13.08.2022

"Sports March" from the museum Sound Library for the Day of physical fitness

The Day of physical culturist is not just a celebration of professional athletes. Those who, for example, jog in the morning, dance Zumba and hip-hop or go cycling can celebrate it. In 2022, the Day of physical fitness will be held in Russia on 13 August.

Today, a healthy lifestyle is on trend. Mass promotion of physical fitness began in Russia in the late 1920s. First Spartakiad (sports and athletic competitions) was held then. Since then, the government has hewed to the line, believing that sport develops the health of the nation. Even during the Great Patriotic War, relay races and sports competitions were held in Moscow.

The Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR established the All-Union Day of Physical fitness in 1939. This was done to promote sport and healthy lifestyle in the country.

At that time, sport was developing at an unprecedented pace in the USSR. Many sports associations appeared. For example, "Dynamo", "Spartak", etc. The Ready for Labor and Defense program (GTO**) was invented in the USSR. Various sports competitions and athletic competitions were held all-round the year.

In contemporary Russia, the Day of Physical Culture is celebrated extensively. New permanent and seasonal sports grounds are constructed, table tennis tournaments in the parks, futsal tournaments, mass training with professional athletes, family relay races, raffle tickets to fitness centers, rope pulling, arm wrestling, chess competitions and many other sports are organized. Traditionally today, a variety of competitions and shows will take place on the Day of Physical fitness.

Sounding of music at sporting events is a practice that is hundreds of years old. The revival of the Olympic Games in 1896 also promoted the inclusion of musical marches in the festivities associated with the competitions and ceremonies. During the opening ceremony of the first Olympic Games of our days* in Athens, the orchestra performed the Greek National Anthem and the Olympic Anthem, written by the poet Kostis Palamas and set to music by the Greek composer Spyridon Samaras.

During the athletes’ parades and competitions, sports marches are usually performed. Moreover, sports festivals are unimaginable without jingling music. The rhythmic pattern of the sport march is clear and simple, the character should be quite energetic and the timing is 2/4. A sports march, creates a cheerful, joyful mood. One such example is a "Sports March" from the movie "The Goalkeeper" (1937), presented in the museum Collection section “Music Records”, the gramophone record manufactured at the Aprelevsky factory commemorating the 1905th.

Sport march from the film "The Goalkeeper", music by I. Dunayevsky, words by V. Lebedev-Kumach. Leningrad Radio Committee Choir and Yakov Skomorovsky Jazz Orchestra, conducted by I. Dunayevsky

Vast array of marches were composed at various epochs. In addition to organizing and structuring movement, they are called upon to invigorate. The classification of marches is quite varied: military and sport marches, festive and ceremonial, children's and fairy tale, humorous and circus, and mournful ones.

*March (French: marche, from marcher - to go) - is a musical composition with the clear, chiseled rhythm, cheerful, heroic nature, designed to accompany and organize the movement of people. March ensures synchronous action.

** GTO complex - the fitness programme in the USSR

***The International Olympic Games, the first Olympic Games of the present day were held from 25 March (6 April) to 3 (15 April) 1896 in Athens, Greece. 241 athletes from 14 countries took part in the competitions. 43 sets of medals were awarded in 9 sports.