Polushko-Pole;
Полюшко-Поле
Polushko-Pole is a Soviet song which, due to its wide popularity, is considered to be a folksong. The music was composed by the famous Russian and Soviet composer Lev Konstantinovich Knipper (1898-1974). The lyrics, in the variant that is sung from the perspective of a Red Army recruit, who proudly leaves his home in order to keep watch against his homeland's enemies, were written by the Soviet poet Viktor Mikailovich Gusev (1909-1944).
The history of the creation of Polushko-Pole is not sure though. Professor of the Moscow State Conservatory and Doctor of Arts, T. A. Gaidamovich, describes that, according to the recollections of the composer himself, the melody was created by chanse. While playing an improvisation on an old piano for entertaining his friends during a rest at a dasha, this melody had appeared. He had written the notes down, and asked the poet Viktor Gusef to write the lyrics. |
The song Polushko-Pole, that was created already in 1933, was at the basis of Knipper's 4th Symphony, "Poem about a Soldier-Komsomol Member", which was completed in 1934 and performed for the first time by the National Radio Orchestra, conducted by A. V. Gauk. Polushko-Pole later became the leitmotif of this symphony.
According to the assistant professor of the Moscow Military Conservatory and candidate of historical sciences V.S. Tsitsankin, the history of the song "Polushko-Pole" is not as simple as Professor Gaidamovich describes. For this statement he refers to another version of the text, in which the words "Red army bandits" are used, instead of "Red army heroes". This version of the text does refer, without any doubt, to the Russian Civil War that was fought in the years 1917 - 1923, between the Anti-Bolsjevik forces (the White Army) and the communistic Bolsjeviks (the Red Army). If Tsitsankin is right, this would mean that the song was written at least ten years before the indicated year 1933.
According to the assistant professor of the Moscow Military Conservatory and candidate of historical sciences V.S. Tsitsankin, the history of the song "Polushko-Pole" is not as simple as Professor Gaidamovich describes. For this statement he refers to another version of the text, in which the words "Red army bandits" are used, instead of "Red army heroes". This version of the text does refer, without any doubt, to the Russian Civil War that was fought in the years 1917 - 1923, between the Anti-Bolsjevik forces (the White Army) and the communistic Bolsjeviks (the Red Army). If Tsitsankin is right, this would mean that the song was written at least ten years before the indicated year 1933.
It is a fact that in the early Soviet period the practice of reproducing Russian patriotic songs in the right political way was widespraid. Examples for this habbit are the song of the First World War "We boldly go into battle for the holy Russia", that became the apologetics of Soviet power, the song of the Drozdov division with the words "Officers' outposts occupied the cities", which became the song of the Far Eastern partisans, and further the drill song of the entire Red Army. The opinion goes that the two different versions often were written by the same author(s): one version for the White Guards, at the time the authors were white warriors, participants in the Civil War, and later on the red version was written after returning from abroad and reconciliation with the Soviet State.
Lev Knipper's carreer would perfectly fit into this picture. |
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Lev Knipper
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It is a known fact that the composer of Polushko-Pole served in the White Army as a volunteer artillery officer from 1917 on, till in November 1920 the White forces were evacuated from the Crimea, as part of the Russian Army of general Wrangel. This fact does form the reason for V.S. Tsitsankin to believe that the song "Polushko-Pole" was composed already in 1919 as a whiteguard song, under the name "Song of Partisan-Skunk". In the documentary film "Песни Победы" (Songs of Victory) this version of the song was sung by the Belarusian actor of theater and cinema S. L. Kravets. However, and this was also indicated in the film, there is no evidence for this theory. It might as well be that this version of the song only appeared after the collapse of the USSR on the wave of rejection of all Soviet. Yet, after having served the White Army, the composer left the Soviet Union for Germany, whereafter, upon his return in 1922, he was recruted by the Chief Directorate for State Security (the Soviet Intelligence Service). Since 1932 he was instructor in the mass work of the Special Red Banner Far Eastern Army.
This all means Knipper could perfectly have written both versions, in line with the habbits of that time. |
There is also a third version of Polushko-Pole, which was part of the repertoire of the choir of the Don Cossacks Sergey Alekseevich Zharov. In this version "the Russian army of heroes" is sung. During the publication it was indicated as Knipper's arrangement.
After its big success in Russia, where is was part of the repertoire of, among others, Nikandra Khanaev and Leonid Utyosov, Polushko-Pole began to gain popularity abroad. In 1945 Polyushko-field was performed during the opening of the International Youth Congress in London by a choir of 6000 members. The music for this performance was composed by the English conductor and composer L. A. Stokowski, based on the original music composed by Knipper. In 1947 Polushko-Pole was performed during the First World Festival of Youth and Students in Prague. Stokowski called it "the best song of the 20th century". In 1946, Knipper's complete Symphony No. 4, including Polushko-Pole, was successfully performed in Hollywood by the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra.
Since its creation, Polushko-Pole has been included in the repertoire of many popular singers all over the world, being sung by soloists and choirs, while also the instrumental version has been performed by jazz bands, orchestras and soloists.
Since its creation, Polushko-Pole has been included in the repertoire of many popular singers all over the world, being sung by soloists and choirs, while also the instrumental version has been performed by jazz bands, orchestras and soloists.
Russian lyrics:
Полюшко-поле, Полюшко, широко поле. Едут по полю герои, Эх, да Красной Армии герои! Девушки плачут, Девушкам сегодня грустно, - Милый надолго уехал, Эх, да милый в армию уехал! Девушки, гляньте, Гляньте на дорогу нашу, Вьется дальняя дорога, Эх, да развеселая дорога! Едем мы, едем, Едем - а кругом колхозы, Наши, девушки, колхозы, Эх, да молодые наши села. Только мы видим, Видим мы седую тучу, Вражья злоба из-за леса, Эх, да вражья злоба, словно туча. Эх, девушки, гляньте, Мы врага принять готовы, Наши кони быстроноги, Эх, да наши танки быстроходны. В небе за тучей Грозные следят пилоты. Быстро плавают подлодки, Эх, да зорко смотрит Ворошилов. Пусть же в колхозе Дружная кипит работа, Мы - дозорные сегодня, Эх, да мы сегодня часовые. Девушки, гляньте, Девушки, утрите слезы. Пусть сильнее грянет песня, Эх, да наша песня боевая! Полюшко-поле, Полюшко, зелено поле! Едут по полю герои, Эх, да Красной Армии герои! |
Transliteration:
Polushko-pole, Polushko, shiroko pole. Yedut po polyu geroi, Ekh, da Krasnoy Armii geroi! Devushki plachut, Devushkam segodnya grustno, - Milyj nadolgo uyekhal, Ekh, da milyj v armiyu uyekhal! Devushki, glyan'te, Glyan'te, na dorogu nashu, V'yetsya dal'nyaya doroga, Ekh, da razveselaya doroga! Yedem my, yedem, Yedem - a krugom kolkhozy, Nashi, devyshki, kolkhozy, Ekh, da molodiye nashi cela. Tol'ko my vidim, Vidim my seduyu tuchu, Vrazh'ya zloba iz-za lesa, Ekh, da vrazh'ya zloba, slovno tucha. Ekh, devushki, glyan'te, My vraga prinyat' gotovy, Nashi koni bystronogi, Ekh, da nashi tanki bystrokhodny. V nebe za tuchey Groznyye sledyat piloty. Bystro plavayut podlodki, Ekh, da zorko smotrit Voroshilov. Pust' zhe v kolkhoze Druzhnaya kipit rabota, My - dozornyye segodnya, Ekh, da my segodnya chasovyye. Devushki, glyan'te, Devushki, utrite slezy. Pust' sil'neye gryanet pesnya, Ekh, da nasha pesnya boyevaya! Polushko-pole, Polushko, zeleno pole! Yedut po polyu geroi, Ekh, da Krasnoy Armii geroi! |
English lyrics:
Fi-eld, you fi-eld, Very large you are, you fi-eld, They ride along the field, the heroes, Ekh, of the Red Army they are heroes! Girls, you are crying, Girls, today you all do feel sad, - For a long time your dear men have gone Ekh, into the army your men have gone! Girls, now look at, At our road, look, girls! It winds and goes far, the long road, Ekh, across the field - the gleeful road! We ride and we see The collective farms around, Girls, our collective farms, Ekh, and the young villages around. Yet we see also, There is a dark grey cloud, From behind the woods the enemies look, That is their malice - like a cloud. Girls, now look at, We are ready to meet foes, Our horses are swift-footed, Ekh, and our tanks are fast either. The evil cloud Is watched by the warlike pilots Our submarines swim fast Ekh, and Voroshilov is sharp-sighted. On the collective Farms, ekh, let work be in full swing, We are the sentinels today, Yes, today we are the watching people. Girls, now look at, Girls, you wipe away the tears! Let the song grow louder, Ekh, let our fight song resound! Fi-eld, you fi-eld, Green and large you are, you fi-eld, They ride along the field, the heroes, Ekh, of the Red Army they are heroes! |
Sources:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Полюшко-поле_(песня) ;
http://a-pesni.org/grvojna/oficial/poluchkopole.php; http://www.megalyrics.ru/lyric/russkaia-narodnaia/poliushko-polie.htm ;
https://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/ruwiki/1396332 ; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Книппер,_Лев_Константинович ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Гусев,_Виктор_Михайлович_(поэт) ;
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Polyushko-polye.html ;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Stokowski ;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_movement ; http://a-pesni.org/grvojna/bel-emigr/poluchko-emigr.php ;
http://cossacksmusic.ru/polyushko-pole.html ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Полюшко-поле_(песня) ;
http://a-pesni.org/grvojna/oficial/poluchkopole.php; http://www.megalyrics.ru/lyric/russkaia-narodnaia/poliushko-polie.htm ;
https://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/ruwiki/1396332 ; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Книппер,_Лев_Константинович ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Гусев,_Виктор_Михайлович_(поэт) ;
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/Polyushko-polye.html ;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Stokowski ;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_movement ; http://a-pesni.org/grvojna/bel-emigr/poluchko-emigr.php ;
http://cossacksmusic.ru/polyushko-pole.html ;