused on the fear, pain, and homesickness of devoted soldiers and revealed the personal side of army life. The song which gets to me the most is Тёмная ночь (Dark Night). This song was first sang in a 1943 film titled Два бойца (Two Soldiers). In the scene below, a soldier sings his love for his wife and his infant child left behind. The image presented is that of young men whose only motivation to continue fighting despite the horror of the war is the memory of their family and the conscience of their responsibility to protect their fatherland. Смерть не страшна, с ней не раз мы встречались в степи. This is the last stanza of the song. You should try translating it yourself; it's very touching. (or you can just turn the CC on). I hope you liked this blog. Let me know what you want me to write about next.
До скорово! Пока!
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AuthorThird year student at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Studies Russian, German and International Relations. Loves traveling. Loves languages. Loves to share. Hence, this BLOG! Archives
January 2018
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