Summary
"The Sacred War",[a] also known as "Arise, Great Country!"[b] is one of the most famous Soviet songs of World War II. The music is by Alexander Alexandrov, founder of the Alexandrov Ensemble and the musical composer of the State Anthem of the Soviet Union. The lyrics are by Vasily Lebedev-Kumach.[1]
| "The Sacred War" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Written | 1941 |
| Genre | Martial music |
| Composer(s) | Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov |
| Lyricist(s) | Vasily Lebedev-Kumach |
The circumstances of the composition and first performance of the song were hurried; the lyrics were published on 24 June 1941, and Alexandrov immediately wrote the music for them, writing the notes out on a blackboard for the singers to copy manually. The first performance was on 26 June at Belorussky Railway Station, where according to eyewitnesses it was sung five times in succession.[2]
In the 1990s Russian media published the allegation that the lyrics had been plagiarized by Lebedev-Kumach, and that they were indeed written during the First World War by Aleksandr Bode (1865–1939). These claims were taken to court, and the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta in June 2000 was forced to publish a retraction of the claim.[3] Prof. Evgeniy Levashev (2000) still upheld doubts on the authorship, and on the reasonableness of the court's decision.[4]
One of the most famous Soviet patriotic songs, The Sacred War has been sung in several languages including Russian,[5] Finnish,[6] Hungarian,[7] Estonian,[8] Latvian,[9] Chinese,[10] Korean,[11] Japanese,[12] Vietnamese,[13] Hindi,[14] Punjabi,[15] German,[16] French[17] and English.[18] There exists a version of the song in Ukrainian,[19] however it is repurposed for the War in Donbas from the Ukrainian side and instead has anti-Soviet and anti-Russian themes.
Lyrics edit
| Original Russian lyrics | Latin transcription | Literal English translation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Verse | |||
|
Встава́й, страна́ огро́мная, |
Vstaváy straná ogrómnaya, |
Arise, vast country, | |
| Припе́в ×2 | Pripév ×2 | Chorus ×2 | |
|
Пусть я́рость благоро́дная |
Pustʹ yárostʹ blagoródnaya |
Let noble wrath | |
| Second Verse | |||
|
Дади́м отпо́р души́телям |
Dadím otpór dushítelyam |
We shall repulse the oppressors | |
| Припе́в | Pripév | Chorus | |
|
Пусть я́рость благоро́дная |
Pustʹ yárostʹ blagoródnaya |
Let noble wrath | |
| Third Verse | |||
|
Не сме́ют кры́лья чёрные |
Ne sméyut krýlʹya chórnye |
The black wings shall not dare | |
| Припе́в | Pripév | Chorus | |
|
Пусть я́рость благоро́дная |
Pustʹ yárostʹ blagoródnaya |
Let noble wrath | |
| Fourth Verse | |||
|
Гнило́й фаши́стской не́чисти |
Gnilóy fashístskoy néchisti |
We shall drive a bullet into the forehead | |
| Припе́в ×2 | Pripév ×2 | Chorus ×2 | |
|
Пусть я́рость благоро́дная |
Pustʹ yárostʹ blagoródnaya |
Let noble wrath | |
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ David R. Marples (2014). Russia in the Twentieth Century: The quest for stability. Routledge. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-317-86228-4.
- ^ В. Олару. Стихотворение в газете Независимая Молдова, 21 июня 2001 ("Архив за 21.06.2001 - "Независимая Молдова"". Archived from the original on July 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)) - ^ Опровержение Независимая газета, 5 июля 2000; A. Barinov, Бард сталинской эпохи. 105 лет со дня рождения Василия Лебедева-Кумача, «АиФ Долгожитель» № 15 (27), 8 August 2003.
- ^ Е. М. Левашев. Судьба песни // Архив наследия — 2000 / Сост. и науч. ред. Плужников В. И.; РАН. Российский Научно-исследовательский институт культурного и природного наследия им. Д. С. Лихачёва. — М.: Институт Наследия, 2001, 305–330. (online version).
- ^ The Sacred War in Russian (Священная война), retrieved 2021-02-25
- ^ The Sacred War in Finnish (Pyhä Sota), retrieved 2021-05-11
- ^ The Sacred War in Hungarian (Fel küzdelemre hős haza), retrieved 2015-01-15
- ^ The Sacred War in Estonian (Püha sõda), retrieved 2023-06-22
- ^ The Sacred War in Latvian (Svētais karš), retrieved 2023-09-10
- ^ The Sacred War in Chinese (神聖的戰爭), retrieved 2021-05-12
- ^ The Sacred War in Korean (성스러운 전쟁), retrieved 2012-06-03
- ^ The Sacred War in Japanese (聖なる戦い), retrieved 2022-06-25
- ^ The Sacred War in Vietnamese (Cuộc Chiến tranh Thần thánh), retrieved 2023-05-09
- ^ The Sacred War in Hindi (महान युद्ध), retrieved 2023-05-11
- ^ The Sacred War in Punjabi (ਸਾਡੀ ਲੜਾਈ), retrieved 2023-07-27
- ^ The Sacred War in German (Der Heilige Krieg), retrieved 2020-03-27
- ^ The Sacred War in French (La Guerre Sacrée), retrieved 2021-05-10
- ^ The Sacred War in English (The Sacred War), retrieved 2014-12-21
- ^ The Sacred War in Ukrainian (Священна війна), retrieved 2021-05-14
External links edit
- Song "The Sacred War" performed by the chorus of the People's Liberation Army of China [1]
- Lyrics and recording, 1942 recording (sovmusic.ru)
- German lyrics by Hermlin (erinnerungsort.de)
- The Sacred War by Ingen on YouTube:
The Sacred War - Ingen