The authors of the romance beggar. A few words about Alyabyev's romance "Beggar"

BEGGAR
Music by Alexander Alyabyev
Words by Pierre Beranger, translation by Dmitry Lensky

Winter. Blizzard. And in large flakes,
When there is a strong wind, snow falls.
At the entrance to the temple there is one in rags
The old beggar woman is standing.

And waiting for alms,
She's still here with her stick.
Barefoot both in summer and winter...
Give her alms!

Should I tell you... This old lady
How I lived twenty years ago.
She was a poet's dream.
And glory wove a wreath for her.

When she was singing on stage,
Paris was delighted with her.
She had no rivals...
Give her alms!

It happened after the performance
There is no way for her to get away from the crowd.
And the youth are delighted
“Bravo” thundered after her.

What magnificent praises
The circle of her guests censed her -
When we are happy, everyone is friends with us,
When you're in grief, you don't have those friends...

Holy will of providence...
The actress became ill
Lost my voice and sight
And wanders the world alone.

It used to be that a beggar is not afraid
Come to her for alms.
She is ashamed to ask you...
Give her alms!

From the repertoire of Vadim Kozin (1903-1996). Recorded on a record - Noginsk and Aprelevsky factories, 1930-1940s, 9591.

Black eyes: An ancient Russian romance. M.: Eksmo, 2004.

Alexander Alexandrovich Alyabyev(1787, Tobolsk - 1851, Moscow)
Dmitry Timofeevich Lensky(real name Vorobiev; 1805, Moscow - 1860, ibid.)

OPTIONS (3)

At the entrance to the temple, alone, in rags,
The old beggar woman is standing...
And, waiting for alms,
She's still here with her stick,
Both in summer and in winter, blind...
Give her alms,
Oh, give her alms!

Should I tell you, this old lady
How she lived twenty years ago!
She was a poet's dream
And glory wove a wreath for her.
When she was singing on stage,
Paris was delighted with her.
She had no rivals...
Give her alms,
Oh, give her alms!

It happened after the performance
There is no way for her to get away from the crowd.
And the youth are delighted
“Bravo” thundered after her.
What magnificent praises
The circle of her guests censed her -

In grief you don’t have those friends.
Oh, give her alms!

Fate and the will of providence...
The actress became ill
Lost my voice and sight
And she walks around the world alone.
It used to be that a beggar is not afraid
Come to her for alms.

So give her alms,
Oh, give her alms!

The Russian translation by D. Lensky was written in 1840. The music was written no later than 1851. The performers made some changes to the text and melody.

2. Beggar

Music by A. Alyabyev
Words by P. Beranger, trans. D. Lensky

Winter, blizzard, and in large flakes
When there is a strong wind, snow falls.
At the entrance to the temple, alone, in rags,
The old beggar woman is standing...
And waiting for alms,
She's still here with her stick,
Both in summer and in winter, blind,
Give her alms!

Should I tell you, this old lady
How she lived twenty years ago!
She was a poet's dream
And glory wove a wreath for her.
When she was singing on stage,
Paris was delighted with her.
She had no rivals...
Give her alms!

It happened after the performance
There is no way for her to get away from the crowd.
And the youth are delighted
“Bravo” thundered after her.
The nobles were looking for an opportunity
Become one of her guests;
Her talent and intelligence were respected.
Give her alms!

At that time of celebration and happiness
She had a house; not a house - a palace.
And in this house of voluptuousness
Thousands of hearts languished.
What magnificent praises
The circle of her guests censed her -
When we are happy, everyone becomes friends with us;
Give her alms!

Holy will of providence...
The actress became ill
Lost my voice and sight
And wanders the world alone.
It used to be that the poor man is not afraid
Come to her for alms.
She’s ashamed to ask you...
Give her alms!

Oh, who with such kindness
In times of misfortune he helped his neighbors,
Like this beggar with a stick,
When cupid caressed her!
She has lost everything in her life!
ABOUT! So that in your old age
She didn’t complain about the trade,
Give her alms!

