Major General Alexander Alexandrov. Establishment of the medal of the great military composer

The melody of the anthem of the Soviet Union, and later of the Russian national anthem - is perhaps one of the most magnificent compositions that, by its powerful rolls in the distant 1943, united people to fight fascism, and in peacetime it repeatedly shook the sports arenas. The author of this immortal music is a chevalier of numerous state awards, including the honorary title People's Artist of the USSR Major-General Alexander Alexandrov.

Youth

Rod Alexandrov from a peasant family, who lived in the Russian outback. He was born in 1883 in the Ryazan region. At the age of eight, the boy sang in the choir of the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Seven years later, he enrolled in the Choir of the Court Choir, graduating in the rank of regent in 1900. He studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, but the illness and financial difficulties forced him to quit. His first work - the symphony "Death and Life" - was written in Tver, where he worked as a choirmaster, and then supervised the musical school he created. Alexander continued to study only at the age of sixteen, when he entered the Moscow Conservatoire. Later, he became a teacher at this school and received the status of a professor.

In different years he worked in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, was the dean of the pedagogical and military-conductor faculties, he headed the choir department. In addition, he taught at the technical school, worked at the Chamber Theater, and was also invited to advise performances in music theaters, for example, at the MAMT.

Musical contribution

Major-General Alexander Aleksandrov also co-organized the famous Red Army Song and Dance Ensemble, which toured around the world. With the ensemble toured throughout the Soviet Union, even visited several foreign countries. He was received abroad so cordially that in 1937 he received the Grand Prix of the World Exhibition in Paris.

Still, he wrote his most famous works (and some of the most outstanding ones) in the Great Patriotic War and dedicated them to the unification of the people in the struggle for the sake of life. He created a lot of songs that were included in the library of the best collection of those years. In particular, it was Major General Alexandrov who wrote music for the songs "Holy War", "Indestructible and Legendary", "Going! In a hike! "And others.

Hymn of the USSR

At the crucial 1943 Soviet leader, Stalin came to the conclusion that the country needed a hymn, inspiring and uniting all citizens, front-line soldiers and workers in the rear, in a united struggle against the fascist, in the struggle to a victorious end.

The question of the national anthem was raised in the 1930s. In Soviet Russia, the French "Internationale" was used as the main state song, praising the Paris Commune. The Soviet leadership announced a competition for writing an anthem. As part of the event, Major-General Alexander Alexandrov created the "Anthem of the Bolshevik Party". Among the contestants were also his son Boris Alexandrov and Dmitry Shostakovich. However, preference was given to the music of Major General. The authors of the words were poets Sergei Mikhalkov and Gabriel El-Registan.

The created anthem was performed for the first time on the first night of New 1944. However, on the radio for the whole country the solemn song was sounded for the first time only in April. With the change of regime, the question of the national anthem again arose. Only in 2000 it was decided to leave the same immortal melody of Alexandrov.

Major-General Alexander Alexandrov passed away in Germany, in 1946, on tour in Berlin.

Memorial of the composer

Major General Alexander Alexandrov made a significant contribution to the development of musical army culture. After his death, the name of the composer was called the ensemble, then the school in his native village of Plakhino. Here, the museum was opened, however, only in 2003. In Moscow, the State Concert Hall was named in his honor.

In addition, the Moscow "Alley of stars" was installed a memorable sign of Alexandrov. His name is called musical scholarships. In recent years, several monuments to the composer have been installed at once: one in Moscow, in honor of the 130th anniversary of his birth, a year later the memorial was installed in Ryazan. The Russian Ministry of Culture jointly with the Union of Composers established two medals (gold and silver), which are awarded for the best patriotic song.

State award

The military composer was also noted by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Office in 2005 established a state award - the medal "Major-General Alexander Alexandrov." Cavaliers can be military, civilian, working in the system of the Armed Forces, veterans. In addition, Russian citizens or foreign nationals who have contributed to the development of military and military-patriotic music may also be eligible for the award.

It was in the development of this musical direction that Major-General Aleksandrov, a medal in the Armed Forces, named in his honor, made an invaluable contribution, recognizing the merits of composers and musicians working to create strong and inspiring compositions.

On the obverse of the medal, made of metal under the color of gold, in the center, against the background of rising rays is the portrait of the composer. Under it is depicted a lyre and laurel branches diverging from it on both sides of the medal. On the upper edge of the inscription: "Major-General Alexander Alexandrov." On the reverse side of the center is an improvised unfolded scroll, on which the phrase "For contribution to the development of military music" is engraved. Above is also depicted a lyre, because of the scroll visible attributes of military marches: pipes, drums, as well as banners and weapons. The upper and lower edges are followed by the inscription: "Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation".