Vecherniy Zvon
(Those Evening Bells)
The real origin of this Russian song is the verse "Those Evening Bells", written by the English-speaking Irish poet Thomas Moore. In 1818 the verse was published in his first book, "The National Airs", a collection of songs, which included his verses and musical scores by the Irish composer John Andrew Stevenson.
The poem was a part of a series of Russian songs, and had as subtitle "The Bells of St. Petersburgh", which probably referred to the carillon in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the Russian city of Saint-Petersburg (see Malinoviy Zvon), or to the general evening bells` ringing of the city. European cities have an ancient tradition of the "curfew", or "vesper-bell", intended to notice the population of the necessity to extinguish lights in fireplaces and go to sleep, for the prevention of the night fires. |
In 1827 the Russian poet and writer Ivan Kozlov (1779-1840) wrote "Those Evening Bells", a free translation to Moore's verses, and the famous Russian composer, pianist and conductor Alexander Alyabyev (1787-1851) wrote the notes to this verse in 1828. "Vecherniy Zvon" became one of Russia`s most beloved romantic songs soon. And it is regarded as one of the Alyabyev's best works together with "The Nightingale", "The Winter Road" and "The Two Crows", on Pushkin's poems.
To the time of the verse`s composition, Kozlov was blind and had the paralysis of the legs. His daughter helped him: read the texts and wrote down what Kozlov dictated her. Feeling the coming of the illness, Kozlov succeeded in learning English and German. Italian and French he knew from his childhood. He became an admitted master of the poetic translation to Russian as well as from Russian. For example, he translated some verses of the famous Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837). Kozlov always mentioned his sources. As Moore`s verse was not mentioned by Kozlov as a source for his translation, and due to the fact that Moore did refer to Russia, it was commonly thought for a long time that Kozlov had been the initial author of the verse. However, though Moor`s initial authorship was finally recognized, several researchers of the 19th century`s end tried to find evidence of the unknown Georgian sources for Moore's "Those Evening Bells". They attempted to prove that the verse was a translation of some church chants, composed by the Georgian Orthodox monk and writer Georgy Svyatogorez in the XIth century. He served in the Iver Monastry on the Mount Athos in Greece as abbot. From there it could have spread over Russia and wider to reach Moore through Rome.
Some Armenian texts had also been referred to, as being sources for Moore's "Those Evening Bells", but all those texts proved to be the translations of Moore's verse themselves. The references to the Georgian texts were also shown to be nothing but a legend.
To the time of the verse`s composition, Kozlov was blind and had the paralysis of the legs. His daughter helped him: read the texts and wrote down what Kozlov dictated her. Feeling the coming of the illness, Kozlov succeeded in learning English and German. Italian and French he knew from his childhood. He became an admitted master of the poetic translation to Russian as well as from Russian. For example, he translated some verses of the famous Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837). Kozlov always mentioned his sources. As Moore`s verse was not mentioned by Kozlov as a source for his translation, and due to the fact that Moore did refer to Russia, it was commonly thought for a long time that Kozlov had been the initial author of the verse. However, though Moor`s initial authorship was finally recognized, several researchers of the 19th century`s end tried to find evidence of the unknown Georgian sources for Moore's "Those Evening Bells". They attempted to prove that the verse was a translation of some church chants, composed by the Georgian Orthodox monk and writer Georgy Svyatogorez in the XIth century. He served in the Iver Monastry on the Mount Athos in Greece as abbot. From there it could have spread over Russia and wider to reach Moore through Rome.
Some Armenian texts had also been referred to, as being sources for Moore's "Those Evening Bells", but all those texts proved to be the translations of Moore's verse themselves. The references to the Georgian texts were also shown to be nothing but a legend.
Thomas Moore
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As Moore had mentioned a certain Russian origin of his verse himself, and no Russian source was found, Moore had more likely used several Russian-related themes for his creation, instead of one single work. A letter of the Russian critic, organizer and Moore`s contemporary, D. N. Bludov, dated March 25, 1820, and addressed to I. I. Dmitriev in London, proves the existence of a contact between Moore and his Russian colleagues, who expressed the highest appraisal of his poetry. Moore's outright attacks on the Russian Emperor Alexander I, however, contributed to the prohibition of the translations of his works, as well as the discussions on them, taking place in Russia for over a century. Alexander Pushkin expressed his aversion for Moore's creativity also, and called it "childish and ugly imitations of the Eastern poetry". Those facts had no influence on Moore's popularity in Russia, but they might have urged Kozlov not to mention Moore's name at his translation.
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Though Kovlov used Moore's "Those Evening Bells" as the source for his verse, there was a difference between the two works: Moore used quatrains for his verses, and Kozlov, on the contrary, used six-line stanzas, while still being faithfull to the general mood as well as to the rhythmic structure of the source. In contrast to Moore, Kozlov developed the theme deeper and added more examples to the text.
