15 Russian songs for a feast (VIDEOS)
Russian folk songs, romantic tunes and songs from Soviet movies - these are just some of the hits that are sung during get-togethers at home.
So, you are at your Russian friends' place, cautiously tasting ‘khododets’ and ‘Herring under a fur coat’. And then, they start singing soulful songs! Don't be alarmed, this is such a good Russian tradition, especially among the older generations. As a rule, they sing Russian folk songs or songs from their favorite Soviet movies, playing them with a guitar, accordion or no instrument at all. Below are the most popular ones.
1. ‘Oi, kalina is blooming’
This song was first heard in 1950 in the movie ‘Kuban Cossacks’. The song is very soulful and lyrical and the audience liked it so much that many people still consider it an Old Russian folk song. The heroine of the movie sings about a young man whom she has fallen in love with, but she doesn't know how to tell him about it. And she wants him to figure it out himself.
2. ‘As you were, so you remain’
Another song from the movie ‘Kuban Cossacks’, which also became "folk". It’s a story about a girl who is waiting for her Cossack to return home to her.
3. ‘Thin Rowan’
The song about a lonely thin rowan tree that dreams of moving closer to an oak tree is also considered folk. In fact, it is based on poetry by poet Ivan Surikov from 1864. But, the motive is truly folk. This song was sung at fairs in the 19th century and then at the table.
4. ‘So many golden lights’
A very popular song at feasts about "the lights of Saratov". It was written for the movie ‘The Case Was in Penkov’ in 1957. There are many single men around the heroine, but she has fallen in love with a married man and is trying to cope with her feelings.
5. ‘Oh, curly Rowan’ (‘Ural Rowan’)
This song was first performed by the Ural Russian Folk Choir in 1953. It's about a girl who can't choose which of her suitors she likes best. ‘Ryabinushka’ was released in the USSR on gramophone records and became very popular and is still sung today.
6. ‘How my mother wanted to marry me off to the first guy’
A cheerful Russian folk song (the authors are unknown) about a sad situation. A mother offers her daughter different suitors, but she doesn't like any of them. One is adulterous, the other has a drinking problem, the third is not tall enough and the one she liked did not want to marry her.
7. ‘Ah, Samara-town’
This folk song was born in Samara, a city on the Volga River, in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. It became known throughout the country only in the 1950s, when it was included in the repertoire of popular Soviet performers. Like many table songs, it is about first love. The girl doesn't know if her feelings are mutual.
8. ‘Old maple’
This song from the 1961 movie ‘The Girls’ is probably one of the most famous songs in Russia. In the movie, it is sung by a guy and a girl who are in love with each other.
9. ‘Black raven’
This song is based on poems from the first half of the 19th century. It is about a Cossack who asks a black raven to tell his family about his death.
10. ‘I believed, I believe, I believe’
An old Russian folk romance about love. The authors of this song are also unknown and it is considered a folk song.
11. ‘Ochi Cherniye’
One of the most famous songs, ‘Ochi Cherniye’ is sung both at concerts and at home. This Russian romantic tune was played in trendy Moscow restaurants in the 19th century and, later, became famous all over the world.
12. ‘Nights near Moscow’
What kind of party could be without a song about the beauty of the nights outside Moscow? It was written in the mid-1950s for a documentary about Soviet sports, but, eventually, it became the anthem of the 1957 World Festival of Youth and Students and then spread around the world.
13. ‘Smuglyanka’
This song was written back in 1940 about a female partisan during the Civil War. However, it was first performed only in 1944 in Moscow. It gained nationwide love thanks to the 1973 movie ‘Only Old Men Are Going Into Battle’.
14. ‘Hey, let’s run away’
A song of the Volga ‘burlaks’ of the 19th century - about how people uproot trees to make room for arable land. And, after it was performed by Fyodor Chaliapin, it became famous throughout the country.
15. ‘The Horse’
This song was written in 1994 by composer Igor Matvienko and poet Alexander Shaganov for the band ‘Lyube’. It soon became a national favorite. It sounds beautiful in a choral performance and is sung by professional artists and at family gatherings.
