The waltz "On the Hills of Manchuria" celebrated another anniversary - a well-known work dedicated to Russian soldiers who fell in the war with Japan. The beginning of its writing was laid in the Far East.

More recently - 20 years ago - this melody could be heard everywhere: in squares and gardens, in parks and on the embankment. In general, wherever brass bands played. Today, alas, brass bands are a curiosity, but this melody is remembered by everyone, from young to old.

"Moksha regiment on the hills of Manchuria" - this is the correct name of this work. In 1905, during the Russo-Japanese War, the regiment was surrounded near Mukden. When the cartridges ran out and the soldiers began to lose their last hopes, the commander gave the command: the banner and the orchestra to the parapet. Having perked up, having gathered the last forces into a fist to the sounds of the march, the soldiers rose to a bayonet attack and were able to break through the encirclement. Out of 4,000, 700 people survived, and seven musicians from the orchestra. The bandmaster of the regiment, Ilya Shatrov, was awarded the officer order of St. George, which is a rarity for a musician, and the orchestra was awarded honorary silver pipes.

Andrey Popov, head of the Pacific Fleet orchestra, major: “The work greatly influenced the development of national culture. It is permeated through the events that took place in Manchuria. It remained, for sure, in the hearts of all listeners and musicians and conductors and ordinary listeners, because it was written from the heart.

After the end of the war, the Moksha Regiment remained in Manchuria for another year. At one fine moment, Ilya Shatrov, on the orders of the commander, ended up in the guardhouse. It was here that he began to compose a waltz in memory of his comrades who fell in battle. In May 1906, the regiment returned to its permanent deployment in Zlatoust. It was here that the composer created the first version of the waltz. And here Ilya Shatrov met the teacher and composer Oscar Knaub. He helped the bandmaster to finish work on the work and publish the notes. Already in the summer of 1907, they appeared on the counter of the Knaub store.

The waltz "Moksha Regiment on the Hills of Manchuria" was performed for the first time by a brass band in Strukovsky Park in Samara on April 24, 1908. At first, the audience greeted this melody rather coolly. Critics also found a lot of comments on the new waltz.

Andrey Popov, head of the Pacific Fleet orchestra, major: “Firstly, it was an innovation on the part of Shatrov - to play a waltz in Strukovsky Park. Because people are accustomed to the performance by brass bands of bravura works with the participation of the famous, at that time popular, Turkish drum, copper cymbals. And then suddenly people heard a waltz. It was something new. Therefore, the waltz initially accepted such criticism, but soon this music became popular and began to develop. Along with this waltz, many patriotic songs were written about those times, about those events in the Far East. And I think that many composers, taking an example from that work, began to write more about the exploits of the Russian people. And this began to be strongly reflected in art.

The popularity of the waltz grew by leaps and bounds. In the first three years alone, it was reprinted 82 times. The circulation of records surpassed all other fashionable hits. It was played everywhere - on playgrounds, in restaurants, waltz music poured from almost every window. Soon the Samara poet and writer Stepan Petrov wrote the first version of the poems for the waltz. It was she who formed the basis of subsequent options.

During the First World War, all military bands during a lull on the front line performed this waltz. He did not lose popularity in Soviet times. On all dance floors, in clubs, on holidays, "On the Hills of Manchuria" and "Amur Waves" played first. In 1945, the waltz was performed on the radio, at concerts and at solemn moments, in connection with the victories of the Red Army in the battles with Japan.

Tatyana Selitskaya, Concentrator of the Pacific Fleet Orchestra: “This is precisely the secret of the composer's talent. He put his soul, his emotions into music. He invested to such an extent that it became clear to everyone and passes through music. Music in general is magic.

To this waltz different years several texts were written. Such masters of the Russian and Soviet stage as Kozlovsky, Leshchenko, Utesov, Zykina took it for him, and performed it at the most solemn events. Yes and simple people, especially those who are older remember and sing this waltz with pleasure. More than once or twice it has been used in feature films.

The popularity and value of this waltz is also evidenced by the fact that more than once or twice at different times, in the era of completely different musical styles, “Manzhurian bit” - this is how the name sounds in English, was performed by various groups. The Glenn Miller Orchestra, Ventures, Spotnics… This is just a small honor of foreign performers.

Evgeny Kalestratov, musician of the Pacific Fleet orchestra, midshipman: “In my opinion, because it was written for people. And written, apparently, very a good man. And when they write not for anyone, but for ordinary people, music, it takes on other forms, some kind of spiritual, there is a lot of this Orthodox music in this music.

