Anthem of the Russian Empire, God save the Tsar. Hymns of the Russian Empire
Listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emNUP3EMu98&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qUFErfzIMc
Alexander Bulynko
HYMNS OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE
Historical essay-essay
The words of the State Anthem of the Russian Empire “God Save the Tsar” were written in 1815 by the great Russian poet, founder of romanticism and translator Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky (1783 - 1852).
The text part of the anthem contained only six lines:
God save the Tsar!
The glorious one has long days
Give it to the earth!
Proud to the humbler,
Guardian of the weak,
Comforter of all -
All have descended!
(1815)
These six lines of the first Russian anthem were part of the poetic work of V.A. Zhukovsky “Prayer of the Russians” (see below).
Initially, the music of the British anthem - “God save the King”, written by the Englishman Henry Carey in 1743, was chosen as the musical accompaniment to the text of the first Russian national anthem.
In this form, it was approved by the decree of Emperor Alexander I of 1816 on the performance of this melody when the emperor met at ceremonial receptions, and in this version the anthem existed until 1833.
In 1833, Emperor Nicholas I visited Austria and Prussia on a visit, during which he was honored with the sounds of the English anthem-march. The Tsar patiently listened to the melody of monarchical solidarity without enthusiasm and remarked to Prince Alexei Fedorovich Lvov, who accompanied him on this trip, that such a situation was inadmissible.
Upon returning to Russia, Nicholas I commissioned Lvov to compose the music for a new national anthem.
Prince Alexey Fedorovich Lvov (1798-1870) was chosen as the author of the music for a reason. Lvov was considered a major representative of Russian violin art of the 1st half of the 19th century. He received violin lessons at the age of 7 from F. Boehm, and studied composition from I.G. Miller.
He received an engineering and technical education, graduating in 1818 from the Higher Imperial School of Transport (now MIIT). Then he worked in the Arakcheevo military settlements as a railway engineer, without giving up his violin studies. Since 1826 he has been an aide-de-camp at the court of the Imperial Majesty.
Unable to perform in public concerts due to his official position (which was prohibited by a special decree of the emperor), he became famous as a wonderful virtuoso violinist by playing music in circles, salons, and at charity events.
Only when traveling abroad did Lvov perform in front of a wide audience. Here he developed friendly relations with F. Mendelssohn, J. Meyerbeer, G. Spontini, R. Schumann, who highly valued Lvov’s performing skills as a soloist and member of a string ensemble.
Later, in 1837, Lvov was appointed director of the Court Singing Chapel, and served in this position until 1861. From 1837 to 1839. The conductor of the chapel was the great Russian composer M.I. Glinka.
In addition to the music of the Russian anthem, Prince Lvov is the author of the operas “Bianca and Gualtiero” (1844), “Ondine” (1847), a concert for violin and orchestra, Orthodox church chants, such as “Like the Cherubim”, “Thy Secret Supper” and other musical works, as well as a number of articles on violin making.
And in 1933, 35-year-old Prince Alexei Lvov, having fulfilled a state order from Emperor Nicholas I, became the author of the music for the second version of the national anthem of the Russian Empire. The words to it were also taken from the poem by V.A. Zhukovsky, but lines 2 and 3 were changed by A.S. Pushkin, who should also be considered a co-author of this work.
The new anthem was first performed on December 18, 1833 and existed until the February Revolution of 1917.
It also has only six lines of text and 16 bars of melody.
The text part of this work is the shortest national anthem in the history of mankind. These words easily sank into the soul, were easily remembered by absolutely everyone and were designed for verse repetition - three times.
In the period from 1917 to 1967. This work has never been publicly performed anywhere and was heard for a wide audience only in the film “New Adventures of the Elusive” directed by Edmond Keosayan (Mosfilm, 1968). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv9lTakWskE&feature=related
From 1917 to 1918, the national anthem was the melody of the French song of the Army of the Rhine "La Marseillaise". The words, which are not a translation of the French song, were written by P.L. Lavrov, music by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle.
