The Sacred War
| "The Sacred War" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Written | 1941 |
| Genre | Martial music |
| Composer(s) | Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov |
| Lyricist(s) | Vasily Lebedev-Kumach |
"The Sacred War"[a] 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 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]
Lyrics
| Russian original | Romanization of Russian | English translation |
|---|---|---|
Вставай страна огромная, |
Vstaváj straná ogrómnaja, |
Arise, vast country, |
Charts
Alexandrov Ensemble version
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Russia Streaming (TopHit)[5] | 82 |
See also
Notes
References
- ^ 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).
- ^ "Top Internet Hits Russia Weekly Chart: May 15, 2025". TopHit. 29 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.