09.05.2024

Songs of the war years in the museum Phonotheque to commemorate the Victory Day

On the festive days we present war years songs digitized from gramophone records of 1940–1950s that are stored in the museum Collection. These melodies are more than half a century old, many of them were created during the harsh time of war hardships. For the modern generation these melodies are a musical record of the past, a sincere testimony of the strength and vitality of Russian people.

You can't listen to them indifferently – every time the voices of singers of that time – Mark Bernes, Leonid Utyosov, Klavdiya Shulzhenko and other legendary artists - are heard, the feelings and mood of those who had to live during the Great Patriotic War are conveyed to us. "Katyusha", "Dark Night", "The Beloved City" – in the war and post-war years these songs were known by heart by millions of people, they were sung both on the front line and in the rear, they gave people faith, mental strength and optimism. These songs are not forgotten even now, despite the fact that musical fashion has changed, new technologies of sound recording and reproduction have appeared. Melodiousness, soulfulness, memorizing – this is the secret of popularity of the war time songs, which will never become obsolete.

The section "Gramophone records" of the collection features a 1951 recording – an excerpt from the poem “Vasili Tyorkin” by Alexandr Tvardovsky" performed by Dmitry Orlov. 1st and 2nd parts.

Happy holiday, friends, Happy Victory Day!