Lydia Ruslanova. The Soul of Russian Song Part 1. From Saratov to Berlin
The life path of Lydia Ruslanova, from a poor village girl to the recognized "queen" of a folk song, is marked by both unfading glory and difficult trials. Yuri Burlan's "System Vector Psychology" sheds light on the life of the great Russian singer and helps to reveal the secret of her popularity and unbending fortitude.
My whole life is connected with the song.
As long as I can remember, there is always a song next to me.
Lydia Ruslanova
A bright, luxurious Russian beauty - this was remembered by her contemporaries Lydia Ruslanova - a famous performer of folk songs. A national favorite with a bright, perky smile and a unique voice full of strength and warmth, she gathered full houses throughout the country, raised the fighting spirit of soldiers during the war and turned every song into a musical performance.
Favorite song of Soviet soldiers - "Valenki" - Lydia Ruslanova performed on May 2, 1945 at the walls of the Reichstag in Berlin. The soldiers who defeated fascism applauded with sincere love the one who, in the difficult war years, supported their strength and faith in Victory. Ordinary soldiers greeted the singer with shouts of "hurray", because on this memorable day her songs meant that the great bloody war was over.
The life path of Lydia Ruslanova, from a poor village girl to the recognized "queen" of a folk song, is marked by both unfading glory and difficult trials. Yuri Burlan's "System Vector Psychology" sheds light on the life of the great Russian singer and helps to reveal the secret of her popularity and unbending fortitude.
Girl with an angelic voice
Since childhood, Lydia Ruslanova was surrounded by songs. Merry and joyful, compassionate and tearful - the baby listened to them and sang along as best she could. She was born into a poor family, and her lot had hard trials - hunger, poverty and the death of loved ones. The father was taken to the war, and the mother became seriously ill from overwork.
The little girl tried to alleviate her suffering, was very worried and worried about her. Caring for the closest person, the baby sang all the songs that she remembered to cheer her mother. Possessing a visual vector, the girl from an early age showed strong feelings - compassion, empathy and love.
After the death of her mother, six-year-old Lida was left an orphan, and she had to sing for alms. Her songs sounded so beautiful and pitiful that they paid attention to her and took her to an orphanage, where there was a church choir. People from all over the city came to the temple to listen to the little singer singing. The girl's magic, enchanting voice was bewitching, and the parishioners froze when unusually strong and angelically pure singing was heard in the church.
Lydia really wanted to become a singer, but the First World War began, and the girl went to the front. The ability of the visual vector to empathize, love and truly empathize with people did not allow her to stay away. Fearless, capable of compassion and pity, the skin-visual Lydia went to work in the medical train. During the day she bandaged soldiers, looked after the wounded, and sang songs to them in the evenings. She was invited to other hospitals, then to military units, and soon she was already gathering whole halls. The young singer showed brilliant vocal skills. A huge sound range, from a low chest contralto to a high and charming mezzo-soprano, gave her the opportunity to learn and become an opera singer.
But an academic career did not appeal to Lydia Ruslanova. After studying for two years at the Saratov Conservatory, she forever chose for herself the genre of folk songs, which she wholeheartedly loved and to which she was devoted with all her heart. Lydia has long understood that her strength lies in the expanse and immediacy of the Russian song, in its breadth and power, in unity with the native land on which this song was born. The singer gave new life to many forgotten and almost lost folk compositions, made them popular and beloved among the people.
Possessing a sound vector, Lydia Ruslanova had perfect pitch and an amazing musical memory. The huge number of songs that were completely different in sound, which the singer knew, amazed connoisseurs of Russian folklore. She did not care at all where this song came from - from the north or south, from Siberia or the Cossack steppes.
The oral vector gave the singer the ability to perfectly imitate the dialects and intonations of the Russian hinterland. In her performance, Ruslanova so accurately conveyed the slightest nuances of colloquial speech in any area and so clearly showed the beauty of the sound of a Russian song that viewers often mistook her for a native of one or another corner of the country.
Ruslanova was amazingly "easy going." She traveled all over the country several times back in the 30s, performed at the giant construction sites of the young Soviet republic, and on collective farms, and in large concert halls. Possessing a skin vector, the singer was always very active, active, she could not sit in one place, easily endured any tour. Her energy and the speed with which she moved around Russian cities made it possible for residents of any corner of the country to see and hear their favorite singer live. None of the artists of that era worked that hard. Her voice was so strong and resilient that the singer could give three or four concerts in one day.
The roads of war. With a song to Berlin
Lydia Ruslanova quickly became a professional singer. To say that she was popular is to say nothing. Her voice of rare beauty and bright artistic talent made her popularly revered and beloved. Her songs were heard from each radio, and touring trips around the country were always sold out. Everyone listened to her, but the singer won especially reverent love from the military. Concerts in military garrisons brought Ruslanova even more fame.