Take my heart into the ringing distance...: Russian romances and songs with notes / Comp. A. Kolesnikova. M.: Sunday; Eurasia +; Polar Star +, 1996.

3. Beggar

Winter... blizzard... and in large flakes,
When it’s too strong, he’ll fall out in three sleeps.
At the entrance to the temple there is one in rags
The old beggar woman is standing.
And waiting for alms,
She's still here with her stick.
Both summer and winter barefoot...
Give Christ, for her sake!
Give Christ, for her sake!

Should I tell you... This old lady
How I lived twenty years ago.
She was a poet's dream.
And glory wove her a crown.
When she sang on stage,
Paris was delighted with her.
She had no rivals...
Give Christ, for her sake!
Give Christ, for her sake!

Holy will of providence...
The actress became ill,
Lost my voice and sight
And she walks around the world.
It used to be that the poor man is not afraid
Come to her for alms.
She is ashamed to ask you...
Give Christ, for her sake!
Give Christ, for her sake!

From the repertoire of Varia Panina (1872-1911)

Sent by Nikolay 21.9.2007

Panina's recordings on record - Pate company, St. Petersburg, 1905, 24151; firms "Gramophone" and "Zonofon", Moscow, 1905, 2-23008, 63568; "Favorite Record" company, Moscow, 1909, 1-76121.

NOTES FOR PIANO (6 sheets):

Kulev V.V., Takun F.I. Golden collection of Russian romance. Arranged for voice with piano (guitar) accompaniment. M.: Modern music, 2003.

Chamber vocal lyrics occupy an important place in the work of A. Alyabyev.The romance “Beggar Woman” was written in the 40s of the 19th century.

During this period, the composer turns to subjects of social significance. He creates images of the disadvantaged, similar to the images of Russian literature of that time - the St. Petersburg stories of N. Gogol, the early stories of F. Dostoevsky and M. Turgenev. Alyabyev's songs of this period prepared the innovative works of A. Dargomyzhsky and M. Mussorgsky. These works include the romance “Beggar Woman”. This romance marks Alyabyev's transition from creating songs of a purely lyrical nature to dramatic works.

The poetic source for this romance was a poem by the French poet P. J. Beranger translated by D. T. Lensky. The songs of Bérenger, the French democratic poet, enjoyed great love in wide circles of the Russian intelligentsia. Alyabyev’s music played a significant role in this.

In Beranger's interpretation of the text, Alyabyev managed to find a generalizing musical image and reveal the tragedy of a humiliated and disadvantaged person. The image of hopeless human grief, in subtle association with the atmosphere of winter nature, is aptly and laconically conveyed in music. The initial melodic intonation, which forms the basis of the piano accompaniment, is further developed in the vocal part as a “leitmotif of sorrow.”

Leonid Kharitonov sings

The words of the old Russian romance “Beggar”:

Winter, blizzard, and in large flakes
When there is a strong wind, snow falls.
At the entrance to the temple, alone, in rags,
The old beggar woman is standing...
And waiting for alms,
She's still here with her stick,
Both summer and winter, barefoot!..
Give her alms!

Should I tell you, this old lady
How she lived twenty years ago!
She was a poet's dream
And glory wove a wreath for her.
When she was singing on stage,
Paris was delighted with her.
She had no rivals...
Give her alms!

It happened after the performance
There is no way for her to get away from the crowd.
And the youth are delighted
“Bravo” thundered after her.
The nobles were looking for an opportunity
Become one of her guests;
Her talent and intelligence were respected.
Give her alms!

At that time of celebration and happiness
She had a house; not a house - a palace,
And in this house of voluptuousness
Thousands of hearts languished.
What magnificent praises
The circle of her guests censed her -
When we are happy, everyone becomes friends with us.
Give her alms!

Holy will of providence...
The actress became ill
Lost my voice and sight
And wanders the world alone.
It used to be that the poor man is not afraid
Come to her for alms,
She’s asking you to be ashamed...
Give her alms!