From 1918 to 1944, the official national anthem of the country was “The Internationale” (words by Eugene Potier, music by Pierre Degeyter, Russian text by Arkady Kotz).
By a resolution of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks on December 14, 1943, the new anthem of the USSR was approved (words by S.V. Mikhalkov with the participation of G.A. El-Registan, music by A.V. Alexandrov). This version of the anthem was first performed on the night of January 1, 1944. It was officially used since March 15, 1944. Since 1955, this version has been performed without words, since the name of I.V. Stalin was mentioned in its text. However, the old words of the anthem were not officially abolished, therefore, during foreign performances of Soviet athletes, the anthem with the old words was sometimes performed.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of May 27, 1977, a new text of the anthem was approved, the author of the text was the same S.V. Mikhalkov.
On November 27, 1990, at the opening of the Second Extraordinary Congress of People's Deputies of the RSFSR, the melody of M.I. Glinka’s “Patriotic Song” was performed and unanimously approved as the State Anthem of the Russian Federation. It remained the anthem of Russia until 2000. This anthem was sung without words, since there was no generally accepted text for the “Patriotic Song”.
Since 2000, the official anthem of Russia has been the national anthem with music by Alexander Alexandrov, written by him for the “Hymn of the Bolshevik Party”. The next version of the text belongs to the same Sergei Mikhalkov.
But that, as they say, is a different story...
In conclusion, it should be noted that all monarchist movements in Russia still consider “God Save the Tsar” as their anthem.
Based on materials from the Free Encyclopedia "Wikipedia" and other Internet sites.
================================================
National anthem of the Russian Empire
GOD SAVE THE KING
(A.F. Lvov - V.A. Zhukovsky)
God Save the Tsar
Strong, sovereign,
Reign for our glory,
Reign to the fear of your enemies,
Orthodox Tsar.
God save the Tsar!
(1833)
Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky
RUSSIAN PRAYER
God save the Tsar!
Strong, sovereign,
Reign for glory, for our glory!
Reign to the fear of your enemies,
Orthodox Tsar!
God, the Tsar, save the Tsar!
God save the Tsar!
The glorious one has long days
Give it to the earth! Give it to the earth!
Proud to the humbler,
Glorious to the keeper,
All to the comforter - all sent down!
First-power
Orthodox Rus',
God Bless! God Bless!
Her kingdom is harmonious,
Calm in power!
Anything unworthy, throw away!
The army is blasphemous,
Glory's chosen ones,
God Bless! God Bless!
To the avenging warriors,
Honor to the saviors,
Long days to peacemakers!
Peaceful warriors,
Guardians of truth
God Bless! God Bless!
Their life is approximate
Unhypocritical
Remember faithful valor!
Oh, Providence!
Blessing
It was sent down to us! It was sent down to us!
Striving for good
In happiness there is humility,
In times of sorrow, give patience to the earth!
Be our intercessor
Faithful companion
See us off! See us off!
Light and lovely,
Life in heaven
Known to the heart, shine to the heart!
(1815)
========================================
Eduard Leitman
GOT, SAVE THE TSAR
Translation into English of the anthem
"God Save the Tsar!"
God, save the tsar of us
Sovereign, vigorous!
Reign for the glory of,
Always defend beloved,
Orthodox rigorous.
God, save the tsar of us!
Eduard Leitman
THE RUSSIAN PRAYER
Translation into English of the poem
V.A. Zhukovsky "Russian Prayer"
God, save the tsar of us
Sovereign, vigorous!
Reign for the glory of,
Always defend beloved,
Orthodox rigorous.
God, save the tsar of us!
Save, God, for us the tsar!
Let him be the star
On Russian earth.
Insolence we'll defeat.
Weak ones 'll get a treat.
Living for all 'll be sweet.
God, make us peace!
Sovereign first of all
Of Orthodox as called
Save Russia, God!