She sang without sparing herself, excitedly and infectiously, generously giving people a sense of celebration and warmth, a sense of support and faith in victory in the war. Energetic, mobile and tireless - skin-visual-sound Lydia Ruslanova with her work expressed the urethral strength of the spirit of the Russian people. She embodied that very unknowable and “mysterious Russian soul”, incomprehensible and attractive, wide and fearless. The same Russian soul that gave power and invincible strength to the Soviet soldiers who defended their native land, the willingness to give everything, even life itself, for their people without hesitation. The same force helped Ruslanova to endure the enormous burdens of touring life, the hardships of the Second World War and accomplish her civil feat. The favorite of the soldiers was often on the front lines, constantly giving concerts in the active forces, raising the morale of the soldiers.
Wartime became the pinnacle of Ruslanova's creative and human feat. First, the Finnish, and then the Great Patriotic War showed her fighting character. In the Arctic, in the thirty-degree frosts, she sang for the soldiers. Always cheerful, perky and unbending, the singer got to the place either by railcar, then by plane, and sometimes on skis. Handfuls swallowed streptocide for colds and sang. She could play one hundred concerts in twenty days without canceling the performances!
In photographs and wartime newsreels, we see a cheerful and incredibly sensual woman in a bright folk costume. The concerts were held right on the front line, and the stage was the back of a truck, the porch of a hut, or just a green meadow.
The singer, who has an oral vector, has created a tremendous sense of like-mindedness and inspiration in the souls of the fighters defending their homeland. She sang to them about the meaning of their life - about their home and loved ones, about Russia and its vastness, about home, - about everything that they defended, not sparing their lives. And the admiring soldiers saw in her - who was his own mother, who was his wife, and someone who was the beloved girl whom they missed so much.
Ruslanova's voice, so strong, came from the very depths of her heart. She was so close, dear and close that she personified for them the very Russian soul - free, wide and invincible. Urethral fearlessness and fortitude were combined in her with the love and compassion of a skin-visual woman. And this combination was so strong that it kindled in the soldiers an unshakable faith in victory. Often, immediately after the concert, they went on the attack, inspired by the kindness of the heart and the unique voice of the adored singer.
The inspiration was mutual. Realizing the heroism of the soldiers, she herself was conquered by their exploits. Lydia Ruslanova tried to help the front by all means available to her. With the money she earned even before the war, she bought two batteries of mortar equipment and handed them over to the regiment. Her "Katyusha" crushed the Nazis on the front line, and the singer fought in her own way - with her magic voice healed the souls of soldiers. Despite the harsh conditions, severe frosts and bombing, she never missed a concert, did not refuse a single trip to the front line.
The mere fact that this fearless woman, who sang without batting an eye during the bombings and explosions, came to the forefront, in the thick of the battles, instilled in the soldiers delight and courage. With her songs, Ruslanova amused them, charged them with energy and enthusiasm, and then calmed them down and reminded them of their home. Inspired and as if reborn soldiers went into battle with her songs and won!
"Guard Singer" was awarded the Order of the Red Star. At one of the concerts on the front line, the command asked her to sing as long as possible and without a break. The sound was amplified with the help of a radio station and directed towards the location of the Nazis. Lydia Ruslanova's voice captivated the enemies so much that they stopped firing at the positions of our army. The concert lasted three hours, and during this time our troops managed to redeploy troops for the next offensive.
Concert in Berlin
The glory of the Russian singer flew over all the fronts, everywhere she was expected and greeted with incessant applause. Her songs poured from the records, the soldiers sang them on vacation, and it seemed that Ruslanova was simultaneously in all positions of the front line with the soldiers. During the war she gave more than 1,100 concerts. And the last military concert, the most famous, is on the steps of the Reichstag. In Berlin.
This moment was captured by the camera forever. The photograph in which Lydia Ruslanova in a bright Russian outfit, surrounded by victorious soldiers, sings at the walls of the Reichstag, has been kept with her all her life. The concert, stunning in meaning and power of impact, held on May 2, 1945, was remembered by the singer as one of the happiest and most significant moments of her life.
The first performance in the defeated Berlin lasted until late at night. Rumor spread the news about Ruslanova's concert. Over the course of several hours, more and more hundreds of soldiers and commanders arrived at the square to hear the one that was with them and in all the hardships of the war.
The feelings of the soldiers who saw their favorite - a real Russian woman, an actress of stunning beauty who personified Russia for them - cannot be conveyed. Her appearance and concert on the steps of the Reichstag made a strong impression on the Soviet soldiers. The soldiers gave her a piece of coal, and Lydia Ruslanova wrote her name on the column - the name of the first Russian singer who sang the great Victory in the destroyed enemy capital.
To be continued…
