XIII Международная студенческая научная конференция Студенческий научный форум - 2021

The Great Patriotic War… It was so horrible and cruel. Was it possible to think about songs during that hard time? Only high-spirited people could write songs inspiring to the courageous fight against the enemy to save the Motherland, the future, the happiness, and the civilization of the world. A.V. Suvorov said, “Music duplicates and triplicates the army, with the unfurled colors and loud music I took Ishmael.” [2]

At the time of the Great Patriot War music became one of the most efficient weapons at the fight with the enemy. At this period thousands of songs were written, they encouraged soldiers to feats, infused them with bravery. During the first week of the war Soviet composers and poets wrote about two hundred songs, most of them immediately “went to the frontline”. Marshal of the Soviet Union I. Bagramyan recalling the first, the hardest months of the war said, “At this period of the war a lot of songs were written. They were cheerful and chanted the Motherland, hatred to the enemy, courage, daring – all that helped overcome countless wartime difficulties.” [2]

Songs of the military time … There are so many of them; they are so beautiful and unforgettable. They tell us about the bitterness of retreat at the first months of the war, the joy of going back home, pictures from soldiers’ lives, stories about combat feats of sailors and infantrymen, pilots and tankers.

One of the most famous songs that became a symbol of fight and victory in the Great Patriotic War is “Svyashchennaya Voyna”. It is a peculiar hymn of protecting the Motherland that combines the threatening tread of the march and melodious singing.

In two days after the beginning of the war, on 24 June 1941, simultaneously in newspapers “Izvestiya” and “Krasnaya Zvezda” the text of this song written by V.I. Lebedev-Kumach was published. Immediately after that the composer A.V. Alexandrov, chief of the Krasnoznamyonnyy song and dance ensemble, was interested in it. He was impressed by this song and started writing the music.

On 26 June 1941 “Svyashchennaya Voyna” was first sung at Belarusskiy station by the Krasnoznamyonnyy song and dance ensemble. According to the memories of spectators the ensemble sang this song five times running that day for the soldiers who went to the frontline. The song called up to be staunch and brave, inspired to combat feats, and instilled self-confidence.

At the time of the war “Siniy Platochek” became a symbol of faith, hope, and love. This song gave confidence to soldiers, who hid from shells and projectiles in trenches and remembered their relatives. The composer of “Siniy Platochek” is Ezhi Petersburskiy and the author – Yakov Galitsky. With this song soldiers fell asleep and woke up, went into battle, and won victories in combats. Once the commander of the company surrounded by the enemy attached a piece of blue material to his bayonet, led soldiers into attack, and shouted, “For the blue handkerchief.” The enemy was broken. This appeal was also used by artillerymen, they wrote on shells, “For the blue handkerchief.” [2]

Other famous military songs are “Smuglyanka”, “Tyomnaya noch”, “Zemlyanka”, “Zavetnyy Kamen”, and “Vecher na Reyde”, etc.

Symphonies, overtures, ballets, operettas, and other musical compositions were also popular alongside with songs. Among them is Symphony 7 by Dmitry Shostakovich, which was written in 1941 and was named “Leningradskaya”. This symphony became a symbol of Soviet people resistance to fascist aggressors and the faith in the future victory over the enemy.

The symphony was first played on 9 August 1942 in the Big Hall of the philharmonic. The date hadn’t been chosen accidentally. By that day German aggressors had planned to capture the city. But finally, they didn’t manage to celebrate their probable victory and became involuntary listeners of this composition. At the day of the premiere it became evident to everybody who would win the fight for the city in this terrible war. One of the Germans after the victory of the Soviet Union said, “At the day of the premiere we realized that we would lose not only the battle, but also the war. That time we felt the power of Russian people that could overcome both hunger and death.” [2]

Composers and poets emphasized the patriotic ideas and the spiritual life values of people whom the fascism was going to wipe off the face of the earth. R. Glier wrote the overture “Druzhba Narodov”. This composition, written at the beginning of the war, impresses by the deep faith of the author into the invincibility of our country’s people, joined by the great friendship.

