The anthem is one of the three state symbols of any country in the modern world. Each nation has its own solemn musical piece. As a rule, the words of the anthem briefly reflect the essence of the state system, political position, etc. The history of the Russian anthem vividly demonstrates how Russia was thrown from one extreme to another at certain historical boundaries.
History of the anthem of the Russian Federation
For some time Russia did without a national anthem. Then the ceremonies for the adoption of overseas ambassadors and other events of a state nature were held under certain church hymns. All this continued until the end of the 1780s. The time when the history of the Russian anthem originated can be considered the end of the reign of Emperor Peter I. It was then that the autocrat issued an order to perform the oratorio "The Transfiguration March of Peter the Great" at all official state events. This made the Transfiguration March the most important and significant piece of music in the country.
"God save the king!" - the first anthem of Russia
The history of its creation originates after the end of World War II in 1812. Another name for this hymn is “Russian Prayer”. The words to this work were written by the famous Russian poet Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky. Its very first performance was at the celebration of the anniversary of the opening of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. In addition, the most significant event for the Russian anthem of that time was the touch of the Sun of Russian poetry - Alexander Pushkin.
In modern Russia, for a violation of its anthem, you can get a real prison term of up to one year or pay a fine of up to three hundred minimum wages.
The fact is that the great poet of Russia added two additional verses to the main words of the “Prayer of the Russians”. This hymn was performed on the same solemn day on the occasion of the anniversary of the opening of the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. This piece of music inspired the emperor Alexander I so much that he ordered the use of this anthem at all government events dedicated to the meetings of the emperor. Since then, the work "God Save the Tsar!" was in the obligatory repertoire of the regimental orchestra.
In 1833, during the celebration of the anniversary of the victory of the Russian army over Napoleon, the history of the development and formation of the anthem of Russia received its unexpected continuation. Now the musical work "God Save the Tsar!" acquired the status of an official anthem. The words were rewritten by Prince Lvov. This hymn sounded until the abdication of the emperor Nicholas II in 1917. The leader of the world proletariat V.I. Lenin was not inspired by this piece of music. As a result, a decree was issued to replace this hymn with the International. He was destined to last long. Already at the III Congress of Soviets, it was canceled.
The anthem of post-perestroika Russia was supposed to sound to the music of Mikhail Glinka's Patriotic Song. As a result, the commission considered more than 6, 000 texts sent from all over the country. Not one came up.
