Great composer, great music, great Anthem.
In the small village of Plakhino, Ryazan province, Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov was born. It was he who wrote the music of the Anthem of Russia, and it was he who wrote, literally in four days, the music for The Holy War. For the first time this song sounded on June 26, 1941 when a group of musicians from the ensemble was sent to the front.
In total, there were three such groups during the war years. Almost 80 years have passed since the writing of this great song, and its power is still capable of capturing the thoughts of the listener. And the music and words of the Anthem of Russia are recognized all over the world for the beauty and power of sound. In modern Russia, when disputes about the succession of the Soviet Union and Tsarist Russia continue, it is very significant that the music of the Anthem of Russia was written by a man who served under Stalin in the rank of general, who is at the same time the last choir leader in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Alexander began to sing in the church choir at the age of four, and at the age of six he was sent with a fellow villager to St. Petersburg, where three years later he became a student at the conservatory. Then he changed his last name Koptelov to Aleksandrov from “Aleksandrov's grandson”. However, he was not destined to study at the conservatory for a long time. Damp air and a difficult financial situation forced 19-year-old Alexander to leave the capital.
He moved to the village of Bologoye and got a job in the singing choir at the local church. In the choir, he also met his future wife Ksenia. In 1906 Aleksandrov became choir director in Tver. Here his organizational skills were manifested. By forbidding choristers from performing at weddings, he stopped drunkenness. And taking under his patronage the poor children from the villages, he created the backbone of the future famous choir. After the 1917 revolution, it was very difficult for him to rebuild in a new way, but Aleksandrov discovered for himself the leadership of an army song and dance ensemble.
In the first composition of the ensemble, he invited former church singers. Having addressed the military leaders of the USSR in 1928, Aleksandrov won recognition and approval of the work done. So Aleksandrov got the opportunity to form a team of several dozen performers. In 1933, the collective grew to 300 musicians and became the Army Song and Dance Ensemble. During the war years, Aleksandrov's pupils accompanied the army units and arranged impromptu concerts for the Red Army soldiers on all fronts.
Aleksandrov himself, in 1943, conducted an orchestra performing the Anthem of the Soviet Union to his own music. The great composer died after the capture of Berlin from a heart attack. The hard work all the war years affected. In our time, there is no longer the temple where the boy Sasha began his singing path, and the music created by the great Alexandrov will remain for many years, passing from generation to generation.
