Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Anthems (4) – Russia Again


I’ve been immersed in the Russian national anthem, which I find interesting and appealing for several reasons.  More than other anthems, it makes me think and reflect.  And I’ve been improving my Russian by trying to learn the lyrics.
 
The Russian anthem retains the music of the previous Soviet anthem.  Therefore the current anthem brings to mind the earlier anthem.  This was a point of controversy, but this links the present and the past—perhaps in a provocative way.  But modern Russia is linked to its Soviet past.

The 1944 Soviet anthem mentions Stalin as well as “Great Lenin.”  It alludes to the victory over the Nazi invaders.  It mentions the “will of the people,” and victories, and the people’s glory. 

Not surprisingly, the 1977 Soviet revision dropped the reference to Stalin.  But it also dropped references to the war.  Still, only now did we see overt references to Communism (unless my sources are wrong).  For example:

“The Party of Lenin, the strength of the people/Leads us to the triumph of Communism!”  And:  “In the victory of the immortal ideas of Communism/We see the future of our country.”

With this backdrop, we come to the current Russian anthem, beginning with references to “our sacred homeland” and “our beloved country.”  It goes on to mention “Age-old union of fraternal peoples/Ancestor-given wisdom of the people!”

Beautiful stuff!  It continues with references to the vast and varied geography of the country:  “From the southern seas to the polar lands/Spread are our forests and fields./You are unique in the world, one of a kind.”

Finally, it becomes more personal and human:  “Wide spaces for dreams and for living
Are opened for us by the coming years.”

So it has dropped the overt political propaganda of the 1977 Soviet anthem and instead combined patriotism, geography, and humanity.  Not bad for an anthem!  Almost ideal!

And yet—the first verse proclaims the Russian heritage will be “a mighty will, a great glory.”  I’m not convinced that this is ideal.  The second verse mentions “this sacred land protected by God.”  This, of course, was a bone of contention for the remaining atheist communists—and raises questions about the role of religion in modern Russia (but then, religion—meaning Orthodox Christianity—had always had a strong role in Russia).  The third verse proclaims:  “Our strength is derived through our loyalty to the Fatherland./Thus it was, thus it is and thus it always will be!”  That last phrasing is taken from religion; but—probably because I am an American—the idea that strength comes from loyalty to the country somehow bothers me.  American tend to distrust governments.  But then again governments are distinct from countries.

What is the purpose of a national anthem, after all?  And who is it written for?  The current Russian anthem is pretty remarkable.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Pantheacon (12) - Sex Positive (1)

Pantheacon, Day Three -- I attend a workshop on Sex Positivity.  Over fifty people exchanged ideas on what guidelines might be useful for sex positive people.  The specific task was to produce our own “Ten Commandments” (okay, five, they finally said) of Sex Positivity.  Some ideas included:


Mindful Reciprocity between partners.

Deliberate Spontaneity (a bit of a Zen koan!).

Communicate your boundaries.

Be true to your own sexuality.

Mind your own business (in regards to others)

Meet your partners at your mutual boundaries

Express your needs.


After this exploration, we considered some ethical dilemmas that might arise relating to sexuality between people.  Many of these involved cheating or differing needs and wants.

This is the outline.  But just the outline.  Worthwhile in and of itself -- but inviting much more thought.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Anthems (3) - Russia



My interest in Russian—and Russian history—and Russian literature—has been reviving since I looked up the words to the Tsarist national anthem a month or so ago.  I’ve started watching clips of the old BBC version of War and Peace from the 1980s.  I’ve been teaching myself Russian, bit by bit, since sometime in the 1970s; about the same time I took a Russian history course in college.

Each episode of the BBC War and Peace begins and ends with “God Save the Tsar,” known to me since childhood from Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” and “Marche Slave.”  But, as I’ve mentioned previously, this tune did not become Russia’s Imperial anthem until twenty years after the Napoleonic Wars.  Apparently there was no official Imperial Anthem in 1812.  We will notice this pattern elsewhere—including the United States.  Countries did not always feel the need for an official anthem.  Russia did, after the Napoleonic Wars; and before the selection of the now-familiar “God Save the Tsar,” another set of lyrics, “The Prayer of the Russians,” beginning with the same phrase, was used; set to what many of us know as the British national anthem “God Save the Queen.”  This is another pattern we shall soon notice elsewhere.

Of course, after the abdication of the Tsar during the Russian Revolution, “God Save the Tsar” was no longer used.  During the time of the Provisional Government, an adaption of the “Marseillaise,” titled “The Workers’ Marseillaise,” was used.  I have seen the lyrics but could not fit them to the standard French tune—apparently it was modified to make it sound more “Russian.”  In any case, when the Bolsheviks took power a short time later, the “Internationale” became the national anthem.

Stalin commissioned a new national anthem during World War II.  I’ve heard several versions, including a fine English version recorded by Paul Robeson.  The different versions reflect the varying emphasis given to Lenin and Stalin over time.  With the fall of the Soviet Union, this version was retired.

But only the lyrics.  The music was brought back for the current Russian National Anthem, with new words.  Whereas “God Save the Tsar” sounded like an Orthodox hymn, and the Soviet anthem sounded ideological, the present anthem combines the beautiful Soviet melody with lyrics describing the beauty and grandeur of Russia.  These lyrics fit yet another pattern:  Anthems base on the physical beauty of a country.  More on all these patterns to come.

Meanwhile, if you have the chance, listen to a recording of the current Russian national anthem.  Some people consider it the world’s most beautiful anthem.