Historical songs appeared at the same time as epics. Their first recordings were made at the beginning of the 17th century. They differed from epics in that they sang about some specific events that took place in national history. They contained real facts. And epics could be called generalized hyperbolic works that conveyed information about time immemorial. Not a single historical song contained any fantastic elements characteristic of myths. On the contrary, their content was realistic, even when it was not entirely believable to convey a fait accompli.
Themes of historical songs
The events captured in the historical songs that have survived to this day cover several periods - starting from ancient times, when the country was still free from the Tatar-Mongol yoke, and up to the end of the last century. The main themes of the works that have come down to us are the opposition of the Russian people to the Horde invasion, Yermak, Stenka Razin, Peter the Great, the Poltava triumph, the courage of the Suvorov soldiers, the Russian-French war, the liberation of the southern Slavs from the yoke of Turkey, Ivan Vasilyevich,turmoil, the Bulavin uprising, the defense of the city of Sevastopol, etc. The heroes of historical songs were famous and famous people. Their names were known to everyone. And even now, almost everyone is aware of these historical figures to one degree or another. Children begin to get acquainted with their activities from the school bench.
Song cycles, their features
Historical songs are characterized by accessible language, conciseness, abundance of facts and accurate transmission of the event on which the plot is based. Why are they remarkable? They are full of patriotism, careful attitude to national history, praising the exploits of Russian soldiers and those who fought for social equality. As for the popular interpretation of the actions of the great people of the past in such works, it not only embellishes, but often corrects the facts obtained from official sources of those periods. Often there are song cycles based on fundamental events and incidents that are entrenched in the memory of people. They may include several works. Russian folk historical song always makes a strong impression on the listeners, allows you to get acquainted with some previously unknown facts. Therein lies its uniqueness. Some impressionable people cannot hold back their tears when listening to a beautiful, soulful folk song. It takes you back to the past, many centuries ago, you can say that a person makes a kind of journey.
Where can I learn about historical songs?
However,Unfortunately, the oldest historical songs have not come down to us. The fact that such works were often performed long before the appearance of the Old Russian state was sometimes stipulated by the historians of Byzantium. And the historical folk songs common in Novgorod and Kievan Rus are now known to us in a very abbreviated version. You can learn about them from the preserved written sources.
Variety of songs, folk art today
There are slightly altered texts of legends and songs, there are also episodes, which, in fact, are recordings of fragments of oral poetry. All of them are of great interest to researchers. Among the songs they recorded in the 18th-20th centuries from the lips of people, there are several that tell about famous historical events and personalities of the 11th-14th centuries. But there are works that do not contain any specific information and facts, and only focusing on the general content, we can assume that they refer to the period of the defense of Russia from periodic attacks by the Polovtsy, as well as the Pechenegs, which took place in the X-XIII centuries.
Be that as it may, historical songs are the we alth of the people, which should be treasured. Unfortunately, some neglect it, not understanding its value. But there are other people who are trying to preserve and disseminate the old creative heritage, and for this they can be respected. Now there are quite a lot of folk groups performing historical songs and playing ancient instruments. Thanks to their efforts, a wide rangelisteners will learn a lot of interesting things about our homeland, about what it was like in the past. Isn't that wonderful?
Consequences of the Horde yoke
The Mongol-Tatar yoke had a very negative impact on all aspects of the country's life, in particular, its culture began to degrade. As a result, beautiful cities were destroyed, masterpieces of applied art, poetry and painting were destroyed. Many people have become illiterate. Oral artistic creativity, which had developed tirelessly over the centuries and was at that time at a high level, also fell into decline. However, the army of Batu did not ravage the Novgorod land, and it was there that the unique epic was preserved. And as for the old historical songs of North-Eastern, Central, and Southern Russia, many of them have sunk into oblivion. That magnificent poetic culture of antiquity, which gave birth to beautiful works, has ceased. These include, in particular, "The Word about the destruction of the Russian land", "The Word about Igor's regiment" and several others. These historical songs, by the way, are still known to people. They are studied in schools and universities because they are great monuments of Russian culture that should remain in people's memory forever.
Influence of Kalik wanderers, mention of religion in songs
And there is nothing strange in the fact that some songs that tell about historical events that occurred before the 16th century, for example, the famous work about Gleb and Boris, in the form in which they were recorded by researchers, often have somefeatures of the later school of wanderers-kaliks. These are people who did not have a fixed place of residence and wandered around the world. They performed, as a rule, folk songs, which contained a certain morality. Religion was often mentioned in them. But historical songs, of course, are of greater interest than the works of Kaliks.
It should be taken into account that in Russia in the Middle Ages, faith in God was considered a fundamental symbol of national cohesion. She, in fact, was the banner of a long struggle against the oppression of the cruel nomadic infidels living in the steppe. And a little later, she became associated with the general desire to liberate her native country from the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Therefore, some historical songs, among other things, have references to God. Don't be surprised by this.
Loss of valuable manuscripts
It is quite difficult to judge the very ancient types of Russian folk historical songs, given the dramatic events unfolding at that time. As a result of the invasion of Batu, many ancient and very valuable manuscripts burned down, which researchers now bitterly regret. Now people will never know what the destroyed works told about. These historical songs are lost forever.
