THE STORY OF THE SOVIET ANTHEM

[For my reader’s information, the music and words of La Marseillaise, mentioned in this entry, were written by the Frenchman Claude Joseph Rouget de Lille in 1792. As for L’Internationale, its words were written in 1871 by the French socialist poet Eugène Pottier, at first, to the tune of La Marseillaise, but later (in 1888) provided with its original music by Pierre De Geyter. It is so ironic that although L’Internationale is one of the most famous songs ever written, very few people actually know the names of its authors.

…And one more thing. The current National Anthem of Russia happens to be a faithful reincarnation of the old Soviet Anthem, to the same music by Alexander Alexandrov and a slightly retouched set of lyrics by their original creator Sergei Mikhalkov.]

There are actually two curious stories here: one about the making of the Anthem itself, and the other about Voroshilov’s reminiscences around it.

It is a well-known fact that for the first quarter of a century of its existence, Soviet Russia/the USSR did not have an authentic national anthem. The first semi-official substitute for the Tsarist Anthem God Keep The Tsar, discarded after the abolition of the Russian Monarchy, was the Workers’ Marseillaise, with somewhat modified Russian words (as compared to the original French lyrics), but with its distinctive music intact. It was in use between 1917 (surprisingly adopted by the… Russian Provisional Government) and early 1918, but it was naturally a temporary thing. The colossal Russian admiration for the French Revolution notwithstanding, the song was not only a foreign invention, but was, besides, the national anthem of another (plus unfriendly) country. Tchaikovsky had used its music to symbolize Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812. Thus, it was a controversial musical symbol of anti-Russian aggression, and for all these reasons it could not be sustained, except as a stirring revolutionary song.

In early 1918, yet another immensely popular French revolutionary song L’Internationale, composed in late nineteenth century, to become the international anthem of socialists, communists, anarchists, and other sorts of world revolutionists, was adopted by the Soviet government as Russia’s internationalist anthem, in lieu of a national anthem, to represent the “internationalist” character of the Bolshevik Revolution. The story of the Soviet Anthem goes faulty at this time, asserting that the decision to create a Soviet National Anthem would not be made until 1943, when in the midst of Russia’s Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany a national patriotic zeal was in particular demand.

But the truth of the matter is that the search for a Soviet National Anthem had started long before that, in the 1930’s, and a challenge of sorts was thrown to the Soviet composers to compete for the best proposal for it. Several proposals were indeed submitted (including one by Dmitri Shostakovich!). But it is also well known that by that time Stalin already had a favorite in the race, the composer Alexander Alexandrov, who was the organizer and artistic director-conductor, since 1928, of the exceptionally talented and magnificently spirited Red Army Song and Dance Ensemble, destined to become legendary. Alexandrov was also the composer of a number of excellent patriotic songs, having received the highest artistic title of The People’s Artist of the USSR in 1937. Therefore, Stalin had good grounds for being confident about Alexandrov’s eventual success in this endeavor.

The composer’s effort was crowned with the 1938 prototype Bolshevik Party Anthem, written together with the poet Vasili Ivanovich Lebedev-Kumach, often unfairly painted as a Communist hack, but objectively a solid, if straightforward and simple, writer of patriotic lyrics. Later on, in June 1941, it was again teamed up with Lebedev-Kumach, that Alexandrov would create the stirring masterpiece Holy War, which became the most celebrated song of the Great Patriotic War, sung by soldiers on their way to the front, bringing Russia to tears.

Stalin apparently loved the music of Alexandrov’s Bolshevik Party Anthem, and his 1943 decision to turn it into the National Soviet Anthem is evident from the fact that the latter’s words, written by Sergei Mikhalkov in a largely symbolic collaboration with the Armenian poet El Registan (Gabriel Arshaluisovich Arakelyan), were carefully fitted to Alexandrov’s 1938 musical gem, like an upgraded version of the Lebedev-Kumach lyrics… Such is the core story of the creation of the Soviet Anthem.

The next curious story, frequently and admiringly repeated by Voroshilov, sheds some light on the details of the first one, while bearing further testimony to Stalin seeing himself as Russia’s royalty. The event’s exact date is unclear here, but I would be more inclined to take it back to 1938, rather than to the later date of 1943.

…Marshal Voroshilov had not only been the commander of Stalin’s private army during the Civil War, and later Stalin’s War Minister. He also had a magnificent voice, at least in some credible opinions.

It was in this vocal capacity that Stalin summoned Voroshilov into his Kremlin office one day. At the same time, he invited the distinguished composer Alexander Alexandrov, who was of course both men’s favorite.

“We need a new national anthem,” said Stalin. “You write good music, Comrade Alexandrov. That’s why I have chosen you specifically to write it. And I want it to be just as good as the “God Keep the Tsar,” just as good, you understand?”

God Keep the Czar had been Russia’s old national anthem under the tsars. After the Bolshevik takeover, it was no longer in use, and the battle hymn of the Revolution L’Internationale was sung as its substitute. But now was the time for authenticity.

Stalin wanted to make sure that Alexandrov knew precisely what he meant by “just as good,” and he told the two men to start singing God Keep the Czar, in order to refresh their memory. Meanwhile, he himself sank into his big leather armchair and closed his eyes, as if taking a nap: his usual and well-known trick, when in fact he was closely watching his subjects.

The Marshal and the Composer, both dressed in full military uniform, standing at attention, began singing with strong, vibrant voices, and as they were singing that incredibly beautiful old Tsarist Anthem, tears of rapture were pouring down their cheeks. They were in Royal Presence, and felt exalted.

Stalin was sitting bemusedly for some time after they were finished. Then he looked at Alexandrov with a merry twinkle in his eye.

“Just as good!” he repeated, shaking his finger, and dismissed the composer.