The phenomenon of the author's (as it is also called, amateur or bard) song has not yet been sufficiently studied. Some are indifferent to it, others consider it a distant past.
It is difficult to deny that the original song, with its subtle, deep lyrics and melody, was an important component of the cultural life of the USSR. “These songs penetrate not into the ears, but directly into the soul,” said Vladimir Vysotsky
Keepers of traditions
There is an ancient word, beautiful in its strangeness, “bard”. Among the tribes of the Gauls and Celts, this was the name given to singers and poets. They kept the rituals of their peoples, their traditions. And the people believed them, trusted them, honored them, loved them. In our country, the bard song movement took shape in the 50-60s of the 20th century. When bards first began to appear, they looked completely ordinary. They were students in baggy pants. They did not yet know that they would be called bards, and the songs they wrote would be original or amateur. For them, these were just songs about what worried them...
The bard song appeared as if by itself, in different places, one of which was the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University. A wonderful girl Lyalya Rozanova studied here in the early 1950s. She had the gift of attracting talented people and inspire them to be creative. It is not surprising that it was under her that the student propaganda team became the center of youth life. At first, the biologists sang ordinary songs, but one day one of the propaganda brigades, Gena Shangin-Berezovsky, sang a song that he composed himself. She was dedicated to him to a close friend Yuri Yurovitsky was called that way - “Song about a faithful friend.” The guys liked the song so much that it was immediately included in the repertoire. And after her, there were songs written by Lyalya herself and another talented biology faculty member, Dmitry Sukharev. 
Author team of the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University, pseudonym - Sasha Rozdub
(SAKHAROV, SHANGIN, ROZANOVA, DUBROVSKY).
These songs had some incredible magic - simple melodies with three chords, simple lyrics, but very unusual for those times, because they sounded not “we”, but “I”. And in this “I” everyone recognized themselves and their anxieties, feelings, tossing... Yuri Vizbor recalled: “... with Lyalya Rozanova’s poems we saved suicides. And myself, to be honest..." 
Liliana Rozanova as part of the propaganda team (in the center, third to the right of the accordionist).
"Singing Institute"
A similar picture was at the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute named after V.I. Lenin, which in the 1950-1960s received the unofficial name “singing institute”. It was there that Yuri Vizbor’s first song “Madagascar” was written. Everyone liked the result so much that the whole faculty began to sing the song, and then all the Moscow tourists. Soon Vizbor composed a whole series of songs about trips to famous melodies, and over time he began to invent his own music. The later famous bard Ada Yakusheva recalled that when Vizbor was graduating from college, several volunteers volunteered to urgently learn to play the guitar. One of them was Ada herself. 
Bard Ada Yakusheva.
The third pillar of the author's song at the Moscow State Pedagogical Institute was Yuliy Kim. He brought his special “gypsy” guitar accompaniment system to the bard song. And its themes are social and ironic. 
Yuliy Kim with a guitar.
KSP - from and to
At first, the author's song did not arouse much interest among the state. But bards began to graduate from institutes and universities, but they still had the desire to meet, create and share their songs. And they began to unite in KSP - amateur song clubs. First in Moscow, and then in other cities of the Union. In May 1967, the Bards held the “First Theoretical Conference”, and in the fall of the same year the first all-Moscow meeting of the KSP took place. Then, on March 7, 1968, the First Union Festival of Art Song was held in Novosibirsk Akademgorodok. It was there that Alexander Galich’s only public concert in the USSR took place, at which he performed the song “In Memory of Pasternak.” 
Galich at the First Festival of Author's Song. 1968 Photo by Vladimir Davydov.
This is where Soviet power discovered that bards have a civic stance that they want to demonstrate. Persecution began at the PCB. Six months later, all bard clubs in the country were closed. Soon after this, Galich was forced to emigrate.
And Julius Kim and many other bards were forbidden to perform. The state could not allow musicians to openly sing about “entrances for bosses”, “offices with lackeys and secretaries”, “stompers” under the windows, about dachas and “Seagulls”, “cekov rations” and “vintage motorcycles”.