Shortly after the appearance of the verse in print, Alexander Alyabyev wrote the notes to the Russian text. The music was published in 1928 in Moscow in the cycle "The North Singer", and the song became very popular already shortly after the publication. "Evening Bells" made the Russian people feel strongly connected to their country, and especially for those living abroad, the song became a sort of an anthem. Even the listeners of other nationalities understand the warmth and the evening bells` call to home, that the song expresses. |
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The song is cited in other poetic works by such poets as Eudokia Rostopchina, Denis Davydov, Afanasiy Fet, Jacob Polonsky, Valery Brusov, Nikolai Kluev, Andrei Beliy, Demyan Bedniy. The song sounds in the movies: "The Twelve Chairs", "Operation "Trust", "Only Old Men Are Going to Battle", "Red Viburnum", "The Run", "Heavenly Slug", "Three Plus Two".
The classic performers of the romance are the Russian singers Boris Shtokolov and Ivan Kozlovskiy. Among the contemporary Russian performers of this work are Oleg Pogudin, Evgeny Dyatlov and Evgenia Smolyaninova, Zhanna Bichevskaya, Pesnyary ensemble, Sergey Zakharov, Moscow Sretensky Monastery Choir, Ivan Rebroff. See the full list of the performers.
Among the foreign performers of the song are Peter Leshchenko, Nikolai Gedda, Peter Alexander, Karel Gott, Chor Juranda, Helmut Lotti.
The glorious life of the song has made it being regarded as the folk song. Alyabyev`s name is rarely mentioned in the score publications. Kozlov is mentioned more frequently.
The score for accordion
The classic performers of the romance are the Russian singers Boris Shtokolov and Ivan Kozlovskiy. Among the contemporary Russian performers of this work are Oleg Pogudin, Evgeny Dyatlov and Evgenia Smolyaninova, Zhanna Bichevskaya, Pesnyary ensemble, Sergey Zakharov, Moscow Sretensky Monastery Choir, Ivan Rebroff. See the full list of the performers.
Among the foreign performers of the song are Peter Leshchenko, Nikolai Gedda, Peter Alexander, Karel Gott, Chor Juranda, Helmut Lotti.
The glorious life of the song has made it being regarded as the folk song. Alyabyev`s name is rarely mentioned in the score publications. Kozlov is mentioned more frequently.
The score for accordion
Russian text:
Вечерний звон Вечерний звон, вечерний звон! Как много дум наводит он О юных днях в краю родном, Где я любил, где отчий дом, И как я, с ним навек простясь, Там слушал звон в последний раз! Уже не зреть мне светлых дней Весны обманчивой моей! И сколько нет теперь в живых Тогда веселых, молодых! И крепок их могильный сон; Не слышен им вечерний звон. Лежать и мне в земле сырой! Напев унывный надо мной . В долине ветер разнесет; Другой певец по ней пройдет, И уж не я, а будет он В раздумье петь вечерний звон! |
Transliteration:
Vechernij Zvon Vechernij zvon vechernij zvon! Kak mnogo dum navodit on O yunyh dnyah v krayu rodnom, Gde ya lyubil gde otchij dom, I kak ya s nim navek prostyas, Tam slushal zvon v poslednij raz! Uzhe ne zret mne svetlyh dnej Vesny obmanchivoj moej! I skolko net teper v zhivyh Togda veselyh molodyh! I krepok ih mogilnyj son; Ne slyshen im vechernij zvon. Lezhat i mne v zemle syroj! Napev unyvnyj nado mnoj . V doline veter razneset; Drugoj pevec po nej projdet, I uzh ne ya a budet on V razdume pet vechernij zvon! |
English text (original):
Those Evening Bells (Air—The Bells of St. Petersburgh.) Those evening bells! those evening bells ! How many a tale their music tells, Of youth, and home, and that sweet time, When last I heard their soothing chime. Those joyous hours are pass’d away ; And many a heart, that then was gay , Within the tomb now darkly dwells, And hears no more those evening bells. And so ’twill be when I am gone ; That tuneful peal will still ring on, While other hards shall walk these dells, And sing your praise, sweet evening bells . Source: https://ia800207.us.archive.org/17/items/irishmelodiesnat00moor/irishmelodiesnat00moor_bw.pdf , P.206-207 |
Sources:
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Вечерний_звон; https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/Вечерний_звон_(Мур/Козлов);
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Алябьев,_Александр_Александрович; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Козлов,_Иван_Иванович
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/evening-bells-sheet-music/17880962; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_Bell_(song)
http://az.lib.ru/t/turgenew_a_i/text_0080.shtml
https://vilingstore.net/Vecherniy-zvon-istoriya-populyarnogo-russkogo-romansa-i117305
http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/3166127/post168466667/
http://kkre-51.narod.ru/vzvon/vzvon.htm
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Вечерний_звон; https://ru.wikisource.org/wiki/Вечерний_звон_(Мур/Козлов);
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Алябьев,_Александр_Александрович; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Козлов,_Иван_Иванович
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/evening-bells-sheet-music/17880962; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evening_Bell_(song)
http://az.lib.ru/t/turgenew_a_i/text_0080.shtml
https://vilingstore.net/Vecherniy-zvon-istoriya-populyarnogo-russkogo-romansa-i117305
http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/3166127/post168466667/
http://kkre-51.narod.ru/vzvon/vzvon.htm