Author's (bardic) songs are an important part of the cultural life of the Soviet Union.
This genre is absolutely unique: it is far from the everyday life of a big city and is at the same time close to human souls. Such songs have become a form of communication of like-minded people, an alternative culture.
A bard is a person who loves to travel. He traded constancy and comfort for camping romance: an old guitar, a forest fire, a sky in the stars and a tent.
Some performers expressed this atmosphere unusually well through their soulful songs. Introducing 10 most famous bards of the USSR.
10. Alexander Rosenbaum
- Years of creativity: 1980 - present.
- The most famous songs: Waltz-Boston, Au, Show me Moscow.
- Born: in St. Petersburg, September 13, 1951.
He works in several genres: chanson, rock, pop and songwriter, romance, jazz.
Alexander received the status of People’s Artist, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. Rosenbaum's parents were doctors, he himself followed in their footsteps: he had a chance to work in the emergency department.
At the same time, Alexander was seriously engaged in music. After some time, he had to make a choice between a new profession and already gained experience. Rosenbaum decided to take a chance and as a result gained very great popularity.
First, Alexander performed thieves' songs. Over time, he changed his repertoire, starting to give preference to military topics, Russian history, philosophical lyrics, Cossack and gypsy themes.
Alexander’s manner of playing is peculiar, very saturated. To achieve maximum brightness, he often uses paired strings.
9. Victor Tretyakov
- Years of creativity: 1988 - present.
- The most famous songs: “Riga Station”, “Letter from the orphanage”, “You are for me”.
- Born: in Riga, March 7, 1961.
Victor actively performed in Russia, traveled with concerts to France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany.
Tretyakov knows how to make people think about life; he creates very clear images in his songs. This bard composes those who take for the soul, but at the same time quite simple music and poems. His songs are liked by people of different generations (not only born in the USSR).
The profession that Viktor received was technical, but he has the talent to beautifully present various life situations, to describe them very vividly, which made his work very popular.
8. Alexander Gorodnitsky
- Years of creativity: 1953 - present.
- The most famous songs: Atlanta, The Wife of the French Ambassador, Snow, Leather Jackets.
- Born: in Leningrad, March 20, 1933.
Alexander Gorodnitsky is a performer of copyright songs, a poet and scientist specializing in oceanology.
Alexander managed to survive the first siege winter. Gorodnitsky made great strides in the scientific field: he took part in various oceanological expeditions, published numerous works.
Alexander Gorodnitsky is one of the founders of the author’s song as a genre. His songs and poems were included in school curricula, translated into different languages.
7. Oleg Mityaev
- Years of creativity: 1978 - present.
- The most famous songs: “Summer is a small life,” “How great,” “Fasten yourself, people, summer is coming.”
- Born: in Chelyabinsk, February 19, 1956.
Since childhood, he was an athlete, he managed to achieve very good results in swimming. Oleg started playing guitar when he was a teenager. The boy learned this himself in the yard.
Mityaev dreamed of becoming a geologist, but in college he studied at the installer. Then the future bard studied at the Institute of Physical Education.
Once Oleg was at the festival of the author’s song and received a lot of pleasant impressions. It was after this that he began his own musical path.
6. Vladimir Vysotsky
- Years of creativity: 1961 - 1980
- The most famous songs: "Song of a friend", "My gypsy", "I do not like."
- Born: in Moscow, January 25, 1938.
This bard can be called the most popular, not only in the USSR, but also in modern Russia. Interestingly, the musician himself did not at all associate himself with this creative direction. It is worth noting that his work in general was difficult to classify.
Vladimir Vysotsky was engaged not only in music: he worked in the theater, starred in films. His work touched the souls of people.
The cause of the death of the famous artist was cardiovascular failure, but many believed that before this he had been brought to alcohol and drug addiction.
5. Alexander Galich
- Years of creativity: late 50s - 1977
- The most famous songs: “The miner's waltz”, “When I get back”, “Helen”.
- Born: in Ukraine in the city of Dnipro. Date of birth - October 19, 1918.
Galich not only wrote and performed his own songs, he was also a screenwriter, prose writer, playwright.
When Alexander was a child, his family moved to Russia. From adolescence, Galich knew that his profession would be creative, but he did not immediately decide on the direction.
Alexander studied at the literary institute, opera and drama studio, immersed himself in the theatrical sphere, but then he seriously engaged in writing songs and performing them with the guitar.
4. Novella Matveeva
- Years of creativity: late 50s - 2009
- The most famous songs: “Girl from the Tavern”, “Ship”, “Letter to the Beloved”.
- Born: in Tsarskoye Selo, October 7, 1934.
She was not only a bard, but also a poetess, literary critic, playwright, translator. The short story was noticed on time and fell in love almost immediately.
A provincial girl with a guitar and a bewitching voice quickly became popular first in Moscow and then throughout the country.
3. Alexander Dulov
- Years of creativity: 50s - 00s.
- The most famous songs: “The Blurred Path”, “Around the Taiga”, “The Lame King”.
- Born: in Moscow, May 15, 1931.
Alexander Dulov was engaged not only in music, but also in science: he was a chemist.
The bard wrote over 200 songs. Less often, he used his poems, more often - strangers. Dulov spent a large number of concerts and creative evenings.
2. Yuri Vizbor
- Years of creativity: 50s - 80s.
- The most famous songs: “You are my one”, “My dear”, “Hodiki”, “Serge Sanin”.
- Born: in Moscow, June 20, 1934.
His songs were always gentle, melodic, which was not very characteristic of the 60-70s. Vizbor has written over three hundred great songs. He was not only a bard, but also a prose writer, playwright, actor.
1. Bulat Okudzhava
- Years of creativity: 1946 - 1997
- The most famous songs: "Let's talk," "Homeless Song," "Your Honor, Madam Luck."
- Born: in Moscow, May 9, 1924.
He was not only a bard, but also wrote historical novels and scripts. Okudzhava wrote songs for many cult films, including, for example, "The White Sun of the Desert."
The creativity of Bulat Okudzhava greatly influenced many performers, including Yuri Vizbor, Vladimir Vysotsky.
Festivals dedicated to him are still held in Moscow, on Lake Baikal, in Perm, in Israel.