Hymn of the Russian Federation

The Hymn of the Russian Federation (Russian: Государственный гимн Российской Федерации, Gimn Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is the national anthem of Russia. The anthem is composed by Alexander Alexandrov and its' lyrics were written by Sergey Mikhalkov. It constitutes a reintroduction of the music of the Soviet anthem but with revised lyrics. It was adopted in late 2000 with the approval of President Vladimir Putin and replaced the former anthem, The Patriotic Song adopted in 1991. The first public broadcast of the new anthem occurred at midnight on January 1 2001. During the course of the adoption, and afterwards, there has been concerns raised by liberal groups that the adoption of the anthem is bringing Russia back to its Soviet-era roots.<ref name="CNN">CNN Reporting the Duma's Adoption of Alexandrov's anthem in Dcember of 2000</ref>

Adoption

Before the push in 2000 to debate the national anthem that is used by Russia, there has been movements to refine The Patriotic Song, the Russian anthem adopted in 1991 by then-president Boris Yeltsin after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Tha main flaw with the anthem, composed by Mikhail Glinka, is that it was wordless. Various attempts were made to compose lyrics for the anthem, yet even with the 1999 result of Be glorious, Russia (Славься, Россия! ("Slav'sja, Rossija!), written by Viktor Radugin, the anthem was still without official lyrics.

The anthem debate picked up serious momentum in October of 2000 when Yeltsin's successor Vladimir Putin made the comment that Russian athletes did not have lyrics to sing as they were winning gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, which were held in Sydney, Australia.<ref name="2000olympics">Christianity Today - Putin complians about lack of lyrics to the anthem in October of 2000</ref> CNN also reported that players of the football club Spartak Moscow complained that the anthem lacking lyrics "affected their morale and performance." <ref name="CNN"/> Putin pressed for Alexandrov's anthem to be selected as the new Russian anthem, but strongly suggested that new lyrics were to be written. In December of 2000, the Duma voted 378-51 to adopt Alexandrov's anthem and the new lyrics, written by Mikhalkov. The anthem was first put into use on January 1, 2001 with a public performance in Moscow during the New Year's Day celebreation.

The adoption was not universally accepted by everyone. Boris Yeltsin said that Putin should not have changed the anthem due to "blindly follow the mood of the people." The liberal political party Yabloko stated that the readoption of the Alexandrov anthem "deepend the schism in [the Russian] society." <ref name="BBC">BCC Reporting the Duma's Adoption of Alexandrov's anthem in Dcember of 2000</ref> The re-adoption of the Alexandrov anthem was supported by the Communist Party and by Putin himself.

Music

The music of the national anthem, created by Alexandrov, has been used in several hymns and compositions before its' use in the Russian anthem. The first time the music was used was in the Hymn of the Bolshevik Party, created in 1938. The music was chosen again as the Hymn of the Soviet Union in 1944 by Joseph Stalin, then the Soviet leader. However, even before it was chosen as the Bolshevik hymn, the music was written in 1936 in the song Zhit stalo luchche (Life has become better).

During the debate to replace The Patriotic Song as the Russian anthem, it was discussed in the newspaper Lenta that the music Alexandrov created for the Soviet hymn was similar to the musical composition Bylina, an overture created by Vasily Kalinnikov in 1892. <ref>Article about the Bylina-Hymn USSR connection</ref> Because of this comparison, it was used as one of the main points brought up in the December 2005 hot-tempered debates in the State Duma to change the anthem. <ref>Comparison between Bylina and Alexandrov's anthem found</ref> There is no evidence that Alexandrov borrowed or used parts of Bylina in his compositions either intentionally or coincidently.

Lyrics

Sergey Mikhalkov

Mikhalkov first became involved in the anthem when he was asked by Stalin to write lyrics for the new Soviet hymn. At age 29, he was tapped by Stalin due to his work in writing didactic and politically correct poetry for Russian children, especially his series of poems about a very tall person (uncle Styopa). While the music for the hymn was chosen already, it took the efforts of Mikhalkov and Georgian poet Gabriel El-Registan to compose lyrics to the song, which was completed in 1943. Adopted in 1944, the Soviet hymn did not change until 1953. Upon the death of Stalin, the lyrics composed by Mikhalov and El-Registan were discarded due to trying to remove Stalin from the Soviet Union (Destalinization). Mikhalkov was involved with writing the 1977 lyrics to the Soviet hymn, which replaced any mentions of Stalin and other tiny modifications. This was used until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

In the 2000 events to re-adopt the anthem, Mikhalkov decided to pen new lyrics to Alexandrov's music at the request of the Kremlin and President Putin. Below is one section of the lyrics released by the Kremlin before the official adoption of the anthem, which made a reference to the other Russian symbols, the flag and arms:

Its mighty wings spread above us
The Russian eagle is hovering high
The Fatherland’s tricolor symbol
Is leading Russia’s peoples to victory <ref name="fotw">Flags of the World reporting about flag-related proposed lyrics</ref>

The lyrics were modified again before the official adoption in December of 2005; none of the lyrics have referred to the national symbols.

Regulations

While it is the choice of the performer to execute the anthem using either only music, only words or a combination of both, it must be performed using the official lyrics and music provided in the law. The recording can then be used for any purpose, such as on the radio, television or in a live performance. Anyone can use a recording of the anthem for solemn or celebratory occasions, but the anthem must be played at certain events, such as the swearing-in of the President of Russia, opening and closing sessions of the Duma and the Federation Council, official state ceremonies and visits by heads of state to Russia. The anthem is also required to play on television and on the radio either before the start and closing or programing or at 2400 and 600 hours for those who have continuous programing. The anthem is also played at sporting events in and outside of Russia, but only according to protocol of the organization who is hosting the games. When the anthem is played, all head-gear must be removed and must face the Russian flag, if it is present. Those who are in uniform must give a salute when the anthem plays, though that is controlled by military regulations. Pieces of the national anthem can be used in other works, as long as permission has been granted by the Russian President. Those who perform the anthem in a way that cause offense and disrespect will be punished in accordance with the law.<ref name="law">Law on the Russian anthem</ref>

Official lyrics

English translation

Russia — our sacred State,
Russia — our beloved country.
A mighty will, a great glory —
Is your legacy for all time!

Chorus
Be glorious, our free Fatherland,
Fraternal peoples, a union for the ages,
Common wisdom handed down by our forbears
Be glorious, our country! We pride ourselves in you.

From the southern seas to the arctic circle
our forests and fields spread before you
You are unique in the world, you are without compare
The land of my birth protected by God.

Chorus

Open spaces for dreams and for living
Are opened for us by the coming years
Our strength is given to us by faith in our Fatherland
Thus it was, so it is and always will be!

Chorus

Media

(file info) 2001 recording by the Russian Government (file info) 2001 recording by the Russian Government Problems playing the files? See media help.

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Official sheet music

References

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External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Гимн России

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Hymn of the Russian Federation

• Government of Russia's website on the national symbols ((Russian))
• Federal Constitutional Law on the National Hymn of the Russian Federation ((Russian))
• Other recordings of the anthem, an extensive collection