Realms with powers
Where wealth flowers
From what's not ours
Help us to guard!
Oh, worldly providence,
Your highest prominence,
Bring us the world!
Being of good reputation
With happy life pursuit
On a demure route
Bless us on earth!
In 1833, Prince Alexei Fedorovich Lvov accompanied Nicholas I during his visit to Austria and Prussia, where the emperor was greeted everywhere by the sounds of the English march. The Tsar listened to the melody of monarchical solidarity without enthusiasm. Upon returning to his homeland, the emperor wished that his own Russian march be created. Then a secret competition began to write a new monarchist anthem, in which many Russian composers took part, including the great Mikhail Glinka, but the composer Alexei Lvov, close to the court, won the competition.
The new anthem was first performed on December 18, 1833 (according to other sources - December 25), it existed until the February Revolution of 1917. After the October Revolution, this anthem was erased from the history of the new Soviet state, and the International began to perform it instead...
The anthem of the Russian Empire was called “God Save the Tsar!”, lyrics to music by A.F. Lvov was written by the famous Russian poet V.A. Zhukovsky. There was not a single person in Russia who had never heard or sung the Russian anthem, glorifying the Orthodox Tsar and the Orthodox Autocratic Fatherland; however, this anthem was not just a patriotic march, but also a prayer, which is why it turned out to be so close to the soul of the Russian people .
God save the Tsar!
Strong, sovereign,
Reign for our glory,
Reign to the fear of your enemies,
Orthodox Tsar!
God save the Tsar!
.
God save the Tsar!
The glorious one has long days
Give it to the earth!
Proud to the humbler,
Guardian of the weak,
Comforter of all -
All have descended!
.
First-power
Orthodox Rus',
God Bless!
Her kingdom is harmonious,
Calm in strength,
Still unworthy
Get away!
.
O providence,
Blessing
It was sent down to us!
Striving for good
In happiness there is humility,
Patience in sorrow
Give it to the earth!
On November 23, 1833, the anthem was first presented to the tsar - for which the royal family and their retinue specially arrived at the Singing Chapel, where the court singers with two military bands performed the anthem in front of them. Thanks to the sublime, choral melody, the anthem sounded extremely powerful. The tsar really liked the melody, which he listened to several times, and he ordered to “show” the anthem to the general public.
Performance of the hymn “God Save the Tsar”
On December 11, 1833, at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, the orchestra and the entire theater troupe took part in the performance of “Russian Folk Song” ( This is how the hymn “God Save the Tsar” was named in the poster.). The next day, rave reviews appeared in the newspapers. This is what the director of the Moscow Imperial Theaters M.P. says about the historical premiere. Zagoskin: “At first the words were sung by one of the actors, Bantyshev, then repeated by the whole choir. I cannot describe to you the impression that this national song made on the audience; all the men and ladies listened to her standing; first “hurray” and then “foro” thundered in the theater when it was sung. Of course, it was repeated..."
.
On December 25, 1833, on the anniversary of the expulsion of Napoleon's troops from Russia, the anthem was performed in the halls of the Winter Palace during the consecration of banners and in the presence of high military officials. On December 31 of the outgoing year, the commander of the Separate Guards Corps, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, gave the order: “The Emperor was pleased to express his permission to play newly composed music at parades, reviews, divorces and other occasions, instead of the currently used anthem, taken from national English.”
.
On August 30, 1834, a monument, the Alexander Pillar, was opened on Palace Square in St. Petersburg in honor of the victory over Napoleon in the War of 1812. The grand opening of the monument was accompanied by a parade of troops, before which the Russian anthem “God Save the Tsar” was performed for the first time in an official setting "
Soon the music of the hymn “God Save the Tsar” became famous in Europe.
