Oi, Zvetet Kalina;
Oy, Kalina Blooms; Ой, цветёт калина
This famous Russian song was composed in 1949 by the Soviet composer and conductor Isaac Dunaevskiy (1900-1955) to the verses written by the well-known Soviet Russian poet Mikhail Isakovskiy (1900-1973) and the Soviet playwright, poet and screenwriter Mikhail Volpin (1902-1988).
The text and the melody were written for Ivan Pyryev's film "Kuban Cossacks". This was a Soviet musical comedy shot in 1949 by the film production studio "Mosfilm", according to the script of Nikolai Pogodin (1900-1962), and released on February 26, 1950. The original working title of the script had been "Merry Fair", but it was changed by Stalin into "Kuban Cossacks", after he first watched the movie. The film "Kuban Cossacks" is one of the first Soviet coloured movies, shot on the cine-film produced by the Shostka plant. The picture was enthusiastically received by the critics, and also appeared to be successful with the public, but, to a large extent, the songs made the movie popular. |
The film itself was in keeping with the spirit of the times, telling the story of two rival collective farms, where a difficult relationship was developing between their two chairpersons, the severe Cossack Gordey and the young widow Galina Peresvetova. It were the clear open faces, the natural socialism and patriotism, the mutual support, and the friendly humour, which showed on screen the life people dreamt of, and the kind of heroes as they wanted to be. It was not an agitation but approaching the inner ideal of the national soul. This all, together with the music, left a deep impression on the viewers. The famous filmmaker Sergei Solovyov saw in the film "the truthful energy of the empire". In 1951 the movie was awarded the Stalin-prize.
After the premiere of the film the actress Marina Ladynina, the collective farm chairperson Peresvetova in the movie, began to receive letters addressed to Mosfilm, in which the viewers asked her to bring them to a beautiful collective farm, while they promised: "to work very well". Such a deep impression the film made on the public, showing them life with no conflicts, and tables filled with food: a situation, which they only could dream about during the post-war period.
In the movie, the song "Oy, Kalina Blooms" was sung by the hero's voice not remaining alone, but supported by a friendly choir. That made the people recognizing their dreams in both the film and the music. The fact that the composer seemed to hear changes in time and in the peoples deepest dreams, allowed him to create a true folk song and this holds the love for his songs to this day. |
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In 1956, Nikita Khrushchev accused the movie of varnishing the reality, and "Kuban Cossacks" disappeared from the screens for a long time. In the Brezhnev era, in 1968, the picture was restored, edited, resounded, and returned to the audience in an "updated" version, which is still being broadcasted on TV and proliferated on video. The initial version of the picture has not yet reached the modern viewer.
The songs of the movie are melodic and easily remembered, at the same time of high artistic value, made like the Russian folk songs. They have quickly become widespread and are well-known and sung until now.
The songs of the movie are melodic and easily remembered, at the same time of high artistic value, made like the Russian folk songs. They have quickly become widespread and are well-known and sung until now.
Russian lyrics
Ой, цветет калина в поле у ручья. Парня молодого полюбила я. Парня полюбила на свою беду - Hе могу открыться, слов я не найду. Он живет, не зная ничего о том, Что одна дивчина думает о нем. У ручья с калины облетает цвет, А любовь девичья не проходит, нет! А любовь девичья с каждым днем сильней. Как же мне решиться, рассказать о ней? Я хожу, не смея волю дать словам. Милый мой, хороший, догадайся сам! |
Transliteration
Oj, cvetet kalina v pole u ruch'ya, Parnya molodogo polyubila ya. Parnya polyubila na svoyu bedu: Ne mogu otkryt'sya, slov ya ne najdu! On zhivet, ne znaet nichego o tom, Chto odna divchina dumaet o nem. U ruch'ya s kaliny obletaet cvet, A lyubov' devich'ya ne prokhodit, net! A lyubov' devich'ya s kazhdym dnem sil'nej, Kak zhe mne reshit'sya rasskazat' o nej? Ya khozhu, ne smeya volyu dat' slovam. Milyj moj, khoroshij, dogadajsya sam! |
English
The viburnum's blooming, a brook's nearby. I have fallen in love with a handsome guy. I had a misfortune to fall in love as My heart can't be opened, the words I can't guess. He lives and he knows nothing of my dream, How one girl nicely thinks about him. The viburnum loses its leaves in the field, But the maiden's love is waiting for a yield! But the maiden' love gets stronger by the day. How to express it, what a daring way? I walk being unable to make my words free. Make a guess, my dear, and I will agree. Translation by accordeonworld.weebly.com |
Sources:
http://russkiepesenki.ru/oi_cvetet_kalina.htm ;
https://ria.ru/culture/20100119/205298300.html ;
https://avmalgin.livejournal.com/2972074.html ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Дунаевский,_Исаак_Осипович ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Исаковский,_Михаил_Васильевич ;
http://drinking-songs.ru/slova-pesen/oj-cvetet-kalina.html ;
https://portal-kultura.ru/svoy/articles/istoriya-odnoy-pesni/75497-no-ty-i-dorog-mne-takoy/ ;
http://www.dunaevski.ru/content/view/635/198 ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Вольпин,_Михаил_Давыдович ;
http://a-pesni.org/drugije/dunajevskij/ojcvetetkalina.php ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Кубанские_казаки_(фильм) ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Погодин,_Николай_Фёдорович ;
http://russkiepesenki.ru/oi_cvetet_kalina.htm ;
https://ria.ru/culture/20100119/205298300.html ;
https://avmalgin.livejournal.com/2972074.html ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Дунаевский,_Исаак_Осипович ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Исаковский,_Михаил_Васильевич ;
http://drinking-songs.ru/slova-pesen/oj-cvetet-kalina.html ;
https://portal-kultura.ru/svoy/articles/istoriya-odnoy-pesni/75497-no-ty-i-dorog-mne-takoy/ ;
http://www.dunaevski.ru/content/view/635/198 ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Вольпин,_Михаил_Давыдович ;
http://a-pesni.org/drugije/dunajevskij/ojcvetetkalina.php ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Кубанские_казаки_(фильм) ;
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Погодин,_Николай_Фёдорович ;