The ballet “Gayane” is a choreographic poem about the greatness of people and their happiness. Aram Ilyich Khachaturyan, the author of this composition, said, “The front needed weapons, bread, and tobacco. The rear needed bread and warmth. Both the front and the rear needed the art and spiritual fare.” [2] The muse of operetta also didn’t keep silence at the time of the war. N. Minkh said, “Residents of Leningrad crowded the theater hall to the full every evening, where the musical comedy about the military blockade life took place. And we were happy when we heard how people laughed in the beleaguered city! The person who is able to laugh is unconquerable!” [3]

Good spirits and sense of humor didn’t leave people during the war years. Chastooshkas written at the time of the Great Patriotic War proved that. Ingenuous and often naive texts of chastooshkas expressed the true love to the Motherland, helped overcome burdens and losses, and showed the intestinal fortitude.

Due to the fact that songs at the frontline had a great and imperious power, the decision to restore the production of gramophone records that had been interrupted by the war was taken. Beginning from October 1942 gramophone records were delivered to the frontline together with ammunition, guns, and tanks. They played songs that were so important to soldiers in every blindage, every dugout, and every trench.

At the time of the Great Patriotic War actors of dramatic and musical theatres, philharmonic, and concert groups made a contribution into the fight with the enemy. Front theaters and concert brigades had a great popularity. Only in Moscow 700 concert brigades and in Leningrad – 500 were created. During the war about four thousand artistic brigades, including 42 000 creative workers, were at the frontline. Risking their lives, these people proved by their performances that the art beauty was still alive and it was impossible to kill it. The silence of frontline forests was broken not only by enemy artillery fire, but also by admiring applause of enthusiastic spectators, calling their favorite singers such as Lidia Ruslanova, Leonid Utyosov, and Klavdia Shulzhenko to the stage again and again. Music helped soldiers fight with the enemy, forge victory, and withstand all hardships of the war. Soldiers from the frontline said, “We have weaponry, send us songs.” [1]

During the war Lidia Ruslanova sang songs at the frontline – in trenches and under bombing shells. She gave more than 1200 concerts and spent the earned money for two batteries “Katyusha” that soldiers immediately renamed into “Lidusha” and sent them to the frontline. Together with Soviet soldiers Lidia Ruslanova went to Berlin. On 2 May 1945, having sung “Valenki” on the steps of the damaged Reichstag, she signed on one of its columns.

Music inspired not only soldiers, but also workers of the rear. When many theaters of Moscow, Leningrad, and other cities temporarily occupied by the enemy were evacuated inland, radio became the center of musical life. All country listened to the singers A.V. Nezhdanova, N.A. Obukhova, S.Ya. Lemeshev, pianists M.V. Yudina, E. Gilels, S. Rikhter, violinist D. Oystrakh, and many other famous and favorite people.

In blockade Leningrad the orchestra of the Radio Committee didn’t work only in the hardest winter form 1941 to 1942. But on 5 April 1942 the first concert of the season took place. K.I. Eliasberg, who led the orchestra that evening, remembered, “The temperature in the hall was 7–8° below zero. But the people cried from gladness….” [1] On 1 May under the strong fire the orchestra performed Symphony 6 written by P.I. Chaikovsky. Residents of Leningrad were shown 81 operas and 55 ballets.

Musical creativity of military time joined people, rose military spirit, supported their faith in the future victory. Songs of the Great Patriotic War called out soldiers to protect their Motherland, made the army unity and frontline friendship stronger. Each musical composition is a special history that describes not only the period of war, but also destinies of people, their thoughts, and feelings.

References

1. Ivanova L.I. Soviet Song // National Musical Literature 1917 – 1985. M: Musyka, 1996. – 375 p.

2. Kuzmin A.I. Military Heroic Spirit in the Russian Poetic Creativity. M: Prosveshchenie, 1981. – 96 p.

3. Krasilshchik S. Muses Led into a Battle. Literature and Art Celebrities at the time of the Great Patriotic War. M: Novosti, 1985. – 337 p.