— Ch. 1 · Musical Origins And Composition —
State Anthem of the Soviet Union.
~3 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Alexander Alexandrov composed the melody in 1938 for the Hymn of the Bolshevik Party. The opening bars came from his earlier piece titled Life Has Become Better. That previous work quoted Joseph Stalin speaking at a meeting on the 17th of November 1935. Alexandrov described the anthem as a mix of march rhythms and Russian traditional music. He specifically drew from bylina epic songs to shape the sound. The composition shares chord progressions with Vasily Kalinnikov's overture Bylina, Epic Poem. Some critics also noted similarities between this anthem and Robert Schumann's Frühlingsfahrt.
Political Adoption And Lyrics
A contest began in mid to late 1943 to replace The Internationale as the national anthem. More than 200 entries were submitted during that competition. Stalin personally chose Alexandrov's music after reviewing the submissions. He praised the melody but also offered criticism regarding its structure. Two poets named Sergey Mikhalkov and Gabriyel' Arkadyevich Ureklyan received the task of writing lyrics. They were called to Moscow by Stalin's staffers to complete the work overnight. The first draft was finished within a single night. The anthem appeared publicly for the first time on Soviet radio at midnight on the 1st of January 1944. It officially adopted on the 15th of March 1944 following the broadcast.