National Anthem of the Soviet Union
| English: The National Anthem of the Soviet Union | |
|---|---|
| Gimn Sovyetskogo Soyuza | |
 Flag of the Soviet Union |
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| anthem of | Russian SFSR Soviet Union |
| Lyrics | Sergey Mikhalkov, 1943 and 1977 |
| Music | Alexander Alexandrov, 1938 (?) |
| Adopted | 15 March 1944 1 September 1977 (new version) |
| Until | 26 December 1991 (as anthem of the Soviet Union) 23 November 1990 (as anthem of the Russian SFSR) |
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Instrumental
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The National Anthem of the Soviet Union (or Hymn, Russian: Гимн Советского Союза, Gimn Sovyetskogo Soyuza) was introduced during World War II on March 15, 1944, replacing the The Internationale as the official national anthem. The lyrics were written by Sergey Mikhalkov (1913–2009) in collaboration with Gabriel El-Registan (1899–1945) and the music was composed by Alexander Alexandrov (1883–1946). It was believed that Soviet soldiers would respond more to an anthem that was dedicated only to the Soviet Union rather than to a worldwide movement. The song was originally written as the Anthem of the Bolshevik Party with lyrics in the Alexandrine meter by Vasily Lebedev-Kumach in 1939.
Stalin was originally mentioned in the lyrics; however, after his death in 1953 and the process of Destalinization, the lyrics referring to Stalin were unacceptable. From that time until 1977, the anthem was played without lyrics. Revised lyrics without the references to Stalin and World War II were approved in 1977.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia adopted a new national anthem called Patriotic Song without any lyrics. In 2000, the Soviet national anthem (tune) was restored with Mikhalkov writing new lyrics. See National Anthem of Russia.
Also, the same music was used for a proposal of the anthem of the State Union of Russia and Belarus entitled Derzhavny Soyuz Narodov (Union of Sovereign Nations). Although never officially adopted, the lyrics of that piece were not tied to any specific nationality, and could be adopted for a broader union. However, there appears to be no plans to utilize that piece in any official role.
Below are the Russian and the English versions of the lyrics; both can be sung to the music. The anthem also had official versions in the languages of every Soviet republic and in several other Soviet languages.
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Wikisource has lyrics in other languages at:
National Anthem of the Soviet Union
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Contents |
1977 version
Lyrics
| Russian | Transliteration | English version endorsed by the CPSU | IPA transcription | Literal translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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1. ПРИПЕВ:
2.
3.
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1. PRIPEV:
2.
3.
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1. Unbreakable union of freeborn republics CHORUS:
2.
3.
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1.
2.
3.
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1. CHORUS
2.
3.
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1944 version
The 1944 text had three different refrains following three different stanzas; in each refrain, the second line was consequently modified with references to friendship, then happiness and finally the glory. In 1977, these refrains were replaced by a uniform refrain following all stanzas.
Official lyrics of 1944 version
| Russian | Transliteration | English translation | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Союз нерушимый республик свободных
Сквозь грозы сияло нам солнце свободы,
Мы армию нашу растили в сраженьях.
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Soyuz nerushimy respublik svobodnykh
Skvoz' grozy siyalo nam solntse svobody,
My armiyu nashu rastili v srazhen'yakh,
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An unbreakable union of free republics, Chorus:
Through storms the sun of freedom has shined upon us, Chorus:
We brought our army to the battles. Chorus:
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| Russian | English translation | ||
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Союз нерушимый республик свободных |
Anthem of the Bolshevik Party
Official version
Гимн партии большевиков
| Russian | Transliteration | Literal English translation |
|---|---|---|
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National anthems of Russia and the Soviet Union
- 1791–1833: unofficially Grom pobedy, razdavajsya! ("Let the thunder of victory sound!") and Molitva russkikh
- 1833–1917: God Save the Tsar!
- 1917: Worker's Marseillaise, Russian version of La Marseillaise
- 1922–1943: The Internationale, adopted as the first national anthem of the Soviet Union
- 1944–1992: National Anthem of the Soviet Union, the "Hymn"; sung without lyrics from 1955 until 1977, when a new version of the lyrics removed any mention of Joseph Stalin and World War II
- 1991–2000: Prior to Russian independence the Patriotic Song (Patrioticheskaya Pesnya) became the national anthem of Russia. It has no lyrics; in 1999 there was a contest to add lyrics to the anthem, but the new text did not become official, since the new president Vladimir Putin changed the anthem again (on popular demand).
- 2001–: National Anthem of Russia is in fact the old anthem of the Soviet Union, but the text was again rewritten by Sergei Mikhalkov (who also wrote the lyrics for the Soviet hymn).
See also: National Anthems of the USSR and Union Republics
Media
See also
- Anthem
- Patrioticheskaya Pesnya
- National Anthem of Russia
- Shche ne vmerla Ukraina
- Anthem of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
- Aegukka
- Aegukga
- Russia
- Soviet Union
- The Internationale
References
External links
- Russian Anthems museum - extensive set of downloadable recordings and official sheet music.
- 20 Most popular Soviet songs
- The author of Russian national anthem: sources of the USSR's anthem in Russian. by K.Kovalev - Eng. Bortniansky's anthem "Kol slaven" - Eng.
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