A year ago, on April 24, the 105th anniversary of the first waltz performance was celebrated in the Strukovo Park of Samara. The concert was attended by such famous performers as Mark Kogan and Georgy Tsvetkov. Now a project of annual festivals of brass bands dedicated to the waltz "Moksha Regiment on the Hills of Manchuria" has been launched in Samara.

On the hills of Manchuria. Song of the Russo-Japanese War.

ON THE HILLS OF MANCHURIA

Music by Ilya Shatrov
Words of the Wanderer (Stepan Petrov)

Quiet around, the hills are covered with haze.
Graves keep peace.

The shadows of the past are circling for a long time,
They talk about the victims of the battles.

And Russians do not hear tears.

The mother is crying, the young wife is crying,

Evil fate and cursing fate! ..

Sleep, heroes Russian land,
Fatherland native sons.

Sleep, sons, you died for Russia, for the homeland,

And let's celebrate the bloody feast.

Masterpieces of Russian romance / Ed.-comp. N. V. Abelmas. - M .: LLC "Publishing House AST"; Donetsk: "Stalker", 2004. - (Songs for the soul).

The original name was "Moksha Regiment on the Hills of Manchuria". Dedicated to the soldiers of the 214th Moksha Infantry Battalion, who died in February 1905 in battles with the Japanese near the city of Mukden.

The author of the melody is the Kapellmeister of the Moksha Regiment Ilya Shatrov. There are many variants of the text - author's and folklore. Among the authors, among others, the poet K.R. - Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov, but this is more of a legend. Alterations were also created many years after the war - by A. Mashistov (see below), and in 1945 by Pavel Shubin (). Today, a comic song is sung to this melody “Quiet in the forest, only the badger is not sleeping ...”. There is also a song of the same name by Alexander Galich<1969>dedicated to the memory of the writer Mikhail Zoshchenko.

From. Sat: Anthology of military songs / Comp. and author of the foreword. V. Kalugin. - M.: Eksmo, 2006:

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 was unsuccessful and fatal in its consequences for Russia, but the memory of it was preserved in two songs that became one of the most popular - "Varyag" and the waltz "On the Hills of Manchuria". They are based on real events: the death of the cruiser "Varyag" in sea ​​battle and the death of the soldiers of the Moksha regiment - in the land. "Varyag" - the first of the cruisers of the Far Eastern squadron, which took an unequal battle in Port Arthur with 14 Japanese ships. With his death, a tragic war for the Russian fleet began. The bloody battle on the hills of Manchuria of the Moksha regiment is just an episode of this war. But it was he who was destined to become no less significant than a naval battle. The regiment had 6 staff officers, 43 chief officers, 404 non-commissioned officers, 3548 privates, 11 horse orderlies and 61 musicians. These musicians were to play a decisive role. Eleven days the regiment did not leave the battlefield. On the twelfth the ring of encirclement closed. But at the most critical moment, when both forces and ammunition ran out, the regimental band burst out. Military marches followed one after another. The Japanese wavered. Russian "Hurrah!" sounded at the end. For this battle, seven band members were awarded the soldier's St. George's Cross, and the bandmaster was awarded the officer's military order of Stanislav 3rd degree with swords. Soon the name of this bandmaster, Ilya Alekseevich Shatrov, was recognized by all of Russia. In 1906, the first edition of his waltz "The Moksha Regiment on the Hills of Manchuria" was published, which went through more than a hundred reprints. Gramophone records with waltz music sold out in fabulous numbers. And soon there were also words to waltz music. The most famous was the poetic text of Stepan Skitalets, the author of the song "The bells are ringing ..." to the music of Y. Prigozhy. In Soviet times, Shatrov's waltz, like "Varyag", continued to be among the most popular, but with new words that were more in line, as it was then believed, with the "spirit of the times": "We will go towards a new life, / Throw off the burden of slave shackles" and etc. In the 1920s and 1930s, not only "On the Hills of Manchuria", but also other old songs sounded in a new way. Now, in the 21st century, they have also become part of history.

Wanderer (Stepan Gavrilovich Petrov) (1869-1941)

OPTIONS (5)

1. On the hills of Manchuria

Variant performed by I. S. Kozlovsky

Quiet around, the hills are covered with haze,
The moon shone from behind the clouds,
Graves keep peace.

White crosses - the heroes are sleeping.
The shadows of the past are spinning again
They talk about the victims of the battles.

Quietly around, the wind carried away the fog,
On the hills of Manchuria the warriors sleep
And no Russian tears are heard.
Crying, crying mother dear,
Crying young woman
Everyone is crying as one person
Evil fate and cursing fate! ..

Let the kaoliang bring you dreams
Sleep, heroes of the Russian land,
Fatherland native sons,
You fell for Russia, you died for your homeland.
Believe us, we will avenge you
And we will celebrate a glorious feast!