"Magnitizdat"
However, the ban only fueled the already great interest in the original song, which became a contrast to the official stage. A Soviet person could not listen to “the hope of a small orchestra led by love.” He had to listen to the Red Army choir, Kobzon's songs and walk in formation. But not everyone wanted this. "Unofficial" songs performed under acoustic guitar, were perceived as a revelation. Okudzhava and Vysotsky were copied from reel to reel, fortunately tape recorders were no longer uncommon. This distribution was called “magnitizdat”.
Interestingly, the attitude of the state and the attitude of individual party bosses towards the bards may not have coincided. For example, Secretary General Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev had a love for Vysotsky’s songs. One of the pilots of the government air squad said: “When we flew with Far East, suddenly Vysotsky’s songs began to sound in the cabin. We said to the flight attendants: “Are you crazy?” And they say that the tape was handed over from Brezhnev’s own entourage...” 
Since 1969, Vysotsky also knew Brezhnev’s daughter Galina, who not only loved his work and attended his performances at the Taganka Theater, but also helped the artist.
"Songs of our century"
In the 1980s, PCBs were not only allowed, but they began to turn a blind eye to their revival. And the songs of the bard Sergei Nikitin could even be heard on the radio! In the 1990s, the concept of bard classics appeared, a series of albums “Songs of Our Century” began to be released, and you could simply buy them in a store. However, such accessibility did not reduce interest in the original song.
And today people pick up a guitar to sing about what concerns them. The author's song continues to live...
Great bards of the 20th century
Alexander Galich was born in 1918 in Yekaterinoslav (now Dnepropetrovsk). After ninth grade I entered the literary institute. IN early period of his work, Galich wrote several plays for the theater: “Taimyr is calling you” (co-authored with K. Isaev), “The paths we choose”, “Under a lucky star”, “March”, “An hour before dawn”, “ The name of the steamboat is “Eaglet”, “How Much Does a Man Need”, as well as film scripts “ True friends"(together with K. Isaev), "On the seven winds", "Give me a book of complaints", "The Third Youth", "Running on the Waves". Since the late 1950s, Galich began to compose songs, performing them to his own accompaniment on a seven-string guitar. His songs were politically acute, which led to a conflict with the authorities... So Galich turned from a zealous Komsomol member into a conscious opponent of the regime and was expelled from the boundaries of first the official culture, and then the country. Galich was prohibited from giving public concerts. But despite the prohibitions, he was popular, famous, loved. In 1971, Galich was expelled from the Union of Writers of the USSR, of which he had been a member since 1955, and in 1972 - from the Union of Cinematographers, of which he had been a member since 1958. After this, he was deprived of the opportunity to earn his own bread and was reduced to a state of poverty. In 1974, Galich was forced to emigrate, and all of his previously published works were banned in the USSR. Galich settled in Paris, where he died on December 15, 1977. 
Alexander Galich.
Bulat Okudzhava is one of the creators and recognized patriarch of the genre, which later received the name “art song”. In 1942, ninth-grader Okudzhava volunteered to go to the front, where he was a mortarman, machine gunner, and radio operator. After the war, he studied at the Faculty of Philology of Tbilisi University, after which he worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature in rural school near Kaluga. Okudzhava’s first book was published in Kaluga. In 1956 he moved to Moscow, worked as an editor at the Molodaya Gvardiya publishing house, and headed the poetry department at Literaturnaya Gazeta. Okudzhava composed his first song “Fierce and Stubborn...” while still a student. Okudzhava's tape recordings scattered throughout the country. Many of his songs are still relevant today: 
Bulat Okudzhava.
Fierce and stubborn
burn, fire, burn.
To replace December
Januarys are coming.
Live through the summer
and then let them lead
for all your deeds
to the most terrible judgment.
