The State Anthem of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was the anthem of the Ukrainian SSR, when Ukraine was part of the former Soviet Union. Played alongside the State Anthem of the Soviet Union, it was in use between 1949 and 1992 when the Soviet Union collapsed. The original lyrics were written by Pavlo Tyčyna, and it was set to music by Anton Lebedyneć. In 1978, mentions of Stalin were removed and the then new lyrics were revised by Mykola Bažan.[1]
As of 2015, performance of this anthem is against Ukrainian law and offenders may be subject for up to 5 years in jail.[2] The melody, which was also used in the State Anthem of Novorossiya, holds a negative connotation throughout Ukraine.
History[]
In 1922, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic signed the Treaty on the Creation of the USSR along with the Russian SFSR, Transcaucasian SFSR, and and the Byelorussian SSR, which created the constituent republic. Following the signing of the treaty, the Ukrainian national anthem "Šče ne vmerla Ukrajina" was banned by the Soviet regime because of its nationalistic content. The authorities later decided that each separate Soviet republic could have its own anthem, and "Šče ne vmerla Ukrajina" was rejected because Soviet authorities wanted to suppress separatist sentiments held by Ukrainian Nationalists.
In 1942, after Joseph Stalin demanded that "The Internationale" be replaced with a new anthem, the State Anthem of the Soviet Union was officially adopted a couple years later. All other constituent Soviet republics were expected to produce their own anthems as well—all of which had to have lyrics lauding the communist Soviet regime and its leaders. A commission on the anthem was established on 23 February 1944; thus, the Anthem of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was adopted.[3] Soviet authorities, after a period of struggle, successfully persuaded public intellectuals to create an anthem with lyrics fitting their political interests and music sterile of any Ukrainian national elements.[4]
On February 23, the Ukrainian chairman Mykhailo Hrechukha hosted a meeting by reading a synopsis of the anthem-to-be in front of musicians and litterateurs: The Ukrainian nation's union with the Soviets were envisaged for the first stanza; the Ukrainian people, their struggles, and freedom under Lenin and Stalin were envisaged for the second stanza; Ukraine's economic and political flourishing in the union were envisaged for the third stanza. A refrain was conceived to be played after each stanza, which was considered as a paean to the union of the Soviet peoples and the reunited Ukraine following the Soviet annexation of Eastern Galicia and Volhynia.[5]
Composers worked on the score prior to the decision on the lyrics; by February 1945, eleven composers were selected as finalists.[6] Anton Lebedynets' score won with a majority vote and the score was adopted as the music of the new Soviet anthem in November 1949.
Lyrics[]
Original lyrics[]
Ukrainian version[]
| Cyrillic script | Latin script | IPA transcription |
|---|---|---|
Живи, Україно, прекрасна і сильна, |
Žyvy, Ukrajino, prekrasna i syľna, |
[ʒɪ.ˈvɪ ʊ.krɐ.ˈji.no pre.ˈkrɑs.nɐ i ˈsɪlʲ.nɐ ǀ] |
Russian version[]
Живи, Украина, прекрасная и сильная
В Советском Союзе ты счастье нашла.
Меж равными равная, средь свободных свободная,
Под солнцем свободы, как цвет, расцвела.
Припев:
Слава Союзу Советскому, слава!
Слава Отчизне народов-братьев!
Живи Украина, советское государство,
Воссоединённый край на веки веков!
Нам всегда в битвах за судьбу народа
Был другом и братом русский народ.
И Ленин озарил нам путь к свободе,
И Сталин ведёт нас к светлым высотам.
Припев
Разобьём мы все вражеские нашествия
Народного гнева священным мечом!
Под знаменем советским мы сильными стали
И в мир коммунизма величественно идём!
Припев
English translation[]
Live on, Ukraine! Thou beautiful and mighty,
In the Soviet Union thou foundest joy!
Equal among the equals, free among the free,
Thou as a flower bloom’d under rays of the free.
Chorus:
Glory to the Soviet Union!
Motherland of fraternal nations!
Live on, Ukraine, the Soviet state,
Forever a reunited state!
Always arm’d for our folk’s fate,
The Russian nation – our brothers and friends.
Lenin to freedom our path shineth,
Stalin to bright heights our souls leadeth.
Chorus
Our foes’ forays we shall expunge
With the sacred sword of our folk’s rage!
’Neath the Soviet flag potent we’ve become,
Loyal we go in the world of Communism!
Chorus
Post-Stalinist lyrics[]
Ukrainian version[]
| Cyrillic script | Latin script | IPA transcription |
|---|---|---|
Живи, Україно, прекрасна і сильна, |
Žyvy, Ukrajino, prekrasna i syľna, |
[ʒɪ.ˈvɪ ʊ.krɐ.ˈji.no pre.ˈkrɑs.nɐ i ˈsɪlʲ.nɐ ǀ] |
Russian version[]
Живи, Украина, прекрасная и сильная
В Советском Союзе ты счастье нашла.