On May 26, 1883, on the Day of the Ascension of the Lord, the consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow took place, coinciding with the Day of the Holy Coronation of Emperor Alexander III to the All-Russian Throne. Then this anthem was performed especially solemnly. P.I. Tchaikovsky - back in 1880, wrote an overture in which the theme of the hymn “God Save the Tsar” sounds in a beautiful harmonic arrangement; it was performed on the occasion of the consecration of the Temple. In total, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky used the music of the anthem in six of his works.
However, not everyone liked the music of the anthem, for example, the famous critic V.V. Stasov did not like her and made critical remarks about her. M.I. also expressed some disapproval of the anthem. Glinka, but despite this composer A.F. Lvov forever entered the galaxy of Russian composers, as evidenced, in particular, by the painting by I.E. Repin, hanging on the landing of the stairs at the Moscow Conservatory. The painting is called “Slavic Composers”, and in it, along with Glinka, Chopin, Rimsky-Korsakov and others, the author of the official Russian anthem A.F. is depicted in an embroidered court uniform. Lviv.
Painting by I. Repin “Slavic Composers”
After the overthrow of the tsarist regime, covered by the imaginary abdication of Tsar Nicholas II from the throne and the subsequent murder of the royal family by the Bolsheviks, glorifying the royal person with a “folk song” became impossible. The new interim government almost immediately made attempts to create its own Russian anthem. Then the Russian poet V.Ya. In March 1917, Bryusov wrote an article “On the New Russian Anthem,” in which he expressed the idea of the need to organize an all-Russian competition to write the anthem of New Russia and proposed several options for approaching writing the music and words of this work.
He wrote: “We need a short song that, by the power of sounds, the magic of art, would immediately unite those gathered in one impulse, would immediately set everyone in one high mood”... Bryusov emphasized that the “spirit of the people”, usually characteristic of the national anthems of countries with a “uniform ” by the population, must be expressed differently in multinational Russia. According to Bryusov, the anthem cannot be “Great Russian”. He also cannot draw pathos from the Orthodox religion due to the diversity of faiths in the country. Finally, the anthem should not divide the population by class, nationality, etc. - it should sound for everyone who considers Russia their Motherland. In the verses of the anthem, as V.Ya. believed. Bryusov, should be reflected: military glory, the size of the country, the heroic past and the exploits of the people. The pathos of the words of the anthem should correspond to the pathos of the melody and contain ideas: the brotherhood of the peoples inhabiting Russia, their meaningful work for the common good, the memory of the best people of our native history, those noble endeavors that will open the way for Russia to true greatness... “In addition,” the poet wrote , - the anthem must be an artistic creation, genuine, inspired poetry; the other is unnecessary and useless. External form - the anthem must be a song..."
.
Following Bryusov, many other proposals were made regarding a new anthem.
At first, the orchestras performed the classic French version of “La Marseillaise,” while the Russian “Workers’ Marseillaise” was sung to the words of P. Lavrov. Meanwhile, at rallies and meetings, the socialist anthem “Internationale” began to be heard more and more often. In January 1918, the Internationale was approved by the Council of People's Commissars as the country's anthem and began to be sung by the people, but it was no longer a song-prayer; rather, on the contrary, it was the song of rebels who had risen to the previous order of life, ready to demolish and destroy everything, in the hope build your own world on the ruins of the old world. It remains only to add that according to Holy Scripture, “those branded with a curse” are demons, but people can also brand themselves with the curse of the Almighty if they rebel against God and begin to collaborate with demons. Here is the first verse of the international, compare it with the prayer hymn “God Save the Tsar”:
Arise, branded with a curse,
The whole world is hungry and slaves!
Our indignant mind is boiling
And ready to fight to the death.
We will destroy the whole world of violence
Down to the ground and then
We are ours, we will build a new world:
He who was nothing will become everything!
Later ( in 1943) a new anthem will appear: “The indestructible Union of free republics has been united forever by Great Rus'. Long live the united, mighty Soviet Union, created by the will of the peoples!” But that is another story.
And now Zhanna Bichevskaya and the male choir are performing the Anthem of the Russian Empire “God Save the Tsar!”