Vladimir Vysotsky. Born in 1938 in Moscow. Among the numerous bards, Vladimir Vysotsky is perhaps the most famous. Vysotsky began writing his first songs in the early 1960s. These were songs in the style of “yard romance”. Around this time, Vladimir Vysotsky came to the Taganka Theater. In parallel with his work in the theater, he acted in films. Vysotsky’s most famous role is Zheglov in the television series “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed.” He wrote his songs mainly at night. He came home after the performance and sat down to work. Vysotsky’s work is usually divided into cycles: military, mountain, sports, Chinese... Front-line soldiers who listened to his songs about the war were sure that he personally experienced everything he wrote about. People who listened to his songs with a “criminal slant” were sure that he was sitting. Sailors, climbers, long-distance drivers - everyone considered him one of their own. Vysotsky said this about the author’s song: “This song lives with you all the time, does not give you peace, day or night.” 
Vladimir Vysotsky.
Alexander Gorodnitsky is one of the founders of the original song. Until today, he actively works, writes poetry and songs. 
Alexander Gorodnitsky.
Yuri Vizbor is the author and performer of many famous songs. “My dear, forest sun”, “When a star burns” and other Vizbor songs in Russia are known by almost everyone. 
Yuri Vizbor.
Viktor Berkovsky is a Russian scientist and a prominent representative of the bard movement of the seventies. “To the Music of Vivaldi”, “Grenada” and more than 200 other songs written by Berkovsky are very popular among the people. 
Yuri Kukin - in his youth he was fond of mountaineering and went hiking. Therefore, the main direction in Kukin’s work is given to themes about mountains and nature. The songs are very melodic and popular. They are good to sing around the fire. The author's most famous hits are “Behind the Fog” and “Paris”. 
Yuri Kukin.
Alexander Sukhanov is one of the founders of an informal amateur song club. His main profession is mathematician, but he is known for his songs (more than 150). He wrote based on his own poems and those of famous classical poets. 
Alexander Sukhanov at a concert in Nakhabino. March 15, 1980. Photo by A. Evseev.
Veronica Dolina. The most popular author among women performers of art songs. Veronica Dolina has written more than 500 songs. 
Veronica Dolina.
Sergei Nikitin is a Soviet composer and bard, lyricist. Wrote a lot of songs for films. His “Alexandra” from the film “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears” received the status folk song. He performed a lot of songs in a duet with his wife Tatyana Nikitina. Sergei Nikitin was very popular in the 70-80s of the last century. 
Sergei Nikitin.
Yuri Vizbor
Yuri Vizbor is the author and performer of songs that people have long loved. “My dear forest sun”, “When a star burns” and other Vizbor songs are known to everyone. His songs have always been distinguished by melody and tenderness, which was so rare in the 60-70s of the last century.
Alexander Galich
Alexander Galich- one of the founders of the art song. He created his own signature style in his own song. A rebel and enemy of the Soviet system, he was forced to emigrate abroad, where he was killed by KGB agents. During his life he wrote large number songs that were especially popular in the 70s.
Bulat Okudzhava
Bulat Okudzhava - A prominent representative of the bard movement. Very popular and famous poet- songbook. In addition to performing original songs, he was involved in writing scripts and historical novels. “Your Honor, Lady Luck”, “Song of the Street Child”, “Let’s Talk” and many more works have literally become “folk”.
Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Vysotsky- The most beloved bard by the people. His songs touch the human soul. Very patriotic songs about war, humorous songs with double meaning, songs about nature and serious professions. In addition to songs, he acted in films and worked in the theater.
Victor Berkovsky
Victor Berkovsky- Russian scientist and prominent representative of the bard movement of the seventies. “Forties Fatal”, “To the Music of Vivaldi”, “Grenada” and more than 200 songs written by Berkovsky are very popular among the people.
Sergey Nikitin
Sergey Nikitin - Soviet composer and bard. Lyricist of the Soviet era. Wrote a lot of songs for films. His “Alexandra” from the film “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears” received the status of a folk song. He performed a lot of songs in a duet with his wife Tatyana Nikitina. Sergei Nikitin was in great demand in the 70s and 80s of the last century.