Old Russian romance. 111 masterpieces. For voice and piano. In four editions. Issue. IV. Publishing house "Composer. St. Petersburg", 2002. - in total, two versions of the text are given in the collection (the above and Mashistov's text)

2. On the hills of Manchuria

The moon shone from behind the clouds,
Graves keep peace.
Quiet around, the wind carried the fog away.
On the hills of Manchuria the soldiers sleep
And no Russian tears are heard.
Let the kaoliang bring us dreams.
Sleep, heroes of the Russian land,
Fatherland native sons...

An excerpt quoted in Alexander Galich's song "On the Hills of Manchuria" (in memory of M. M. Zoshchenko),<1969>

3. On the hills of Manchuria

The kaolian is sleeping, the hills are covered with mist.
The moon shone from behind the clouds,
Graves keep peace.
Quiet around, the wind carried the fog away.
On the hills of the Manchurian warriors are sleeping,
And no Russian tears are heard.
Sleep, heroes of the Russian land,
Fatherland native sons.

No, it was not a volley from distant fields that flew,
This thunder rumbled in the distance,
And again silence all around.
Everything froze in this stillness of the night,
Sleep, warriors, sleep, heroes
Quiet restful sleep.
May the kaoliang bring you a sweet dream,
Father's distant house.

Sleep, fighters, glory to you forever.
Our homeland, our dear land
Do not conquer enemies.
In the morning on a hike, a bloody battle awaits us,
Sleep, heroes, you are not dead,
If Russia lives.
May the kaoliang bring you sweet dreams.
Sleep, heroes of the Russian land,
Fatherland native sons.

Unknown source, no signature

The night has come
Twilight fell on the ground
Desert hills drown in the mist,
A cloud covers the east.

Here, underground
Our heroes sleep
The wind sings a song above them,
And the stars are looking down from heaven.

That was not a volley from the fields flew, -
This thunder rumbled in the distance,
And again everything is so calm around
Everything is silent in the silence of the night. *

Sleep, fighters
Sleep peacefully
May you dream of native fields,
Father's distant house.

May you die
In battles with enemies
Your feat
Calls us to fight
People's blood
Washed Banner
We will carry forward.

We will go forward
New life
Let's drop the burden
Slave chains.
And the people and the Fatherland will not forget
Valor of their sons.

Sleep, fighters
Glory to you forever!
Our Fatherland
Our native land
Do not conquer the enemies!

Night, silence
Only the kaolian makes noise.
Sleep, heroes
memory of you
Motherland keeps!

*This verse is repeated twice

Ah, those black eyes. Comp. Yu. G. Ivanov. Muses. editor S. V. Pyankova. - Smolensk: Rusich, 2004

Old Russian romance. 111 masterpieces. For voice and piano. In four editions. Issue. IV. Publishing house "Composer. St. Petersburg", 2002.

5. On the hills of Manchuria

Arranged by A. Khvostenko, late 20th century

Scary all around
Only the wind on the hills is crying,
The graves of soldiers illuminates ...

White crosses
Distant heroes are beautiful.

In the midst of daily darkness
Everyday everyday prose

And hot tears flow...

Heroes body
They have long since decayed in their graves,

And the eternal memory was not sung.

So sleep well, sons,
You died for Russia, for the homeland,
But believe us, we will avenge you
And let's celebrate a bloody feast!

Transcription of the soundtrack by A. Khvostenko, audio cassette "Mitkovo songs. Supplement to the album", studio "Soyuz" and studio "Dobrolet", 1996

Perhaps this is not an adaptation of Khvostenko, but one of the original texts, since the same version is on Sat. Anthology of military song / Comp. and author of the foreword. V. Kalugin. M .: Eksmo, 2006 - given as the author's version of the Wanderer:

On the hills of Manchuria

Music by Ilya Shatrov
Words of the Drifter

Sleeping kaoliang,
The hills are covered with haze...
On the hills of Manchuria the soldiers sleep,
And Russian tears are not heard ...

Scary all around
Only the wind on the hills is crying.
Sometimes the moon comes out from behind the clouds
The graves of soldiers are illuminated.

White crosses
Distant heroes are beautiful.
And the shadows of the past swirl around
They tell us about the sacrifices in vain.

In the midst of daily darkness
Everyday everyday prose,
We still cannot forget the war,
And hot tears flow.

Heroes body
They have long since decayed in their graves.
And we did not repay them the last debt
And the eternal memory was not sung.

So sleep well, sons,
You died for Russia, for the Motherland.
But believe us, we will avenge you
And let's celebrate the bloody feast.