The appearance of the official anthem in the Russian Empire is associated with the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the glorification of Emperor Alexander I.
In 1815, V. A. Zhukovsky published his poem “The Prayer of the Russians,” dedicated to Alexander I, in the magazine “Son of the Fatherland.” The first line of this poem was the words: “God save the Tsar.” In 1816, A. S. Pushkin added two more stanzas to the poem. On October 19, 1816, they were performed by students of the lyceum to the music of the English anthem. Thus, the text of the “Prayer of the Russian People,” the Russian anthem, was practically created, but when it was performed, the music remained English. With this music, military bands in Warsaw greeted Alexander I, who arrived there in 1816. For almost 20 years, the Russian Empire officially used the melody of the English anthem.
Emperor Nicholas I, the first Russian monarch of modern times, who understood the need to create a state ideology, commissioned his court composer A.F. Lvov to write the music for the anthem. At the same time, the Emperor remarked: “ It’s boring to listen to English music that has been used for so many years.” A.F. Lvov recalled:
Count Benckendorff told me that the Emperor, regretting that we do not have a national anthem, and, bored with listening to the English music that has been used for so many years, instructs me to write a Russian anthem. I felt the need to create a majestic, strong, sensitive hymn, understandable to everyone, bearing the imprint of nationality, suitable for the Church, suitable for the troops, suitable for the people - from the learned to the ignorant.
The difficulty of the task was that the national anthem is not just a musical and poetic work performed on special occasions. The anthem is a symbol of the state, reflecting the worldview and spiritual mood of the people, their national idea.
On March 21, 1833, the newly appointed new Minister of Public Education S.S. Uvarov for the first time promulgated in his circular the then famous formula “Orthodoxy, Autocracy, Nationality” as an expression of the official ideology approved by the Sovereign.
Therefore, Zhukovsky’s lines expressed this ideology in the best possible way. However, the text of the poem was greatly shortened.
Today, many people mistakenly sing the original long version of the anthem. In fact, “God Save the Tsar” consisted of only two quatrains:
God save the Tsar!
Strong, sovereign,
Reign for glory, for our glory!
Reign to the fear of your enemies,
Orthodox Tsar!
God save the Tsar!
Before his death, Zhukovsky wrote to Lvov:
Our double work together will outlive us for a long time. A folk song, once heard, having received the right of citizenship, will remain alive forever as long as the people who appropriated it live. Of all my poems, these humble five, thanks to your music, will outlive all their brothers.
The first listening to the anthem took place in the Imperial Court Singing Chapel in St. Petersburg, where Emperor Nicholas I, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich and the Grand Duchesses arrived on November 23, 1833. The performance was carried out by court singers and two military bands. Thanks to the sublime, choral melody, the anthem sounded extremely powerful.
The appearance of the official anthem in the Russian Empire is associated with the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812 and the glorification of Emperor Alexander I. www.globallookpress.com
The Emperor listened to the music several times and really liked it. The Emperor approached A.F. Lvov, hugged him, kissed him deeply and said:
Thank you, it couldn't be better; you completely understood me.
The first public performance of the National Anthem took place in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater on December 6 (19), 1833.
The orchestra and the entire theater troupe took part in the performance of the “Russian Folk Song” (as the anthem “God Save the Tsar!” was named in the poster). This is how an eyewitness described this memorable evening:
I am returning now from the Bolshoi Theater, delighted and touched by what I saw and heard. Everyone knows Zhukovsky’s Russian folk song “God Save the Tsar!” Lvov composed music for these words. As soon as the words of the chant “God Save the Tsar!” were heard, all three thousand spectators who filled the theater rose from their seats, following the representatives of the nobility, and remained in this position until the end of the singing. The picture was extraordinary; the silence that reigned in the huge building breathed majesty, the words and music so deeply affected the feelings of all those present that many of them shed tears from excess emotion. Everyone was silent during the singing of the new anthem; it was only clear that everyone was holding back their feelings in the depths of their souls; but when the theater orchestra, choirs, regimental musicians numbering up to 500 people began to repeat together the precious vow of all Russians, when they prayed to the Heavenly King for earthly things, I could no longer restrain the noisy delight; The applause of the admiring spectators and the cries of “Hurray!”, mingling with the choir, orchestra and the brass music that was on stage, produced a roar that seemed to vibrate the very walls of the theater. These animated delights of Muscovites devoted to their Sovereign only stopped when, at the unanimous universal demand of the audience, the people's prayer was repeated several times. For a long, long time this day in December 1833 will remain in the memory of all residents of Belokamennaya!
