English: State Anthem of the USSR | |
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Flag of the Soviet Union
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State anthem of Russian SFSR Soviet Union |
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Lyrics | Sergey Mikhalkov, 1943 and 1977 |
Music | Alexander Alexandrov, 1938 (?) |
Adopted | 1 January 1944 1 September 1977 (modified version) |
Relinquished | 26 December 1991 (as anthem of the Soviet Union) 23 November 1990 (as anthem of the Russian SFSR) |
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The "State Anthem of the USSR" (Russian: Государственный гимн СССР, tr. Gosudarstvenny Gimn SSSR) was introduced during World War II on 15 March 1944, replacing The Internationale as the official anthem of the Soviet Union and the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. The lyrics were written by Sergey Mikhalkov (1913–2009) in collaboration with Gabriel El-Registan (1899–1945) and the music was composed by Alexander Alexandrov (1883–1946).
Contents
History
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The Anthem of the Soviet Union was played for the first time on the Soviet radio at midnight on 1 January 1944.[1] The 1944 lyrics had three different refrains following three different stanzas; in each refrain, the second line was consequently modified with references to friendship, then happiness and finally to glory. Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union's war against Nazi Germany were originally invoked in the lyrics.
With the process of de-Stalinization inaugurated after Stalin's death, the lyrics which referred to Stalin were considered unacceptable and the anthem was performed without lyrics. In 1976 revised lyrics were created for the Canada Cup ice hockey tournament at the request of singer Roger Doucet.[2][3] In 1977, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the October Revolution, revised lyrics were adopted. The varying refrains were replaced by a uniform refrain following all stanzas; the line praising Stalin was dropped, as were the lines referring to the Great Patriotic War.
There is reason to believe that the music actually predates A. Alexandrov and the Soviet Union, and originates with Ukrainian composer Yury Piasetsky (Юрій Пясецький). Members of the Ukrainian Scout Movement "Plast" have noted that the tune is identical or near-identical to the Plast anthem "Plastovy Obit" (The Plast Oath), composed about 1912 by Piasetsky to words by Dr. Oleksander Tysovsky (Oлександр Тисовський), Plast's founder. The words and music are found in various handbooks and songbooks of Plast, as well. The first line reads: "V pozhezhakh vsesvitnykh, u lunakh kryvavykh". The original Piasetsky anthem actually glorifies the movement for Ukrainian independence, which the Plast organization supported.[original research?][4]
Use in the Russian Federation
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Russian Federation adopted a new wordless anthem called the "Patriotic Song", although there were suggestions for adopting lyrics. As a result, a few different versions were produced.[5] In 2000, the music of the Soviet national anthem was restored with Sergey Mikhalkov writing the new lyrics, becoming the "National Anthem of Russia".
The anthem of the USSR remains for many a song of national pride and of international unity with former Union republics. It is often played at Communist rallies and apolitical Victory Day celebrations. In the summer of 2012, at an MMA competition in St Petersburg which President Vladimir Putin attended, American Jeff Monson entered the arena under the Anthem of the USSR as his entry song; President Putin and the entire audience stood up for the anthem.[6]
State Union of Russia and Belarus
Also, the same music was used for a proposal of the anthem of the State Union of Russia and Belarus entitled Derzhavny Soyuz Narodov (Union of Sovereign Nations). Although never officially adopted, the lyrics of that piece were not tied to any specific nationality, and could be adopted for a broader union. However, there appears to be no plans to utilize that piece in any official role. The anthem also had official versions in the languages of every Soviet republic and in several other Soviet languages.
Lyrics
Lyrics for the 1944 version | ||||
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Russian | Transliteration | Official translation | Literal translation | Paul Robeson translation[7] |
Союз нерушимый республик свободных
Сквозь грозы сияло нам солнце свободы,
Мы армию нашу растили в сраженьях.
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Soyuz nerushimy respublik svobodnykh
Skvoz’ grozy siyalo nam solntse svobody,
My armiyu nashu rastili v srazhen’yah,
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An unbreakable union of free republics,
Through tempests the sun of freedom shone to us,
We grew our army in battles,
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United forever in friendship and labor,
Through days dark and stormy where great Lenin lead us
We fought for the future, destroyed the invader,
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Lyrics for the 1977 version | ||||
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Russian | Transliteration | Literal translation | Phonetic transcription | Official CPSU translation [8] |
Союз нерушимый республик свободных
Сквозь грозы сияло нам солнце свободы,
В победе бессмертных идей Коммунизма
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Soyuz nerushimy respublik svobodnykh
Skvoz' grozy siyalo nam solntse svobody,
V pobede bessmertnyh idey Kommunizma
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An unbreakable union of free republics,
Through tempests the sun of freedom shone to us,
In the victory of the immortal ideas of Communism
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sɐˈjus nʲɪ.ruˈʂɨ.mɨj rʲɪsˈpub.lʲɪk svɐˈbod.nɨx |
skvəzʲ‿ˈɡro.zɨ sʲɪˈja.lɐ nam ˈson.t͡sɪ svɐˈbo.dɨ
f‿pɐˈbʲe.dʲɪ bʲɪˈsmʲɛrt.nɨx ɪˈdʲej kə.muˈnʲiz.mə
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See also
- Grom pobedy, razdavajsya! ("Let the thunder of victory sound!")
- God Save the Tsar!
- Worker's Marseillaise, Russian version of La Marseillaise
- The Internationale
- Patrioticheskaya Pesnya ("Patriotic Song")
- National Anthem of Russia
References
- ^ Гимн СССР (1943)
- ^ http://www2.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/opinion/story.html?id=185e0d97-a22c-4088-9c5e-d70c2c25094c&p=1
- ^ http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2010/04/how-roger-doucet-wrote-soviet-national.html
- ^ Д-р O. Tисoвський, "Життя в Пласті" (handbook, "Life in Plast"), various editions; see also "Пластові пісні" ("Plast Songbook"), various editions. For a video showing the song performed, see "Пластовий Обіт".
- ^ http://www.hymn.ru/#related-to-glinka-anthem Archived May 8, 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jeff Monson vs Dennis Komkin, MMA
- ^ Сайт Флаг России - Музыка - Государственный гимн СССР (1944-1977) на английском языке (in Russian). September 23, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
- ^ https://larussophobe.wordpress.com/2006/06/03/unbreakable-union-of-freeborn-republics/
External links
- Russian Anthems museum - extensive set of downloadable recordings and official sheet music.
- 20 Most popular Soviet songs
- The author of Russian national anthem: sources of the USSR's anthem in Russian.
- by K.Kovalev - Eng. Bortniansky's anthem "Kol slaven" - Eng.
- Vocal performance of the National Anthem of the Soviet Union with Subtitles on YouTube
- As presented by Central Television in 1984 on YouTube
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