Alexander Gorodnitsky
Alexander Gorodnitsky- One of the founders of the original song. Song " Chistye Prudy", performed by Talkov, was written and performed for the first time by him. He is still actively working. He hosts a television program and writes poetry and songs.
Yuri Kukin
Yuri Kukin - In his youth he was fond of mountaineering and went hiking. Therefore, the main direction in Kukin’s work is given to themes about mountains and nature. The songs are very melodic and popular. They are good to sing around the fire. The author's most famous hits are “Behind the Fog” and “Paris”.
Alexander Sukhanov
Alexander Sukhanov- Songwriter and performer. One of the founders of an informal amateur song club. His main profession is mathematician, but he is known for his songs (more than 150 songs). He wrote based on his own poems and those of famous classical poets. He still performs to this day.
Veronica Dolina
Veronica Dolina- The most popular author among women performers of art songs. Veronica Arkadyevna is a very prolific author. She wrote more than 500 songs, many of which are widely known. At first they didn’t want to accept her into the amateur song club, but with her perseverance, Dolina proved her worth.
Mikhail Shcherbakov
Mikhail Shcherbakov- Popular author and performer. Peak of popularity - 90 years. He sings both with a guitar and with an ensemble in a modern arrangement. He wrote a large number of songs, including many popular ones. He still performs at concerts to this day.
Alexander Rosenbaum
Alexander Rosenbaum- The second most popular author and performer after Vladimir Vysotsky. In the past, the emergency doctor, thanks to his special style of performance, gained all-Union fame. His “Boston Waltz” and “Gop-Stop” are truly considered folk. Alexander Yakovlevich was a member of the State Duma. He was awarded the title people's artist RF.
Alexander Rosenbaum - doctor and poet
Despite the fact that Rosenbaum has a medical education, only his early works. His bardic lyrics highlight themes of civic duty, the fate of Russia, and philosophical issues. Some songs are imbued with gypsy motifs. A large layer of creativity illuminates the topic of post-revolutionary Russia. The theme of war - the Great Patriotic War and Afghanistan - occupies a special place in Rosenbaum's lyrics. Rosenbaum performs his works under, but at concerts he often performs solo on a twelve-string instrument.Unlike many other bards, Rosenbaum was officially recognized in the USSR.Vysotsky was a successful actor, poet and writer. However, most people know him as a performer. Although Vysotsky himself did not like it when his work was classified as bard, many of his motives are similar to this direction. Just like, Vysotsky paid much attention to the text, not the music. His work contains songs about war, love lyrics, satirical couplets and acute social themes. An interesting phenomenon has become dialogue songs, where Vysotsky sings, portraying various characters.
More than 170 city objects are named in honor of Vysotsky.
Yuri Vizbor - creator of the report song
Yuri Vizbor, like Bulat Okudzhava, is at the origins of the original song. Vizbor's creativity was affected by his rich life experience- he worked as a journalist, played in the theater, went in for mountaineering and football, went to. Vizbor wrote his first song while a student at the Moscow Pedagogical Institute. Later he became the author of the MSPI anthem. Vizbor's first songs were distributed unofficially, but since the 1960s his work has become popular. Vizbor became the founder of the genre of song reporting. These works were published in the Krugozor magazine.Related article
Once again, the famous Grushinskaya guitar will appear at the festival mountain, and the celebration of the unity of man, nature and song will welcome tens of thousands of participants. If you want to spend a few days in harmony with yourself and with the whole world, come to the Volga in early July.
In 2012, the Grushinsky Festival will be held from July 5th to 8th. The location of the holiday is Fedorovsky meadows in Samara region, not far from Tolyatti and the picturesque green bank of the Volga River. This is already the 39th festival. The bard song festival takes place annually on the very first weekend of July. The Grushinsky Festival began to be celebrated for the first time in 1968.
