The Song of the Volga Boatmen
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Эй, ухнем / The Song of the Volga Boatmen
 1902 record by Feodor Chaliapin |
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The "Song of the Volga Boatmen" (known in Russian as Эй, ухнем! [Ey, ukhnem!, "yo, heave-ho!"], after the refrain) is a well-known traditional Russian song collected by Mily Balakirev, and published in his book of folk songs in 1866.[1] It was sung by burlaks, or barge-haulers, on the Volga River. Balakirev published it with only one verse (the first). The other two verses were added at a later date. Ilya Repin's famous painting, Barge Haulers on the Volga, depicts such burlaks in Tsarist Russia toiling along the Volga.
The song was popularised by Feodor Chaliapin, and has been a favourite concert piece of bass singers ever since. Glenn Miller's jazz arrangement took the song to #1 in the US charts in 1941. Russian composer Alexander Glazunov based one of the themes of his symphonic poem "Stenka Razin" on the song. Spanish composer Manuel De Falla wrote an arrangement of the song, which was published under the name Canto de los remeros del Volga (del cancionero musical ruso) in 1922.[2] He did so at the behest of diplomat Ricardo Baeza, who was working with the League of Nations to provide financial relief for the more than two million Russian refugees who had been displaced and imprisoned during World War I.[2] All proceeds from the song's publication were donated to this effort.[2] Igor Stravinsky made an arrangement for orchestra.
Lyrics
| Russian | Transliteration | (Poetic) English translation |
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Modern popular culture
The song, or at least the tune, was popularized in the mid-20th Century through an instrumental jazz version played by the Glenn Miller Band.[3] Glenn Miller released the song as an RCA Bluebird 78 single, B-11029-A, in 1941 in a swing jazz arrangement which reached no. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart in a 10-week chart run.[4] Not in copyright, the song was not subject to the 1941 ASCAP boycott, allowing for more radio play that year.[5]
In the 2001 film Shrek, the tune of the song is hummed by the dwarves as they are being led away in chains.
The tune of the song can be heard around 2:55 minutes in the song "The Stroke" by Billy Squier.
A translated vocal version was sung by Paul Robeson.
The Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by Arthur Fiedler recorded a Glazunov arrangement of the tune in New York City on June 30, 1937.
The tune was also incorporated in the cartoon Goofy Gymnastics in 1949.
The tune was also used by Dickie Goodman in his 1959 novelty hit "Russian Bandstand."
The Swedish jazz pianist Jan Johansson arranged an instrumental version for jazz trio (Pråmdragarnas sång vid Volga) on his album "Jazz På Ryska"(1967).[6]
A piece by Gramatik (Denis Jasarevic), 'The Swing of Justice' (2014) reuses the Glenn Miller piece.[7]
The memorable tune of The Song of the Volga Boatmen has led to its common usage in many musical situations, particularly as background music, often with the theme of unremitting toil (or, alternatively, devotion to duty). Some uses, particularly those portending doom or despair, employ only the iconic four-note beginning; others go so far as to add new, often wryly humorous, lyrics, such as the "Birthday Dirge".[8] Some usages only acknowledge the tune's Russian heritage; very few use the original lyrics (for instance its use as the introductory theme of the Soviet boxer, Soda Popinski, in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!).
The song is used as the theme of the Russian Civilization in the seminal computer game series Civilization, including its sequels Civilization II and Civilization IV.
In A Troll in Central Park, a minor character sings "I'm a bad troll, a very bad troll!" to the tune of "Ey, ukhnem".
In Team Fortress 2, a popular multiplayer first-person shooter created by video game developer Valve Corporation, the character Heavy can be heard singing the song at times. [9][10]
The song was used in the film Lord of War when Yuri is in Ukraine purchasing Soviet military hardware from his uncle after the breakup of the USSR.[11]
The Fremantle Football Club of the Australian Football League based their inaugural club song on the tune, used between 1995 and 2011.
The tune of the song featured in Tetris: Axis for Nintendo 3DS.
An 8-bit rendition of the tune is played in Pipe Mania for NES whenever a level is failed, or the game is over.
The Gainesville, Florida rock band The Vulgar Boatmen were named as a play on the original term.
Peter Schickele used the tune for the subject of a fugue called "Fuga Vulgaris" in P.D.Q. Bach's Toot Suite for Calliope four hands.
See also
References
- ↑ Fuld, James J. (2000). The book of world-famous music: classical, popular, and folk. Courier Dover. p. 520.
- 1 2 3 Hess, Carol A. Sacred Passions: The Life and Music of Manuel de Falla, Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 134. ISBN 0-19-514561-5.
- ↑ YouTube: The Song of the Volga Boatmen.
- ↑ Song artist 6 - Glenn Miller.tsort.info.
- ↑ Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854. Tape 2, side B.
- ↑ http://www.janjohansson.org/jpr.html
- ↑ "Gramatik - The Swing Of Justice". Retrieved 2015-05-14.
- ↑ The Birthday Dirge.
- ↑ http://www.tf2sounds.com/1793#q%3Dsing
- ↑ http://www.tf2sounds.com/475#q%3Dsing
- ↑ Niccol, Andrew (2005-09-16), Lord of War, retrieved 2016-05-28
External links
- YouTube: Song of the Volga Boatmen — sung in the tradition of Chaliapin by Leonid Mikhailovich Kharitonov with the Alexandrov Ensemble, 1965.
- YouTube: Song of the Volga Boatmen — Paul Robeson.
- YouTube: Song of the Volga Boatmen — Glenn Miller and his orchestra.
- YouTube: Song of the Volga Boatmen — translated Chinese version performed by the Male Choir of the People's Armed Police.
| Preceded by "Frenesi" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra |
The Billboard National Best Selling Retail Records number-one single (Glenn Miller and His Orchestra version) March 15, 1941 (one week) |
Succeeded by "Frenesi" by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra |