Farewell of Slavianka
English: Farewell of Slavianka | |
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Regional anthem of Tambov Oblast | |
Also known as | Гимн Тамбовской области (English: Anthem of Tambov Oblast) |
Lyrics | Vasily Agapkin, 1912 |
Music | Vasily Agapkin |
Adopted | 1937 |
Audio sample | |
(Instrumental) Farewell of Slavianka performed by the United States Coast Guard Band
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"Farewell of Slavianka" (Russian: Прощание славянки, romanized: Proŝanie slavänki~Proshchaniye slavyanki) is a Russian patriotic march, written by the composer Vasily Agapkin in honour of Slavic women accompanying their husbands in the First Balkan War.[1] The march was written and premiered in Tambov in the end of 1912. In summer of 1915 it was released as a gramophone single in Kiev. Slavyanka means "Slavic woman".
History[]
The melody gained popularity in Russia and adjoining countries during the First World War, when the Russian soldiers left their homes and were accompanied by the music of the march. It was performed also during parade of 7 November 1941 on the Red Square after which soldiers went straight to fight in the Battle of Moscow.[2] This march was also used as an unofficial anthem of Admiral Kolchak's White Army.
It was commonly believed that prior to its use in the award-winning 1957 film The Cranes Are Flying, the song was banned in the Soviet Union because of its lyrics about banned subjects. The song's popularity and quality made the Communist authorities adopt the song, but they had made significant changes to its lyrics. The original text mentioned Russian patriotism, religion, nationalism and culture, which was not acceptable under the Soviet Union. The song was originally published by Zimmerman Production Association around 1912.[3] The march was published in an official collection of music for Red Army orchestras,[4] and it was recorded in the early 1940s by a military orchestra under the conductor (1906–1975), but different lyrics were then used. Other lyrics are now usually sung by the Red Army choir.
Subsequently, several Russian and Polish composers have written lyrics for the music. During the Second World War in German-occupied Poland, an adapted "underground" version of the song, Rozszumiały się wierzby płaczące ("Weeping Willows Began to Hum"), became popular in the Polish resistance and was based on lyrics by .[citation needed]
In the 1990s, the political party Yabloko lobbied unsuccessfully for the march to be adopted as the Russian national anthem.[5]
"Farewell of Slavyanka" was used in movies like The Cranes Are Flying and Charlie Wilson's War, which is about the Soviet–Afghan War, and in the Russian movies 72 Meters (72 метра) and Prisoner of the Mountains (Кавказский пленник). An instrumental version of the song was also featured in the 1990 Ukrainian film ("Decay") during the Pripyat evacuation scene.
A Hebrew version was written in 1945 by the singer/songwriter Haim Hefer for the Palmach. In his version of the song, בין גבולות ("Between Borders"), Hefer coined the phrase אָנוּ פֹּה חוֹמַת מָגֵן (We are here a defensive wall), which was used by Israel Defense Forces to call Operation Defensive Shield (literally "Operation Defensive Wall") in 2002.[6]
Lyrics[]
1967 version[]
The Farewell of Slavianka first received official lyrics under the Soviet leadership that were appropriate for the time's political climate, but references to Russian culture, religion and patriotism were changed. The new version by A. Fedotov.
The first version under the Soviet Union (1941) did not mention the Battle of Berlin, unlike the later version (1967).
Russian original[7][8] | Russian Latin script | Anglicized Russian Script | English translation |
---|---|---|---|
Этот марш не смолкал на перронах |
Ètot marš ne smolkal na perronah |
Etot marsh ne smolkal na perronakh |
This march on the platforms wasn't silent |
1984 version[]
Another version of the lyrics was written by Vladimir Lazarev in 1984 and has gained the popularity since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 because of the slower tempo and the added human fragility factor ("Farewell, fatherland, remember us, … … not all of us will come back. ...").[9]
Russian original[9] | Russian Latin script | Anglicized Russian Script | English translation |
---|---|---|---|
Наступает минута прощания, |
Nastupaet minuta proŝaniä, |
Nastupayet minuta proshchaniya, |
The minute of farewell beginneth, |
1997 version[]
A White Army version of the march, written by Andrei Mingalyov, was created after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[10]
Russian original[9] | Russian Latin script | Anglicized Russian Script | English translation |
---|---|---|---|
Встань за Веру, Русская Земля! |
Vstanj za Veru, Russkaä Zemlä! |
Vstan' za Veru, Russkaya Zemlya! |
Arise for faith, o Russian land! |
Tambov Oblast anthem[]
The Farewell of Slavianka melody was used for the Tambov Oblast anthem, whose lyrics were written on 22 May 2002 by A. Mitrofanov.[11]
Russian original[11] | Russian Latin script | Anglicized Russian Script | English translation |
---|---|---|---|
На просторах бескрайних и синих, |
Na prostorah beskrajnih i sinih, |
Na prostorakh beskrajnikh i sinikh, |
In the expanse of endless and blue, |
My Comrade in Death Throes[]
The melody of the song is also used for the poem My Comrade in Death Throes. Here is a sample verse:
- Ты не плачь, не стони, ты не маленький,
- Ты не ранен, ты просто убит.
- Дай на память сниму с тебя валенки,
- Нам еще наступать предстоит.
- Cry not, moan not, thou art a baby not,
- Thou art wounded not, thou art killed simply.
- Let me take off thy valenki,
- We are yet to delve into attack.
It was written in December 1944 by Ion Degen, a Second World War tank ace.[12][13]
Vapaa Venäjä[]
Another version of the song is Vapaa Venäjä, which was composed by the Finnish Red Guards to serve as a marching song for them.
References[]
- ^ Василий Агапкин и его марш «Прощание славянки».
- ^ Владимир Соколов. "Прощание славянки", Москва, изд. "Советский композитор", 1987
- ^ "Василий Агапкин и его марш "Прощание славянки". Публикации. Литературный журнал Москва". Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ Official ceremonial repertoire for orchestras of the Red Army (Russian: Служебно-строевой репертуар для оркестров Красной Армии – Sluzhebno-stroevoy repertuar dlya orkestrov Krasnoy Armii), Moscow, Voenizdat, 1945. The editor of this collection was the great Soviet march composer Semyon Aleksandrovich Chernetskiy (1881–1950), who was from 1925 to 1949 the Head of Military Music Service of People's Commissariat of Defense, later Ministry of Armed Forces of the Soviet Union.
- ^ "Прощание Славянки". www.stanford.edu. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ [1] (Hebrew)
- ^ https://teksty-pesenok.ru/rus-proshhanie-slavyanki/tekst-pesni-etot-marsh-ne-smolkal-na-per/1897690/
- ^ http://www.sovmusic.ru/text.php?fname=proshan2
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Прощание славянки / Slavic Woman's Farewell%5d "Russia and The Other: A Cultural Approach" Check
|url=
value (help). Stanford.edu. Stanford University. - ^ Прощание славянки / Slavic Woman's Farewell - Patriotic Version "Russia and The Other: A Cultural Approach" Check
|url=
value (help). Stanford.edu. Stanford University. - ^ Jump up to: a b Текст гимна Тамбовской области, tambov.gov.ru.
- ^ "Ты не ранен, ты просто убит". Retrieved 9 January 2018.
- ^ "У ПОБЕДЫ ЛИЦО НАСТРАДАВШЕЕСЯ". 2005.novayagazeta.ru. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
External links[]
- 1912 compositions
- Russian military marches
- Russian patriotic songs
- Soviet songs
- Songs of World War I
- Songs of World War II
- 1912 songs
- Russian anthems