The Unknown Author of the Enigmatic Russian National Anthem: Alexander Alexandrov, the Untold Story

The mighty Soviet Union, forever united, the land of the free: ......

The majestic sound of the brass, the profound male chorus, and the expansive melody - the national anthem of Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) is known as one of the most magnificent anthems in the world. The composer of the anthem, which was adopted in 1943 during World War II and has been sung as the national anthem of the Russian Federation since the collapse of the Soviet Union, is **Alexander Alexandrov (1883-1946)**.

However, surprisingly little is known about Alexander Alexandrov in detail, because he was a composer who had been a member of the Soviet Union under the Soviet regime. This is because he was dedicated to making "functional music" under the Soviet regime and is too often recognized as a "musician of the regime. And his other compositions are mostly buried by the huge presence of the "national anthem.

But was he really just a "regime composer"? What is his true identity that created a melody that symbolizes the image of the Soviet Union, a nation unparalleled in history?

Who is Alexandrov?

Alexander Alexandrov was born in the Ryazan province of the Russian Empire in 1883. After gaining experience in the choir, he entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory (now the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory), where he studied harmony and counterpoint in earnest. It is known that his teacher was Anatoli Liadov, a leading figure in Russian music, but Liadov was generally known as a "lazy genius" who never wrote a proper symphony. What an ironic coincidence that Alexandrov, who studied music under such a mentor, eventually became the composer who made the most "functional" music.

Later, while teaching composition and conducting as a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, he founded the **Red Army Choir (Alexandrov Ensemble)**. The Red Army Chorus was to define his later career.

The Red Army Choir and the Propaganda Aspects of Soviet Music

In the 1930s, Alexandrov began to devote himself to creating "regime music" for the Soviet government. The Red Army Choir, which he led, was a constant performer at military parades, wartime propaganda, and Soviet diplomatic events, establishing a musical symbol of the Soviet state.

One of the most famous pieces written for this choir was **"Holy War (Священная война) "**. This piece was first performed on June 24, 1941, at the beginning of Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union (the Russo-German War), to inspire the morale of the Soviet soldiers. As indicated by the heavy marching rhythm and the lyrics, "Arise, O mighty nation! the song was not just a military anthem, but a symbol of the fight for the survival of the Soviet Union as a nation.

It was this ability to create "music that symbolizes the nation" that ultimately led him to become a "national anthem composer.

The Birth of the Soviet National Anthem: Its Relationship with Stalin

In 1943, the wartime Soviet Union decided on a new national anthem to replace the previously used anthem **"Internationale "**. The Internationale was originally the song of the French labor movement and was insufficient to create a unique national image for the Soviet Union.

In selecting the anthem, Stalin wanted not just a revolutionary song, but a grandiose composition that would praise the Soviet Union as a nation. Alexandrov, who had already established himself as a "musical craftsman for the Soviet state," was entrusted with the task of composing the anthem.

The new anthem he composed was a musical realization of the "Soviet ideal" with its magnificent melody, thick harmony, and heroic rhythm. And Stalin liked it so much that he officially adopted it in 1944. The lyrics were a front of Stalin's personal worship, with an early version emphasizing the passage "Stalin will lead us.

However, after Stalin's death in 1953 and his reputation plummeted due to the "Criticism of Stalin" in 1956, references to Stalin were removed from the anthem's lyrics, and a revised version in 1977 had completely different lyrics.

His fate as "the man of the anthem" - are there any other works of his left?

Alexandrov died in 1946, and his name is remembered almost exclusively as "the composer of the Soviet national anthem. In reality, however, there are many pieces of music he wrote.

Holy War" - a military anthem symbolizing the war against Nazi Germany
Glory to Our Motherland, a Soviet-style patriotic song
March of the Red Army, a prewar military march

He also wrote choral and operatic works, which are rarely performed anymore.

In the end, Alexandrov fulfilled his role as "the composer who symbolized the Soviet Union," which may be why his personal artistic reputation was not preserved for posterity. He had neither the melodic beauty of Rachmaninoff nor the socially critical perspective of Shostakovich, but simply continued to create "music that worked for the state.

A composer who was born with the Stalin era and disappeared with the Stalin era - this may have been the true form of Alexander Alexandrov.