Crying, crying mother dear,
Crying young woman
All Russia is crying like one person.

I.A. Shatrov himself (Wikipedia) and Stepan Skitalec (for example,) are indicated as the author of this text. However, it is known that Shatrov had a negative attitude towards the performance of his waltz with the text, since he believed that these words turn the work into a "requiem in waltz rhythm", and he wrote music about selfless love for the motherland and devotion to it. Therefore, we can assume that Shatrov was not the author of the above text, and he was neither earlier nor later noticed writing poetry. As for the Wanderer, here the situation is even more interesting. Most of the sources I have come across indicate that the author of the earliest text is Stepan Petrov (literary pseudonym - Wanderer). But! The following text is often cited as a creation of the Wanderer:

Quiet around, the hills are covered with haze,
The moon shone from behind the clouds,
Graves keep peace.

White crosses - the heroes are sleeping.
The shadows of the past are circling for a long time,
They talk about the victims of the battles.

Quietly around, the wind carried away the fog,
On the hills of Manchuria the soldiers sleep
And Russians do not hear tears.

Crying, crying mother dear,
Crying young woman
Evil fate and cursing fate! ...

Let the kaoliang bring you dreams
Sleep heroes of the Russian land,
Fatherland native sons.

And let's celebrate the bloody feast.

It was this text that became the most famous among the people (what are the numerous folk variations that begin with the words "quietly around"). But who is its author? Note that option 1 and option 2 are different poems. Yes, the general emotional background and poetic images used in writing are preserved. And it seems that the meaning of the song has not been changed, but ... the lyrics are different! As if one of them is the result of a poetic translation of the second into another language. It is believed that the author of the early text is the Wanderer, but objectively, the earliest text is the first version, but the text of the Wanderer also indicates the second version. It's incomprehensible. There are also hybrid versions, for example, in the collection of Mitkov's songs the first text appears, but with the first verse stuck to it:

Sleeping kaoliang,
The hills are covered with haze...
On the hills of Manchuria the warriors sleep,
And Russian tears are not heard ...

And the last verse, taken from the second option:

Crying, crying mother dear,
Crying young woman
Everyone is crying as one person
Evil fate and cursing fate! ...

And the author of all this is also indicated by S. Skitalec.
Unfortunately, I did not come across any early (pre-revolutionary) records with the second text, and therefore we will assume that Stepan Skitalets is the author of the first version, and the second is the result of a late (probably post-revolutionary) processing of the first. In fact, the second version seems to be more perfect from a poetic point of view, it contains a text for the second part of the waltz ("Cries, cries, dear mother ..."). But who is its author? Still the same Wanderer? Or maybe Kozlovsky? (In fairness, I note that I have not heard recordings with the performance of just such a version of the "second version" of the text - only Kozlovsky's recording, but more on that below)
A few words about text writing for this waltz. A thankless job. This is not a song, but an instrumental piece. Three-part waltz. And our earliest text - only to one part of it. In the second version, the text appears as a "chorus" on the third part of the waltz. Later there will be lyrics trying to use the most "non-singing" second movement. But all these attempts look somewhat strained, unnatural. This is not a song, however, this is only my opinion, which does not pretend to be objective.
Another interesting waltz recording is performed by M. Bragin:

The record was recorded at the Sirena Record studio in January 1911. The verses (as far as I could hear them) are as follows:

We will never forget this terrible picture
And what Russia was able to survive
Troubles and shame of the year.

In Chinese soil on the far plains of the east
left (?) thousands (?) of our (?) lie (?)
The will of unfortunate (?) fate.

In their hearts now there is hope for a feast
With the knowledge (?) that we are dying for Russia,
For Faith, Tsar and Fatherland

great sorrow
And tears involuntarily run from the eyes
Like the waves of a distant sea

Weeping fathers, mothers, children, widows
And far away in the Manchurian fields
White crosses and tombs

Peace to your soul... ... ...
Take one last farewell
From woeful mournful Russia

And again - a painful impression. Undoubtedly "a requiem in the rhythm of a waltz".
Let's return to historical events. 1910-1918, waltz enjoys great popularity. Abroad it is called "Russian national waltz". It is played, sung, recorded on records. By the way, if you listen to some recordings of 10-13 years, then the end of the waltz catches your eye - the funeral march sounds quite long. It really is a requiem. The author of music saw his work differently, but the artistic vision of the author was sacrificed to social requirements. However, often in this world, art is sacrificed to ideology.
They write that after the revolutions the waltz ceases to sound. But the fact that during the Great Patriotic War (again - a social order?) It is actively performed - this is a well-known fact. It is sung and recorded by Utyosov (so they write, although I have not heard these recordings) and Kozlovsky. There are several variants of the Soviet waltz text. The first:

The night has come
Twilight fell on the ground
Desert hills drown in the mist,
A cloud covers the east.

