Hymn of Free Russia
| English: Anthem of Free Russia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as |
Да здравствует Россия, свободная страна! English: Long live Russia, a free country! |
| Lyrics | Constantine Balmont |
| Music | Alexander Gretchaninov |
| Audio sample | |
|
Гимн свободной России "Hymn of Free Russia"
| |
The Amthem of Free Russia (Russian: Гимн свободной России, Gimn svobodnoj Rossii) was a proposed anthem of the Russian Republic after the February Revolution. The music was composed by Russian composer Alexander Gretchaninov and the lyrics were written by Constantine Balmont. However, unlike Worker's Marseillaise, the Hymn of Free Russia was not adopted by the Russian Provisional Government of 1917 nor was approved during several special meetings of artists.[1][2]
Development
When Gretchaninov found out the music of the song was finalized along with unfinished lyrics, he became dissatisfied with the lyrics, so he contacted Balmont. After Gretchaninov contacted Balmont, the lyrics were complete. The anthem was eventually published and was first performed at Bolshoi Theatre, directed by Emil Cooper. Originally, the plot was taken from "My Life" (Моя жизнь), a book written by Gretchaninov. It was published in New York in 1954.
After Gretchaninov's arrival in the United States, his friend Kurt Schindler and his wife translated the text into English, which was published by G. Schirmer, Inc.
Popularity
Shortly after the release of Radio Liberty on air, a musical screen saver was needed, through which listeners could listen to Russian broadcasts better. The Hymn of Free Russia was then chosen.[3]
As radio veteran Gene Sosin recalled in the book "Sparks of Freedom", the anthem began with the line "Long live Russia, a free country!" and the music was performed on a celestial, although the tempo and instrumentation was later changed to an orchestra. For 38 consecutive years, millions of listeners in the Soviet Union actively heard the tune, regardless of the song's origin. The song was well-known to be "connected with a 'free voice' from the outside world." This made people forget about their cold pasts.[3][3][4]
Lyrics
| Cyrillic | Transliteration | English translation |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
References
External links
|  | |