The holiday got its name in honor of Valery Grushin, who in the summer of 1967 on the Uda River in Siberia saved drowning people at the cost of his life. His friends decided to organize an annual festival in memory of the deceased; this idea was supported by many of Valery Grushin’s classmates and other lovers of outdoor recreation and songs. The very first gathering took place in Zhiguli in the Stone Bowl on September 29, 1968.
The second Grushinsky festival was held in July, since then the time of the holiday has not changed. Every year the number of visitors grew, the holiday gained its greatest popularity in the late 1970s (about 100 thousand people participated) and in the late 1990s (about 210 thousand visitors). The bardic gatherings were interrupted in the 1980s and the official authorities canceled them. The festival was revived again in 1986.
This holiday includes participants not only from Russia, but also foreigners. This festival was created for lovers of original music. Throughout the festival, there are several stages where competitions are held. Concerts are held not only during the day, but also at night. IN dark time day, participants light festival bonfires, around which old and new acquaintances and friends gather.
At the venue of the festival, a whole city quickly appears from many tents, in which the participants will live during the festival. Each visitor will have enough space for his own tent; the organizers of the rally have no problems with this. Participants do not have to take camping equipment with them; everything they need is rented or sold. There are outdoor shops and cafes on site. Fresh artesian water is delivered every day.
The festival will host not only bardic competitions, but also sports games and competitions: volleyball, football, orienteering and much more. Designed for children special area. You can get to the festival by your own car, for which a guarded parking lot is organized, or by public transport.
Sources:
- Grushinsky Festival in 2019
The term "bard" first appeared in medieval Europe. This was the name given to wandering singers who performed both their own songs and folk ballads. In the middle of the 20th century in the USSR, performers of original songs began to be called bards, i.e. the meaning of this word has hardly changed.
Art song clubs
During the “thaw”, i.e. in the mid-50s, original or amateur song clubs (KSP) appeared in the USSR. For lovers of this genre, premises were allocated in the Houses of Culture, Officers' Houses and other centers of culture. They were supervised by cultural departments and were islands of free thought among the sea of official ideology. From time to time, clubs got into trouble if they went beyond the permitted limits. KSP often balanced on the verge of closure, but, nevertheless, existed relatively safely until the end of perestroika, as a valve for releasing superheated steam. After perestroika and the establishment of a market economy, the KSP fell on difficult times, because local authorities Often there is simply not enough desire or means to pay rent for premises for bards. However, in many settlements, PCBs have been preserved. You can find out their addresses on the Internet on city websites or in the municipality’s cultural department.
Travel clubs
The author's song is inextricably linked with classical tourism: mountain, water, hiking. All famous Soviet people either engaged in tourism themselves or wrote about tourists: about the romance of long roads, about dangerous river rapids, about climbers and mountaineering... These songs have been sung by several generations of tourists in the post-Soviet space. Songs with a guitar or a cappella around the fire at a rest stop are an essential part of a successful hike. If there is no club in the city, bards can meet in tourist clubs.
Bard song festivals
Most bards gather at art song festivals. The most famous of them is Grushinsky, which has been held annually since 1968 at the end of June in Togliatti, Samara region. Currently, the festival is divided into 2. The second festival takes place at the same time on the Mastryukovsky Lakes of the Samara Region.
In addition, in each region of Russia, during the warm season, regional bard festivals are held: “Sail of Hope” in the Voronezh region, “Oskol Lyre” in the Belgorod region, “Autograph of August” in the Lipetsk region, “Robinsonade” in the Leningrad region, etc. Information about festivals in each region is posted on the Internet. On official pages festivals, the time and place of their holding and the most convenient route to get there are indicated.
Sources:
- Art song festivals
Since 1992, Russian singer-songwriters have created their own association. It became the first creative union of people united by the idea of forming public consciousness. At that time, the Association of Russian Bards (ARBA) was represented by 30 authors. Today there are many more of them. This article will name the most famous bards Russia, according to Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Departed representatives of a great era
At the origins of the bard movement are masters, many of whom passed away at a time when Russia was still part of Soviet Union. Among them:
- Yuri Vizbor. He left our world in 1984 at the age of 50. The singer-songwriter, who has Lithuanian-Ukrainian roots, was associated with Moscow all his life and considered himself Russian. He even chose a special specialty - a teacher of Russian literature. Known as a journalist, screenwriter and actor, Yuri Vizbor was also a mountain climber who conquered more than one peak. He wrote more than three hundred songs that are still popular: “Serega Sanin”, “Dombai Waltz”, “My Darling”.