Here, underground
Our heroes sleep
The wind sings a song above them and
The stars are looking down from heaven.

That was not a volley from the fields flew -
It was thunder in the distance. 2 times
And again everything is so calm around,
Everything is silent in the silence of the night.

Sleep, fighters, sleep peacefully,
May you dream of native fields,
Father's distant house.

May you die in battles with enemies,
Your feat to fight calls us,
The banner washed with the blood of the people
We will carry forward.

We will go towards a new life,
Let's throw off the burden of slave shackles.
And the people and the fatherland will not forget
Valor of their sons.

Sleep, fighters, glory to you forever!
Our homeland, our dear land
Do not conquer the enemies!

Night, silence, only the kaoliang makes noise.
Sleep, heroes, the memory of you
Motherland keeps!

The author of the above version is A. Mashistov, although on Wikipedia the author was named Demyan Bedny. (By the way, why exactly Poor?) You can pay attention to the stanza "It was not a volley that flew from the fields ...". This is the very attempt to find the text for the most difficult part of the waltz.

But in the performance of A. Kozlovsky, the text is already well known to us - the very one, the traces of the author of which I could not find (because I was looking badly?) - the second of the options given in this article. Only the phrase "bloody feast" was replaced by Kozlovsky with "glorious feast", apparently in order to avoid all sorts of rumors about the excessive bloodthirstiness of Russians. The last verse of his song went like this:

You fell for Russia, you died for the Motherland,
Believe us, we will avenge you
And we will celebrate a glorious feast.

Or did Kozlovsky completely rework the pre-revolutionary text of the Wanderer, thereby giving life to the most popular "quiet in the forest ..."? The question of the author of this variant of the text is still open to me.

Here it is, the most famous version of the sound of the waltz "On the Hills of Manchuria":

During the Great Patriotic War, the waltz became very relevant. Especially - after the start of active hostilities against Japan. So we again owe the revival of this beautiful melody to the "social order". At the same time, several more text options appeared. For example, the front-line poet Pavel Shubin:

The fire is fading,
The hills were covered with fog.
Gentle sounds of the old waltz
Gently leads the button accordion.

In tune with the music
Remembered the hero-soldier
Dew, birch, blond braids,
Girly cute look.

Where they are waiting for us today
In the meadow in the evening
With the strictest touch
We danced this waltz.

Timid date nights
Long gone and disappeared into the darkness...
Manchurian hills sleep under the moon
In powder smoke.

We saved
Glory native land.
In fierce battles, here in the East,
Hundreds of roads have been passed.

But also in battle
In a distant foreign land,
Remembered in bright sadness
Motherland.

She is far away
From a soldier's light.
Gloomy nights from Manchuria
Clouds drift towards her.

Into the dark space
Past the night lakes
Higher than the birds, beyond the border
Above the Siberian mountains.

Leaving the gloomy edge,
Let them fly after us in joy
All our brightest thoughts,
Our love and sadness.

There, behind the blue ribbon,
The banner of the motherland is above you.
Sleep, my friend! Silent shots,
Your last fight has died down...

These verses are a completely different story. It's no longer a requiem. A lyrical story of memories of peacetime, of a distant home, of dancing to the sounds of this particular waltz, smoothly flowing into something pathetic on the theme "here we are back, glory to the fallen." The author makes it clear that the very trizna about which his predecessors wrote is done. The Russian army returned to Mukden, defeated the Kwantung grouping of Japanese troops. The circle is closed. And on the other hand, this text contains much more than exactly what Shatrov put into his music: expressions of love for the Motherland and dedication to the memory of fallen comrades, but not in the style of tragic sobbing, but simply silently taking off his hat. That is why this text is the most sympathetic to me, although I do not hide the fact that I consider it incorrect to write poetry on originally instrumental compositions.
Listen here (recorded in 1959, sung by Petr Kirichek):

(addition: a site visitor pointed out a factual inaccuracy - the entry dates from 1958,).
With these verses, Shatrov's brilliant work really began to resemble a waltz, and not a funeral march, didn't it? In this regard, I had a stupid question: was Shubin familiar with Shatrov? For it is known how negatively the composer treated the "orthodox" versions of the text to his melody, and Shubin's poem is strikingly in tune with Shatrov's thoughts about his waltz. But these are crazy thoughts.