Меж равными равна, меж вольными вольна
Под солнцем свободы, как цвет расцвела.
Припев:
Слава Союзу Советскому, слава!
Слава Отчизне на веки веков!
Живи Украина, советское государство,
В единой семье народов-братьев!
Нам всегда в битвах за судьбу народа
Был другом и братом русский народ
Нас Ленин повёл победным походом
Под флагом Октября к светлым высотам.
Припев
Мы славим трудом Родину могучую
Утверждаем правду бессмертных идей.
В мир коммунизма - величественное будущее
Нас Ленинская партия мудро ведёт.
Припев
English translation[]
Live on, Ukraine! Thou beautiful and mighty,
In the Soviet Union thou foundest joy!
Equal among the equals, free among the free,
Thou as a flower bloom’d under rays of the free.
Chorus:
Glory to the Soviet Union!
Motherland of fraternal nations!
Live on, Ukraine, the Soviet state,
In the union of our brothers!
Always arm’d for our folk’s fate,
The Russian nation – our brothers and friends.
Lenin led us to triumph
’Neath October’s banner to bright heights.
Chorus
With labour our great land we fame,
Affirm the truth of immortal ideas.
Our great future towards communism,
Lenin’s party sagely leadeth us.
Chorus
Lyrics proposed in 2010[]
The following are the lyrics by Igor Ortsev chosen in the competition held by the Luhansk wing of the Communist Party of Ukraine in the summer of 2010.[12][13]
Живи Україно, прекрасна і сильна,
На віки-віків нам на щастя дана.
З народної волі ти стала єдина,
Під сонцем свободи, як цвіт розцвіла.
Приспів:
Слава народу великому, слава!
Господарю долі на рідній землі!
Живи незалежно, могутня Державо,
Живи Україно, ми діти твої!
Ми разом назавжди від Чорного моря,
До сивих Карпат та Донбаських степів.
І наші серця заповняє любов'ю,
Величність святого Дніпра берегів.
Приспів
Ми працею славимо нашу країну,
За честь і свободу, життя віддамо!
І віримо свято в свою Батьківщину,
Цю віру нащадкам ми передамо!
Приспів
See also[]
- "Živi, Novorossija!", the anthem of the former proposed Neo-Russia confederation which used the same tune.
References[]
- ↑ The state anthems of the Soviet Union and the Ukrainian SSR: what ideological heritage we are renouncing (ДЕРЖАВНІ ГІМНИ СРСР ТА УРСР: ВІД ЯКОЇ ІДЕОЛОГІЧНОЇ СПАДЩИНИ МИ ВІДМОВЛЯЄМОСЯ) (2003-03-28). Vladyslav and Liudmyla Hrynevych. Mirror Weekly.
ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЕ ГИМНЫ СССР И УССР: ОТ КАКОГО ИДЕОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО НАСЛЕДИЯ МЫ ОТКАЗЫВАЕМСЯ. - ↑ За гимн СССР – 5 лет тюрьмы: декоммунизация в цифрах и фактах. Zakharova, Alexandra. Segodnya.
- ↑ Yekelchyk, Serhy (2003). "When Stalin's Nations Sang: Writing the Soviet Ukrainian Anthem (1944–1949)". Nationalities Papers. 31 (3): 309–326. doi:10.1080/0090599032000115510. S2CID 162023479.
- ↑ Yekelchyk, Serhy (2003). "When Stalin's Nations Sang: Writing the Soviet Ukrainian Anthem (1944–1949)". Nationalities Papers. 31 (3): 309–326. doi:10.1080/0090599032000115510. S2CID 162023479.
- ↑ Yekelchyk, Serhy (2003). "When Stalin's Nations Sang: Writing the Soviet Ukrainian Anthem (1944–1949)". Nationalities Papers. 31 (3): 309–326. doi:10.1080/0090599032000115510. S2CID 162023479.
- ↑ [Yekelchyk, Serhy (2003). "When Stalin's Nations Sang: Writing the Soviet Ukrainian Anthem (1944–1949)". Nationalities Papers. 31 (3): 309–326. doi:10.1080/0090599032000115510. S2CID 162023479.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://www.proza.ru/2014/03/15/2055
- ↑ http://911pesni.ru/13/Nezalejnaya/tekst-pesni-Gimn-Ukrainskoy-SSR
- ↑ https://www.e-reading.club/chapter.php/1036257/2/Chubinskiy_-_Gimn_Ukraini_z_chasiv_Pavla_Chubinskogo_do_nashih_dniv.html
- ↑ https://www.obozrevatel.com/politics/43059-gimnom-novorossii-mozhet-stat-peredelannyij-gimn-ussr-pavla-tyichinyi.htm
- ↑ https://www.pisni.org.ua/songs/495389.html
- ↑ Коммунисты придумали новый гимн Украины (2010-08-24). Украинская правда.
- ↑ Коммунисты представили свой Гимн Украины (видео) (2010-08-25). LB.ua.