First, let me explain.
I thought I'd begin with a light topic - communism.
I'm not one to enter into political standoffs, and I don't pretend to know much about anything when it comes to different social, political and ideological dogmas. However, the one thing that all of these have in common is community, and unforgivable violence... but mainly community.
If that scarlet banner has not yet caught your eye, look upon the golden hammer, sickle, and shining star of the Soviet Union; one of the most enduring powers of the 20th century. Now, I won't be talking about the social-cultural developments that lead the way in this movement, nor their effect on Eastern European music - at least not in this post. This is just going to serve as your introduction to this style of music; a jarred door into the world of Eastern Europe, if you will; a sip from the gauntlet of the Russian Empire. Please, sit back, relax, and get ready to become a communist...music lover.
Just to make things clear - I'm not a communist. I'm a bit like butter, I have nothing to do with politics and I'm good on a piece of toast.
Another white Russian, please.
I don't know whether the Russians enjoyed a late-night jaunt to their local karaoke bar to sing Sweet Caroline, but they really did have it together when it came to music. That sense of community (that they were forced into), really pathed the way for some absolutely beautiful pieces.
I want to share some of this music with you and, hopefully, guide you in understanding why it really is all of beauty, strength, and power, wrapped up neatly in a big red communist bow.
Two birds, one stone.
The reason I'm delving into this - I'm writing a brass band piece for the Kirklees Composition Competition held at the University of Salford; I'm going to be writing a piece dedicated to The Battle of Stalingrad and will pull inspiration from the Red Army Choir's choral arrangements of their pieces, but I will be discussing this in another article.
…I also just really like eastern European music.
The Red Army Choir.
’The Alexandrov Ensemble is an official army choir of the Russian armed forces that was founded during the Soviet era. The ensemble consists of a male choir, an orchestra, and a dance ensemble.’
The arrangements made for this type of group are capable of incredible tonal variances, dynamic changes, and textural differences that create such a colourful character within the music; their mixing of common orchestral instruments with a traditional eastern European folk ensemble produces these striking contrasts of tone.
If I haven’t yet peaked your interest, and you have slumped over into a cold and contemptible stupor, here’s an interesting fact: The Russians did a similar thing to the Nazis when luring them into a type of cauldron called The Kessel, they then sang them softly to sleep…with bullets.
Patience is a virtue.
This first piece is called V Put (В путь) meaning onwards, en route, or simply – Let’s Go!
It was written in 1954 by Soviet composer Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi and poet Mikhail Dudin. It is a beautifully powerful piece that really makes you want to get up and go somewhere, not the runaway type of go somewhere, but the march to victory type of go somewhere – not that Stalin would have allowed you to run away anyway.
What am I Hearing?
Besides the alluring sound of communism pouring into your ears, the first thing you will hear is a small orchestra; a rolling military snare drum marches through a small pizzicato string section comprised of balalaikas, domras, and the double bass. Clarinets delicately weave between the beats and blend each phrase until they are hidden by the first statement of the domra’s tremolo picking. Muted trumpets punctuate the ending of the introduction and the double bass carries the rhythm through with a leading (dum dum dum).
Now enters the choir, hanging beneath the rest of the ensemble, tentatively muttering the lyrics of the piece. I have always found the human voice to be immediately connective and a tool of incredible emotional power – when used correctly. The sound of those voices, soft and sincere, really pulls you into the implied approach of a strong, proud, and powerful army. This section develops melodically as the other instruments double the vocals and the introduction of heavier dynamics really accentuates each and every spoken word.
By now your body should be feeling an undeniable pull towards the love of Stalin as the lower voices kick in around the one-minute mark. The entrance of the bayan sees some cheeky little scale runs before doubling the muted lead trumpet; they both hit on off-beat and dance around the now heavier and more developed choral line. 1:10 builds with a distinctive majesty as the choir repeatedly hits upon that one phrase (В путь) “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!”.
Now the full power of the choir can be realised as they sing quite comfortably over the rest of the ensemble. 1:53 brings forward a phrase, that has remained understated throughout, with a full brass line answering the call of the lyrics “farewell, the trumpets call…”.
2:00 minutes in, we can hear the full orchestra bereft of the choir, as both the cymbals and the bass drum punch through the melody and drive the rhythm forward into its climactic finale. 2:45 slowly peels the piece away, the ensemble grows quieter and the choir dips into a cheery, carefree delivery that pushes the listener away - as an army marching over the hills into the distance.
Some smaller details to listen out for - things such as the vocal doubling at 2:20, where a divisi section of the choir yells the lyrics over the rest of the ensemble. The same happens again, only syncopated, at 2:25.
One last thing - the lyrics of the piece are coupled in sincerity to their inspiration, they are a shadow of the marching songs that soldiers would have sung to boost morale, and they really do capture the glory filled naivety of war. A link to the lyrics can be found here.
Conclusion.
I sincerely hope that this has in some way caught your interest and been a source of inspiration to further seek out this style of music. Remember, if this isn’t for you it isn’t for you, don’t worry, I will be writing about many different types of music, in many different types of posts, in many different types of futures.
For further interest, V Put was written for a 1956 comedy film called Maksim Perepelitsa.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask, and I will do my best to answer, but for now, you can listen to this - The Definitive Collection of The Red Army Choir.
Have fun,
Dan.