As a conclusion to the story - a few words about the later life of Kapellmeister Shatrov. In 1910, the 214th Moksha Regiment was disbanded and merged into the 189th Izmail Infantry Regiment. In 1918, Shatrov was mobilized into the Red Army, and in 1938 he was transferred to the reserve due to age. But in 1945, for some reason, they mobilized again, and in order to comply with the formalities, they had to falsify the year of birth. There is another semi-mythical story concerning the fact of a second conscription into the Red Army. Allegedly, after the capture of Port Arthur, Stalin personally orders the author of the waltz "On the Hills of Manchuria" to be brought there. What for? For what mystical or ideological purpose? But the fact that after that I.A. Shatrov served until the moment of his death is a fact. He died on May 2, 1952 in the city of Tambov, where he was buried.

This is such a magical waltz. Not a requiem, but tragic notes are undoubtedly audible in it. Beautiful music in the meter of a waltz, but you should not forget the dedication from the author's title - "The Mokshan Regiment on the Hills of Manchuria".

PS: Photos, as well as a number of audio recordings, are taken from the site

To the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Mukden

Burning cruiser "Varyag" in the harbor of Chemulpo

Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905 was a tragic event in our history. The war consisted of a series of major defeats for the Russian army, which alternated with its smaller defeats. Yes, no matter how bitter it is to admit, but the war consisted of continuous defeats of the Russian army. And the hero must not only die heroically, he must first of all win or, having died, ensure the victory of his comrades-in-arms.
The death of the cruiser "Varyag" was the prologue of a tragic war. Then - the death of two Pacific squadrons (Port Arthur and Tsushima), the fall of Port Arthur, unsuccessful battles near Liaoyang and Mukden.

Russian infantry marching through Liaoyang

Departure of the military Siberian echelon to Manchuria

In the memory of descendants, at least of my age, a few songs remained about that war: “Varangian”, “On the hills of Manchuria”, “The sea spreads wide”, and even a monument to “Guarding” in Leningrad. By the way, March 10 marks another anniversary of the heroic death of the crew of the destroyer "Guarding".
The real episode of the battles served as the basis for the creation of the waltz song "On the Hills of Manchuria". During the war, the Moksha regiment suffered significant losses. The regiment participated in bloody battles near Mukden and Liaoyang. What the battlefields near Mukden looked like, literally littered with the corpses of Russian soldiers, can be seen on the Internet. Mokshans did not leave the battles for eleven days, holding their positions. On the twelfth day the Japanese surrounded the regiment. The forces of the defenders were running out, ammunition was running out. At this critical moment, a regimental band began to play in the rear of the Russians, conducted by Kapellmeister Ilya Alekseevich Shatrov. Music gave the soldiers strength, and the encirclement was broken. For this battle, seven orchestra members were awarded the St. George Cross, and the bandmaster himself was awarded the Order of Stanislav, 3rd class. with swords. In 1906, the Mokshan Regiment returned to its place of deployment, where Shatrov created the first version of the waltz, which was called "The Mokshan Regiment on the Hills of Manchuria." The waltz was dedicated to fallen friends.
The best memorial to the heroes of the war with Japan is this waltz. It has been around for almost a hundred years. We present it in one of the original versions.

On the hills of Manchuria

Music by I. Shatrov
Words by S. Wanderer

Sleeping kaoliang,
The hills are covered with haze...
On the hills of Manchuria the soldiers sleep,
And Russian tears are not heard ...

Scary all around
Only the wind on the hills is crying.
Sometimes the moon comes out from behind the clouds
The graves of soldiers are illuminated.

White crosses
Distant heroes are beautiful.
And the shadows of the past swirl around
They tell us about the sacrifices in vain.

In the midst of daily darkness
Everyday everyday prose,
We still cannot forget the war,
And hot tears flow.

Heroes body
They have long since decayed in their graves.
And we did not repay them the last debt
And the eternal memory was not sung.

So sleep well, sons,
You died for Russia, for the Motherland.
But believe us, we will avenge you
And let's celebrate the bloody feast.

Crying, crying mother dear,
Crying young woman
All Russia is crying like one person.