The anthem was performed for the second time on December 25, 1833, on the day of the Nativity of Christ and the anniversary of the expulsion of Napoleon’s troops from Russia, in all halls of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg during the consecration of banners and in the presence of high military ranks. On December 31 of the outgoing year, the commander of the Separate Guards Corps, Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich gave the order:
The Emperor was pleased to express his permission to play newly composed music at parades, parades, divorces and other occasions instead of the currently used anthem, taken from national English.
By the Supreme Decree of December 31, 1833, it was approved as the National Anthem of Russia. The Emperor ordered that on the day of the liberation of the Fatherland from enemies (December 25), the Russian anthem should be performed annually in the Winter Palace.
On December 11, 1833, the first public orchestral and choral performance of the anthem “God Save the Tsar” took place at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow. The next day, rave reviews appeared in the newspapers. Director of the Moscow Imperial Theaters M.P. Zagoskin wrote:
I cannot describe to you the impression that this national song made on the audience; all the men and women listened to her standing, shouting “Hurray!”
The anthem was performed several times.
The majestic and solemn official anthem of the Russian Empire "God Save the Tsar!" existed until the February Revolution of 1917.
“God save the Tsar!”- the national anthem of the Russian Empire from 1833 to 1917, replacing the previous anthem “Russian Prayer”, which existed from 1815 to 1833.
In 1833, Prince Alexei Fedorovich Lvov accompanied Nicholas I during his visit to Austria and Prussia, where the emperor was greeted everywhere by the sounds of the English march. The Tsar listened to the melody of monarchical solidarity without enthusiasm and upon his return instructed Lvov, as the musician closest to him, to compose a new anthem. The new anthem (music by Prince A.F. Lvov, words also by V.A. Zhukovsky, but with the participation of A.S. Pushkin - lines 2 and 3) was first performed on December 18, 1833 (according to other sources - December 25) under entitled "Prayer of the Russian People". And on December 31, 1833, it became the official anthem of the Russian Empire under the new name “God Save the Tsar!” and existed until the February Revolution of 1917.
Anthem test:
God save the Tsar!
Strong, sovereign,
Reign for glory, for our glory!
Reign to the fear of your enemies,
Orthodox Tsar!
God save the Tsar!
God save the Tsar!
The glorious one has long days
Give it to the earth! Give it to the earth!
Proud to the humbler,
Guardian of the weak,
Comforter to all
All have descended!
First-power
Orthodox Rus',
God Bless! God Bless!
Her kingdom is harmonious,
The strength is calm!
Anything unworthy, throw away!
The army is blasphemous,
Glory's chosen ones,
God Bless! God Bless!
To the avenger warriors,
Honor to the saviors,
Long days to the peacemakers!
Peaceful warriors,
Guardians of truth
God Bless! God Bless!
Their life is exemplary
Unhypocritical
Oh, Providence!
Blessing
They sent it down to us! They sent it down to us!
Striving for good,
In happiness there is humility,
In times of sorrow, give patience to the earth!
Be our intercessor
A faithful companion
See us off! See us off!
Light and lovely,
Life in heaven
Known to the heart, shine to the heart!
