Noch' Svetla
(The night is bright)
This popular Russian romance was published for the first time in 1885, in the Moscow magazine "Raduga", 1885, No 1, under the name "Remember About Me". The authors were mentioned as J. F. Prigogine for the music, and the author of the words was hidden behind the initials L.G. Even nowadays it is still unknown who were the true authors of the romance, but according to the names mentioned in the magazine, we can assume that the composer of the music was Jacob Prigogine, the Gypsy choir accompanist of the Moscow restaurant "Yar". Prigogine was also the arranger of a huge number of melodies and Gypsy songs, and for many of them it is difficult to establish whether he was the original author or the arranger.
|
It is more difficult to say something about the author of the lyrics. The initials "L.G." do not tell us much, and the only fact known, is that the same initials were added to the song with the music from N. I. Filipovskiy "Song of the Spirit" ("He was sitting on a Rock").
Though nothing is sure, it is being assumed that the writer of the verse is the Russian poet Leonid Grave (1839-1891), who published his poems in "Moscow Sheet", a magazine that was edited by the Moscow publisher Pastukhov. In this magazine Nikolai Pastukhov (1831-1911), who himself had started his business with only a limited education but with a great love for poetry and literature, gave little known poets the possibility to publish their works, and on his turn, he gave poems to little known composers. In that way the poem "Remember about me" was given to Jacob Prigogine, who wrote the music to it. Grave's verses were often sung as a Gypsy song in taverns and restaurants, and one of them, Noch' Svetla, stood the time, and became known to us by a phonograph record.
Though nothing is sure, it is being assumed that the writer of the verse is the Russian poet Leonid Grave (1839-1891), who published his poems in "Moscow Sheet", a magazine that was edited by the Moscow publisher Pastukhov. In this magazine Nikolai Pastukhov (1831-1911), who himself had started his business with only a limited education but with a great love for poetry and literature, gave little known poets the possibility to publish their works, and on his turn, he gave poems to little known composers. In that way the poem "Remember about me" was given to Jacob Prigogine, who wrote the music to it. Grave's verses were often sung as a Gypsy song in taverns and restaurants, and one of them, Noch' Svetla, stood the time, and became known to us by a phonograph record.
Nowadays the author of the words is always mentioned to be Yazykov, and the composer M. Shishkin. Yet, according to the scientific researchers A. I. Eliseev and V. E. Gusev, there is no doubt about the fact that the lyrics were from Grave's hand. In his collection "Russian romances and songs", Moscow 1988, Gusev writes: "the romance is written in the words of L.G., the music from Ya. F. Prigogin. The printed music of the last century - the text in the treatment of M. D. Yazykov and the music by M. A. Shishkin.
The romance has been gaining popularity in the performance of Nadeshda Obuchova. Other performers were: Boris Shtokolov, Elena Obraztsova, Tamara Sinyavskaya, Nani Bregvadze, Lyudmila Zykina, Edita Peha, Iosif Kobzon, Valentina Levko, Izabella Yureva, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Alla Bayanova, Alexander Malinin, Sergei Zakharov, Movsar Mintsaev, Lyubov Kazarnovskaya, Vadim Kozin, artists Valentina Ponomareva, Vicka Tsyganova, young performers Alexander Panayotov, Oleg Pogudin and many, many others. SCORES for accordion: 1 ; 2 |
Nadeshda Obuchova performs Noch' Vetla
|
Russian text
Ночь светла, над рекой тихо светит луна, И блестит серебром голубая волна. Темный лес... Там в тиши изумрудных ветвей Звонких песен своих не поет соловей. Милый друг, нежный друг, я, как прежде любя, В эту ночь при луне вспоминаю тебя. В эту ночь при луне, на чужой стороне, Милый друг, нежный друг, помни ты обо мне. Под луной расцвели голубые цветы, Этот цвет голубой - это в сердце мечты. К тебе грезой лечу, твое имя твержу, При луне, в тишине, я с цветами грущу. Ночь светла, над рекой тихо светит луна, И блестит серебром голубая волна. |
Transliteration
Noch' svetla, nad rekoy tikho svetit luna, I blestit serebrom golubaya volna. Temnyy les... Tam v tishi izumrudnykh vetvey Zvonkikh pesen svoikh ne poyet solovey. Milyy drug, nezhnyy drug, ya, kak prezhde lyubya, V etu noch' pri lune vspominayu tebya. V etu noch' pri lune, na chuzhoy storone, Milyy drug, nezhnyy drug, pomni ty obo mne. Pod lunoy rastsveli golubyye tsvety, Etot tsvet goluboy - eto v serdtse mechty. K tebe grezoy lechu, tvoye imya tverzhu, Pri lune, v tishine, ya s tsvetami grushchu. Noch' svetla, nad rekoy tikho svetit luna, I blestit serebrom golubaya volna. |
English text
The night`s bright, and the moon softly shines in the sky, The blue waves of the river gleam the silver light. The dark wood... Under the branches` emerald veil No sonorous songs of a fine nightingale. Dear friend, gentle friend, I love you like before, And this night, by moonlight, I think of you once more. And this night, by moonlight, over a foreign sea, Dear friend, gentle friend, please, remember of me. The blue flowers have blossomed under the moon, Their blue colour is the my heart`s major tune. I am dreaming of you, I`m repeating Your name, By moonlight, feeling blue in the calm flowers` bay. The night`s bright, and the moon softly shines in the sky, The blue waves of the river gleam the silver light. Translation by Alexander |
http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/4000579/post334220930/; http://a-pesni.org/romans/prigozij/notchsvetla.php;
http://muz-forum.com/showthread.php?p=18595; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Граве,_Леонид_Григорьевич ;
http://www.elatma2008.narod.ru/Grave2.htm; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Пастухов,_Николай_Иванович
http://muz-forum.com/showthread.php?p=18595; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Граве,_Леонид_Григорьевич ;
http://www.elatma2008.narod.ru/Grave2.htm; https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Пастухов,_Николай_Иванович