About the bloody feast. During the entire period of the Russo-Japanese War, the Russian army, which reached a million strength by the end of the war, was unable to destroy or capture even a regiment of Japanese. Apparently, the idea of ​​impunity determined the cruel attitude of the Japanese occupation troops in the Far East during the "Civil" war to the locals and prisoners. The 200,000-strong corps of the Japanese occupiers burned not only* but hundreds of villages were burned to the ground and thousands of civilians were killed. Kolchak himself cited the effective cruelty of the Japanese as an example to his accomplices.
For the first time, the Red Amur partisans gave a worthy rebuff to the Japanese invaders. Their operation against the Japanese invaders (the so-called "Nikolaev Incident of 1920") received a wide international response: the issue of it was included several times on the agenda of three international conferences: Washington 1921-22, Dairen 1921-1922 and Changchun 1922. The point is the following. A group of red partisans, having defeated the Kolchak garrison at the end of February 1920, captured the city of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur. Later, the Japanese garrison in the city made an attempt to destroy the partisans with a sudden blow. The partisans in the course of a stubborn battle on March 12-14, 1920 completely destroyed the Japanese garrison. The habit of the Japanese occupiers led to impunity.
The international outcry is explained by the fact that a detachment of partisans for the first time did what had been done before it in the entire Russo-Japanese War the regular Russian army could not do: to surround, and then destroy or capture at least a regiment of Japanese.
In 1939, the Red Army, helping the friendly Mongolian People's Republic, destroyed the 30,000th group of Japanese troops on the river ** and surpassed the achievement of the Amur partisans.
The Red Army died in vain in the steppes of Mongolia,
in vain then the first tank rams in the Red Army were made,
not in vain, having ordered the navigator and radio operator to leave the plane, battalion commissar Mikhail Anisimovich Yuyukin sent a burning bomber into a concentration of Japanese troops (The first ground target ram in aviation. Among the cadets trained by Mikhail Anisimovich was ... Gastello.): the Japanese invaders well learned lesson and remembered it in 1941-1945.

Pokazeev K.V.

* Approx. Chief editor. 90 years ago, on January 31, 1920, Sergei Lazo spoke at the school of ensigns (white and fluffy) on Russky Island (Vladivostok): “For whom are you, Russian people, Russian youth? Who are you for?! So I came to you alone, unarmed, you can take me hostage ... you can kill me ... This wonderful Russian city is the last one on your way! You have nowhere to retreat: further is a foreign country ... a foreign land ... and a foreign sun ... No, we did not sell the Russian soul to foreign taverns, we did not exchange it for overseas gold and guns ... We are not hired, we defend our land with our own hands, we with our chest , we will fight with our lives for our homeland against foreign invasion! For this Russian land, on which I now stand, we will die, but we will not give it to anyone!

** Approx. Chief editor. Let us explain why the Red Army fought with Japan back in 1939. Below is a map of the Mongolian-Manchurian section of the border in the area of ​​the river. Khalkin-Gol in 1939
Japanese Railway has already been brought to Khalun-Arshan and its continuation to Ganchzhur was planned.
At that time, the leaders of the USSR understood the strategic importance of such a road (now it must be said - they had geopolitical thinking): access to Chita, the TransSib was cut, the occupation of Eastern Siberia and Far East. Like in 1918...
A worthy rebuff sent the Japanese for natural resources to Southeast Asia!

And another quote: “The usual view of 1939 is that this is the year the Second World War began, and it began on September 1, when Germany attacked Poland. By and large, the Soviet leadership did not care what they announced there, because. already in 1938 it believed that a world war was going on. He had a specific task - because. The USSR is a potential object of aggression of all who can, it is necessary to avoid this aggression at least, and as a maximum - to acquire potential allies for themselves in order to be not an object in a world war, but one of the parties.
Dangerous events at Khalkhin Gol begin with Manchu provocations on May 11 and 14; by August, Japanese troops occupied almost the entire territory east of the river. Khalkhin Gol.
On July 22, an agreement was signed between England and Japan, according to which England recognized Japan's seizures in China and pledged not to provide military assistance to China.
August 20 - the offensive of the Soviet-Mongolian troops on Khalkhin Gol began.
August 23 - A non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany was signed in Moscow.
August 28 - The Japanese government resigns.
On September 1, Germany attacked Poland.
September 3 - France and England declare war on Germany.
On September 5, the United States declared neutrality.
September 16 - At the request of the Japanese side, a truce was concluded at Khalkhin Gol.
September 17 - The USSR began a liberation campaign in Western Ukraine and Western Belarus (and it was just a campaign, not a war!).
September 19 - A mixed commission is established to clarify the border between Mongolia and Manchukuo.
Thus, from the end of 1938 to the end of 1939, the situation in the world changed dramatically: the USSR in world war England and France did not get involved, but were drawn into it, thus becoming our potential allies. And the USSR showed Japan that it would defend its interests in the East at all costs, showed that it was stronger.
And since Japan's policy is determined not by the Japanese General Staff, but by the export-import nature of the economy, it forces it to continue searching for sources of raw materials. Option 1 failed, which means that it should succeed Option 2 - it is necessary to go for resources in Southeast Asia, and supporters of this option come to power in Tokyo. And this means that Japan will primarily produce not field artillery, but naval artillery, build aircraft carriers rather than tanks, in other words, rebuild the structure of the military industry and armed forces for war at sea.
Southeast Asia is a long-standing sphere of interests of England, there will be a conflict. To move there, Japan will need bases and communications in the Pacific Ocean - there they will collide with the United States. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Here are some more potential allies of the USSR. Now fine.
Yes, Japan is strong and dangerous. Yes, there is a million-strong Kwantung Army in the Far East. Yes, the most serious attention is needed. But - in 1939, the USSR did not enter the world war, and the significance of the battles on Lake Khasan and the Khalkhin-Gol River is exceptionally great here!
And in the next 1940, the USSR also did not enter the world war.
And Japan in June 1940 occupied northern Indochina. A year later, in July 1941, she occupied it all. December 7, 1941 attacked the United States and England, starting hostilities in the Pacific. In February 1942, she completed the occupation of Malaya, in May - Burma, Indonesia and the Philippines.
How much imagination is needed to imagine all this mighty, well-trained, ideologically welded, organized force not in the Pacific Ocean, but in the steppe and taiga expanses of the Far East? And this: the creation by Japan of a powerful foothold in Manchuria - the war against the USSR - the seizure and occupation of Siberia. We will have to forget about the USA and England, as our allies, albeit potential ones. On the contrary, they will promptly land on the Far Eastern and other Soviet shores with a completely understandable goal - to grab their own good. And they will be able to negotiate with Japan, as in the time of intervention. Germany, England and France will also make peace. And everyone will go to the USSR together. Like in 1918.
The Soviet leaders had imagination. In addition, they had a good knowledge of geography, and they understood what the practical value of the territory was. With what blood it is paid and how many lives it saves for the future when its value is correctly determined, and appropriate conclusions are drawn. http://duel.ru/200930/?10_5_1

