Customer Reviews

A Russian Song Book (Dover Song Collections)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been playing from this book for a while. It has quite a few songs in it, including Kalinka, Katusha, Moscow Nights and Meadowlands ("the Hits".) The nice thing is they have the English, Cyrillic, and transliteration with each verse. Sometimes the English seems to be stretching it to fit the meter, but that's okay. The piano arrangements are interesting, in lots of different keys, and guitar chords are generally shown.

I got this book from the library. When I opened it, the first song I played was Farewell to Happiness. And I have to tell you how I felt- every shade of emotion. I felt a great love for the Russian people, and can see them singing these songs; as peasants in the fields, as families gathered around singing to the balalaika, and walking through the snow, alone. I think they must have a love of music, to have in their hearts through the hard times and this is something we all should have. I don't think people sing like this now but we should instead of dulling our minds with "entertainment".
I love singing and playing from this book. My favorite is 'Do Not Awaken My Memories', but recently I started to play 'In the Valley' and ended up playing it over and over, especially the first two lines. This is what I love about Russian music. It is so lyrical, and deep in it's simpleness. 'No Sounds are Heard from the City' tells the story of a prisoner. To me he is an exhile in Siberia, and his song echos the cry of thousands.
And I love this book because IT IS PURE POETRY and was so happy to find it on Amazon so I can have it.

I play several of the songs in this book on the Trumpet for my own enjoyment. It includes some very beautiful songs. My favorites are: The Light (Ogonek), for which somebody should write English lyrics and get recorded, the Song of Greeting, written by Dimitri Shostakovich, Stenka Razin (did he really have to drown the poor princess to win back the confidence of his band of brigands?), Dubinushka, a bitter revolutionary song; Podmoscovskaya vechera (Moscow Nights) which was recorded as a jazz piece and popularized in America by Kenny Ball, the maudlin Tyawmnaya Noch (Dark Night) as well as the ever popular Katiusha and Kalinka.

Pieces the book does not include, but that I wish it did: Proshanie Slavyanki (Farewell to Slavic Women), the best Russian march; and Dolinnuyo Dorogayu (popularized by Mary Hopkins as "Those were the Days."

I give this songbook 5 stars upon the recommendation of my best friend Tanya who is a native Russian and musician! I'm only a student of Russian culture and the real reason why I bought this book was to impress my girlfriend!!! So if she loves this gift then that's good enough for me! But I have also read other reviews about this book and bought other Dover Publications and they have all been excellent! Russian Music Rocks!