Soviet War Songs in the Context of Russian Culture

Book excerpt: This volume presents a unique study of war songs created during and after World War II, known in Russia as the â oeGreat Patriotic Warâ . The most popular war songs, such as â oeKatyushaâ , â oeThe Sacred Warâ , â oeDark Nightâ , â oeMy Moscowâ , â oeIn the Dugoutâ , â oeVictory Dayâ , provide illuminating insights into the musical culture of the former Soviet Union and modern Russia. In the year of the 70th anniversary of victory in the war, the book studies the cultural heritage of famous war songs from a new perspective, exploring the historical background of their creation and analysing their lyrics as part of Russian cultural heritage. The book also discusses the modifications required when translating the songs from Russian to English. It concludes with a description an educational project studying war songs at Moscow schools run under the auspices of UNESCO.