"After the announcement of mobilization on June 1, 1904, the Mokshansky regiment turned into field infantry regiments - the 214th Mokshansky (54th division) and the 282nd Chernoyarsky (71st division).
The 214th Moksha Regiment included: 6 staff officers, 43 chief officers, 404 non-commissioned officers, 3548 privates, 11 horse orderlies and 61 musicians.

For the war with Japan 1904-1905. Mokshans lost: 7 officers and 216 lower ranks were killed, 16 officers and 785 lower ranks were wounded, 1 officer and 235 lower ranks were missing (they were believed to be killed, but not identified).
One of the bloody battles took place near Mukden and Liaoyang. Mokshans did not leave the battles for eleven days, holding their positions. On the twelfth day the Japanese surrounded the regiment. The forces of the defenders were running out, ammunition was running out. At this critical moment, a regimental band began to play in the rear of the Russians, conducted by Kapellmeister Ilya Alekseevich Shatrov. Marches changed each other. Music gave the soldiers strength, and the encirclement was broken.

For this battle, seven orchestra members were awarded the St. George Cross, and the bandmaster himself was awarded the Order of Stanislav, 3rd class. with swords.

By September 18, 1906, the regiment was transferred to Samara, where the Kapellmeister of the Moksha Regiment, I.A.
His popularity was unusually high. Only in the first three years after writing the waltz was reprinted 82 times.

Gramophone records with music written by Shatrov were produced in huge numbers. Abroad, this waltz was even called "national Russian waltz". Only in the pre-revolutionary years, several versions of the text were written to the popular melody. The most widespread words were written by Stepan Skitalets:

Quiet around, the hills are covered with haze,
The moon shone from behind the clouds,
Graves keep peace.

White crosses - the heroes are sleeping.
The shadows of the past are circling for a long time,
They talk about the victims of the battles.

Quietly around, the wind carried away the fog,
On the hills of Manchuria the soldiers sleep
And no Russian tears are heard.

Crying, crying mother dear,
Crying young woman
Everyone is crying as one person

Evil fate and cursing fate! ...
Let the kaoliang sing dreams to you,
Sleep heroes of the Russian land,

Fatherland native sons.
You fell for Russia, you died for the Motherland,
Believe us, we will avenge you
And let's celebrate a bloody feast."

The creator of the famous waltz did not part with the army after the revolution, he led military bands, participated in the Great Patriotic War, was awarded the Order of the Red Star and medals. AT last years life Shatrov taught music in Tambov Suvorov School. In addition to the legendary waltz, he wrote three more: “Country Dreams”, “Autumn Has Come” and “Blue Night in Port Arthur”. A few days before his death, he was awarded military rank"major". Ilya Alekseevich Shatrov died on May 2, 1952. The best monument to him was the waltz, which today sounds not only in the performance of modest brass bands, but also on the most prestigious world stages performed by the People's Artist of Russia, the world-famous baritone Dmitry Hvorostovsky and the Honored Artist of Russia Oleg Pogudin.