Vo Kuznitse
Song
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Vo Kuznitse" (Russian: Во кузнице, [vɐ‿ˈkuzʲnʲɪt͡sə] lit. In the Smithy) is a popular Russian folk song.[1][2]
| "Во кузнице" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Language | Russian |
| English title | "In the Smithy" |
| Written | Before 1917 |
| Genre | Folk |
| Songwriter | Unknown |
The song has been performed by many famous singers, e.g. by Lidia Ruslanova[3][4] or by Leonid Smetannikov.[5]
Synopsis
The young blacksmiths working in their forge try to attract the attention of a woman (Russian: дуня — simple folk girl or woman; or Ukrainian: доня, romanized: donya — someone's daughter).[6] The text is popularly misunderstood as being only about the exact woman named Dunya. They ask her to go with them into a forest to pluck a burdock leaf, promising to make a new dress for her that she needs to keep clean. The song also clearly has the sense of a parents-to-daughter moral tale which is often lost in translation.[7]
Commentary
Historical background
According to some authors, the song could be heard during traditional Russian marriage celebrations. Nevertheless, either it was never regarded as a wedding song, or it eventually lost its ceremonial meaning.[8][9][10][11]
The song became extremely popular in the Russian Empire,[2] as well as in different parts of the Soviet Union.[8][12][13]
Genre characteristics
Few sources consider song as a plyasovaya[8][13][14] or a shutochnaya.[12][15] It is mentioned as a khorovodnaya in various works on Russian musical folklore.[10][16][17]
Settings
Many composers (including Yuri Shaporin,[18] Anatoly Alexandrov,[19] Serge Jaroff[20]) arranged the song. In 1951 Nikolay Chaykin wrote his Concerto for Bayan and Orchestra No. 1; the final part of this composition contains a theme based on the melody of Vo Kuznitse.[21][22]