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National Anthem of the Russian Federation
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The National Anthem of the Russian Federation is a solemn musical melody accepted as a symbol of state unity: the lyrics express the sentiments of patriotism and respect for the country's history and state system.
The first official attempt to create the official Russian anthem goes back to the year 1833, when Nicholas I ordered a group of poets and composers to make it. Before that, all important events were to the accompaniment of church canticles or military marches as was the custom under Peter I.
The melody of the English anthem, "God Save the King," came into use as early as the end of the reign of the first Russian Emperor (Peter the Great) and later during the rule of his daughter Elizabeth (Elizaveta Petrovna).
In the late 18th century it competed with the song "Glory" by composer Dmitry Bortnyansky, with this dual state of affairs persisting until the times of Nicholas I.
In 1833, on orders from Emperor Nicholas I, a closed contest of sorts was held for Russia's new anthem. The Tsar eventually selected "The Russian People's Prayer" by Vasily Zhukovsky and Alexis Lvoff, which, first, sounded indeed like a prayer, second, had a simple and easy-to-remember melody, and, third, was similar in its text to anthems of European monarchies.
Accepted in 1833, the anthem existed till the 1917 February revolution, when it was replaced by the melody of La Marseillaise, the principal song of the French revolution and the French anthem. But the lyrics were different, if no less revolutionsry: "Let us break with the old world, let us shake off its dust from our feet."
It gave way to The Internationale, which was used as the RSFSR and USSR anthem until January 1, 1944, when the anthem composed by Alexander Alexandrov, with words by Sergei Mikhalkov and Garold El-Registan, created as early as 1936 as "The Anthem of the Bolshevik Party," was first played on radio. The lyrics were revised in 1944.
After the 20th CPSU Congress, the text, which mentioned Stalin several times, went into the background, and a new version, edited by the same poets, was approved in 1977 following the passing of the new USSR Constitution.
Mikhail Glinka's melody became the anthem of new, democratic Russia in 1991
President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on December 11, 1993, confirming the Statute of the National Anthem of the Russian Federation, which proclaimed as such the melody of "The Patriotic Song" by Mikhail Glinka.
December 20, 2000, saw Alexandrov's melody become the Russian Federation's anthem again. A national contest was announced for the lyrics, which involved both prominent poets and ordinary citizens. A total of 6,000 texts were submitted, with the commission in charge of the contest eventually deciding to approve a version penned by Sergei Mikhalkov. On December 30, 2000, President Vladimir Putin signed Decree "On the Text of the National Anthem of the Russian Federation." On March 7, 2001, the text was endorsed by the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
Text of the National Anthem of the Russian Federation
(Lyrics by Sergei Mikhalkov; an unofficial translation)
Russia, our holy great nation!
Russia, the country so dearly loved!
A powerful will, a tremendous glory,
Are your inheritance for future and past.
Refrain:
Glory to land of freedom and unity,
Nations as brothers united stand tall,
Given by ancestors, wisdom our national,
Glory, our land, we are proud of you!
From the southern seas to the polar region
Spread our forests and fields.
You are unique in the world, inimitable,
Native land protected by God!
Refrain.
Wide spaces for dreams and for living
Are opened for us by the coming years.
Faithfulness to our Fatherland gives us strength.
Thus it was, so it is and always will be!
Refrain:
Glory to land of freedom and unity,
Nations as brothers united stand tall,
Given by ancestors, wisdom our national,
Glory, our land, we are proud of you!
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