- Vladimir Vysotsky. He passed away in 1980. To the legendary singer, who created more than 800 works, was only 42 years old. His popularity among the people has not waned at all over time. He created a number of unforgettable images both on stage and in cinema. Among him best songs- “Mass graves”, “Finicky horses”, “Song about a friend”.
- Bulat Okudzhava. Born into an Armenian-Georgian family, Bulat Shalvovich lived to be 73 years old. He passed away in 1997. A former front-line soldier, he is rightfully considered the founder of the art song. Russian bards recognize his authority and still perform his best works: “Georgian Song”, “Your Honor”, “Union of Friends”.
Indisputable authorities
The deceased bards of Russia, the list of which will be presented below, are the pride of the national culture:
- Victor Berkovsky. A native of Ukraine, he lived to see his 73rd birthday. A professional scientist, Victor was outstanding composer and became famous not only as an independent author, but also a member creative team, which included Sergei Nikitin and Dmitry Sukharev. Among his most popular songs are “Grenada”, “To the Music of Vivaldi”, “On the Distant Amazon”.
- Novella Matveeva. The poet and songwriter died in 2016, she was 81 years old. She left behind a huge legacy, and among her songs, “The Tavern Girl” is especially popular.
- Ada Yakusheva. A native of Leningrad lived a long life. She died at the age of 78 in 2012 and is well known as an original and interesting poet. Many Russian bards perform her works. For example, Varvara Vizbor gave new life song "You are my breath".
- Yuri Kukin. The songwriter passed away in 2011, he was 78. A native of the Leningrad region began his career as an athlete, but later became a professional Lenconcert artist. The author's most famous songs are "Rope Walker", "Behind the Fog", "Spring Song".
Living masters
The best bards of Russia participate in art song rallies as jury members. In August, the 50th festival named after. V. Grushin, who gathered the elite from among the ARBA members. Among them, a special place is occupied by Alexander Gorodnitsky, who celebrated his 85th birthday in March. The author is still in action and delights listeners with his the best works. These are "Rifles", "Atlantas" and others.
60-year-old Alexey Ivashchenko performed for a long time in a duet with G. Vasiliev (“Glafira”, “The Ninth Wave”), but in the 2000s their creative union broke up. However, the author and performer is still among the best bards in Russia, delighting listeners with new songs, including “Stainless Steel” and “I am the best in the world.”
Many are fans of the work of 65-year-old Leonid Sergeev, author of "Road", "Old House" and "History", as well as 74-year-old Sergei Nikitin, whose songs adorned the favorite films of Russians - "The Irony of Fate", "Almost funny story", "Quiet pools".
The author of the song “How Great,” which has become the anthem of most art song festivals, is 62-year-old Oleg Mityaev. The bards of Russia consider him an undeniable authority, which, as a rule, completes concert programs. He is easily recognized by his favorite works: “The Neighbor”, “Summer is a Little Life”.
One of the singer-songwriters is Alexander Rosenbaum, who has achieved significant success on the domestic stage. His "Boston Waltz" Duck hunting", "Homeless Room" and other works are included in the golden fund of Russian culture.
The best bards of Russia are women
The list of the best singer-songwriters should include 62-year-old Veronica Dolina. The mother of four children, she has created a unique collection of very women's works, the number of which reaches five hundred. Veronica Dolina has published 19 collections of poems and is the winner of many literary awards.
In the original song there are bright performers who present the works of other authors. One of these talented singers is 58-year-old Galina Khomchik, whom B. Okudzhava classified as “missionaries of sounding poetry.”
