Not many songs pass through the decades, break away from the author and live an independent life. Making good music and lyrics doesn't guarantee people's love. Here the main role is played by the hit of the song at one time or another, historical events.
History of creation
The famous "Katyusha" was born several years before the Great Patriotic War in 1938. Through the efforts of the poet Mikhail Isakovsky and the composer Matvey Blanter, a hit for centuries was created. The first performer of the song was the soloist of the jazz orchestra Valentina Batishcheva. Subsequently, it was sung by such legends of Russian songs as Lydia Ruslanova, Vera Krasovitskaya, Georgy Vinogradov.
The light and catchy melody quickly became popular and went to the people. A few years later, combat installations of the times of the Great Patriotic War, which terrified Hitler's troops, began to be firmly associated with this affectionate female name. They were baptized so retroactively.
The famous "Katyusha" is an organic unity of text and melody.
According to the memoirs of the authors, M. Isakovsky wrote the first vivid and memorable eight-line, and then he fell into a creative "stupor". This happens to poets, nothing ordinary. However, when the poems got to the composer and he “groped” for a suitable melody, Isakovsky willy-nilly had to write the continuation and ending of the future hit.
Despite the fact that the war had not yet begun at that time, there was already a premonition of it. On the basis of it, the romantic idea of a plot about a girl yearning for her beloved who went to the front was born. The poet coped with the task set by the composer brilliantly. The mood given by the music is supported by poetry. Already in the first performance, the song was performed three times as an encore. Further more.
War broke out. “Katyusha” helped to survive in this hard times, raising morale, strengthening the faith in the inevitable victory in the soldiers. According to the recollections, even the Nazis "recharged" with it - this is how victorious the power of the melody was, inextricably merged with the text!
Interestingly, Isakovsky left several options for the development of the plot in the text of the song. Including a variant of the ending where Katyusha leaves the shore and "takes the song with her." It was rarely performed, but nevertheless.
According to researchers, the song "Katyusha" has at least two dozen front-line, uncensored versions.
No prohibitions
"Katyusha" was much more fortunate than other songs of the war years. For example, the "Dugout" by Alexei Surkov was not missed for a long time by the military censorship because of the supposedly "relaxing" line: "and four steps to death …" under an unspoken ban for almost twenty years. And the Katyusha is still in service today! Sounds bold, young and mischievous!
