On the Hills of Manchuria - Zonophone - 1909 - cover

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

"On the Hills of Manchuria" (russian: На сопках Маньчжурии, translit=, links=no) is a

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

composed in 1906 by Ilya Alekseevich Shatrov. The original and orchestral arrangement is written in

E-flat minor E-flat minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature consists of six flats. Its relative key is G-flat major (or enharmonically F-sharp major) and its parallel key is E-flat major. ...

while the folk arrangement is in

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...

. The original title of the waltz was "The Mokshansky Regiment on the Hills of Manchuria" and referred to an incident during the Battle of Mukden, the disastrous final land battle of the

, when the Mokshansky Infantry Regiment was encircled by Japanese forces for 11 days, during which it sustained considerable casualties. Shatrov served in the regiment as bandmaster and composed the tune on returning from the war. While the regiment was stationed in Samara in 1906, he made the acquaintance of Oskar Knaube (1866–1920), a local music shop owner, who helped the composer to publish his work and later acquired ownership of it. "On the Hills of Manchuria" achieved colossal success and Knaube boasted of having published some 82 different editions of the piece. Soon after its publication, the poet Stepan Petrov, better known by the pen-name of Skitalets, provided the lyrics which contributed to its wider success. The original words concern fallen soldiers lying in their graves in

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...

, but alternative words were adapted to the tune later, especially during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Lyrics

Тихо вокруг, сопки покрыты мглой, Вот из-за туч блеснула луна, Могилы хранят покой. Белеют кресты – это герои спят. Прошлого тени кружат давно, О жертвах боёв твердят. Плачет, плачет мать родная, Плачет молодая жена, Плачут все, как один человек, Злой рок и судьбу кляня! Тихо вокруг, ветер туман унёс, На сопках маньчжурских воины спят И русских не слышат слёз. Пусть гаолян вам навевает сны, Спите герои русской земли, Отчизны родной сыны. Плачет, плачет мать родная, Плачет молодая жена, Плачут все, как один человек, Злой рок и судьбу кляня! Вы пали за Русь, погибли вы за Отчизну, Поверьте, мы за вас отомстим И справим кровавую тризну!Texts a
Accordeon World
Around us, it is calm; Hills are covered by mist, Suddenly, the moon shines through the clouds, Graves hold their calm. The white glow of the crosses – heroes are asleep. The shadows of the past circle around, Recalling the victims of battles. Dear mother is shedding tears, The young wife is weeping, All like one are crying, Cursing fate, cursing destiny! Around us, it's calm; The wind blew the fog away, Warriors are asleep on the hills of Manchuria And they cannot hear the Russian tears. Let sorghum's rustling lull you to sleep, Sleep in peace, heroes of the Russian land, Dear sons of the Fatherland. Dear mother is shedding tears, The young wife is weeping, All like one are crying, Cursing fate, cursing destiny! You fell for Russia, perished for Fatherland, Believe us, we shall avenge you And celebrate a bloody wake! (Transcription) Tiho vokrug, sopki pokryty mgloj, Vot iz-za tuč blesnula luna, Mogily hranjat pokoj. Belejut kresty – èto geroi spjat. Prošlogo teni kružat davno, O žertvah boëv tverdjat. Plačet, plačet matʹ rodnaja, Plačet molodaja žena, Plačut vse, kak odin čelovek, Zloj rok i sudʹbu kljanja! Tiho vokrug, veter tuman unës, Na sopkah manʹčžurskih voiny spjat I russkih ne slyšat slëz. Pustʹ gaoljan vam navevaet sny, Spite geroi russkoj zemli, Otčizny rodnoj syny. Plačet, plačet matʹ rodnaja, Plačet molodaja žena, Plačut vse, kak odin čelovek, Zloj rok i sudʹbu kljanja! Vy pali za Rusʹ, pogibli vy za Otčiznu, Poverʹte, my za vas otomstim I spravim krovavuju triznu!

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Russian patriotic songs Waltzes 1906 songs 1906 compositions