“God Save the Tsar” was the national anthem of the Russian Empire from 1833 to 1917. It was written on behalf of Nicholas I after his visit in 1833 to Austria and Prussia, where the emperor was greeted with the sounds of the English anthem. “God Save the Tsar” was first performed in December 1833 and at the end of the month, on the 31st, it became the official anthem of the Russian Empire. Marina Maksimova will recall the history of the creation of the anthem.
Among the definitions of the anthem one can find the following: the anthem is a symbol of the state, reflecting the ideological and spiritual mood of society, or the anthem is a brief statement of the national and sovereign idea of the people. Historians say that in the 19th century the need for a new, official state anthem of the Russian Empire became obvious. The anthem was supposed to open a new stage in the development of Russia as a self-sufficient great power. The main song of the country, set to foreign music, no longer corresponded to the ideological postulates of its time.
For the first time in Russia they thought about their own anthem at the end of the 18th century after victories in the Russian-Turkish wars, then there was the famous capture of Izmail, and finally, a new patriotic impulse swept Russia after the victory over Napoleon. In 1815, Vasily Zhukovsky wrote and published in the magazine “Son of the Fatherland” a poem entitled “The Prayer of the Russians,” dedicated to Alexander I, which began with the words: “God save the Tsar!” And it was this work, set to the music of the English anthem (God Save the King), that was used as the Russian anthem from 1816 to 1833 - a whole 17 years. This happened after the conclusion of the “Quadruple Alliance” in 1815 - Russia, Great Britain, Austria and Prussia. It was proposed to introduce a single anthem for the members of the union. The music chosen was one of the oldest anthems in Europe - God Save the King.
For 17 years the anthem of the Russian Empire was performed to the music of the British anthem
However, Nicholas I was annoyed that the Russian anthem was sung to a British melody, and he decided to put an end to it. According to some sources, on the instructions of the emperor, a closed competition for a new anthem was held. Other sources claim that there was no competition - the creation of a new anthem was entrusted to a talented composer and violinist from the entourage of Nicholas I - Alexei Lvov.
Lvov recalled that the task seemed very difficult to him: “I felt the need to create a majestic, strong, sensitive hymn, understandable to everyone, bearing the imprint of nationality, suitable for the church, suitable for the troops, suitable for the people - from the scientist to the ignorant.” Such conditions frightened Lvov; he later said that days passed and he could not write anything, when suddenly one evening, returning home late, he sat down at the table, and in a few minutes the anthem was written. Then Lvov turned to Zhukovsky with a request to write words for the finished music. Zhukovsky provided practically already existing words, “fitting” them to the melody. There are only 6 lines of text and 16 bars of melody.
God save the Tsar!
Strong, sovereign,
Reign for our glory;
Reign to the fear of your enemies,
Orthodox Tsar!
God save the Tsar!
The anthem “God Save the Tsar” consisted of only 6 lines
Eyewitnesses say that Nicholas I was delighted with the new anthem. The Emperor praised Lvov, saying that he “absolutely understood him” and gave him a gold snuffbox with diamonds. The anthem was performed publicly for the first time in Moscow at the Bolshoi Theater on December 6, 1833. This is how one Moscow eyewitness describes this memorable theatrical evening: “As soon as the words of the chant “God Save the Tsar!” were heard, all three thousand spectators who filled the theater, following the representatives of the nobility, rose from their seats and remained in this position until the end of the singing. The picture was extraordinary; the silence that reigned in the huge building breathed majesty, the words and music so deeply affected the feelings of all those present that many of them shed tears from excess excitement.”
For the first time in an official setting, “God Save the Tsar” was performed in St. Petersburg during the opening of the Alexander Column on Palace Square. After this, the anthem was subject to mandatory performance at all parades, at parades, during the consecration of banners, at morning and evening prayers of the Russian army, meetings of the imperial couple with troops, during the taking of the oath, as well as in civilian educational institutions.
As a hymn, the work of Zhukovsky and Lvov existed until the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne - March 2, 1917.