Oh, who with such kindness
In times of misfortune he helped his neighbors,
Like this beggar with a stick,
When cupid caressed her.
She has lost everything in her life!..
ABOUT! So that in your old age
She didn’t complain about the trade,
Give her alms!

Sings Evgeny Dyatlov

“Beggar” is a Russian romance by composer A. Alyabyev to poems by Pierre Beranger, translated into Russian by D. Lensky.

The romance became widely known. It sounded differently in different performances: the performers made some changes to the text and melody that were characteristic of their vision and understanding of the work. Therefore, there are several options (with slight distortions of both text and melody).
In the lifetime edition, each song stanza ended with the refrain Give Christ for her sake! (twice), later replaced by the words Give her alms!

Pierre Jean de Beranger
Pierre Jean de Béranger (French: Pierre-Jean de Béranger, 1780-1857) is a famous French poet and writer of songs, usually of a socially satirical nature. His childhood fell during the revolutionary years (the Great French Revolution), which had a huge influence on his formation. He became a singer of revolutionary events, which gradually, over time, acquired a romantic overtones in his work.
The poem “Beggar”, along with the translation by D. Lensky, is also known in Russian in the translation of the poet Vasily Kurochkin.

Dmitry Timofeevich Lensky
D. T. Lensky (real name Vorobyov; 1805-1860) translated P. Beranger’s poem into Russian in 1840. By this time, he was already a famous translator, writer, playwright and - in his main activity - an actor of the Moscow Imperial Troupe. On Russian theater stages of the 19th century, his vaudevilles were constantly performed - translated, French. But his translations were not just accurate retellings from one language to another; it would be more correct to call his author’s translations literary adaptations of French authors. He took the French plot as a basis, but filled it with “Russian” content, full of allusions to modern Russia - with its way of life, its characters, its problems, even specific persons.
His translations became “our own”, existing on their own Russian soil, understandable and close to both the author himself and his Russian viewers and readers.
The text of the translated poem “Beggar Woman” for D. Lensky was full, first of all, of “its own” tragedy. The themes of theater and artistic activity were close to Lensky - he himself was an actor, he had to meet every day with old artists who once shone on the stage, former idols of the audience, but due to old age and illness they were thrown out of life, forced to eke out a miserable existence.

Alexander Alexandrovich Alyabyev
Alexander Alexandrovich Alyabyev (1787-1851) is one of the most tragic figures of Russian musical culture. He, a wounded hero of the Patriotic War of 1812 and other military campaigns, who received awards for courage, was arrested at the beginning of 1825 on suspicion of murdering the landowner T. M. Vremev and, despite the lack of proof of the accusation, was sentenced to exile to Siberia with deprivation of all rights and noble rank. Nicholas I repeatedly rejected requests to mitigate the fate of the talented composer - perhaps the reason for such an attitude on the part of the emperor was different - Alyabyev’s closeness to the Decembrist circles: Nicholas I, who found himself in power completely unexpectedly - due to the death and abdication of his elder brothers, was not ready for the highest public service and was desperately afraid of the Decembrist uprising, which began his reign. Years later, the composer returned from exile. But the tragedy he experienced never left his work. He understood the pain and sympathized with it.
At this time, Russian literature devotes more and more space to social problems, its heroes become destitute characters, unfairly thrown into poverty and humiliation by life, a certain type of the so-called “little man” is created - downtrodden, without a high position, without heroic pathos, a petty employee, but a person who is usually spiritually and morally noble. Social inequality became a theme in Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century. During this period, Alyabyev turned to subjects of social significance. The poem “Beggar Woman,” translated by D. Lensky in 1840, could not help but evoke a response in the composer’s soul with its pain and tragedy. Moreover, it is this romance that marks Alyabyev’s transition from creating songs of a purely lyrical nature to dramatic works.
It is not known exactly when exactly he set it to music, but the music was written no later than 1851.
Some researchers call it more specifically: the first half of the 1840s, giving the explanation: “This publication was published before 1844. This dating is based on the fact that the censor of the publication is N. Krylov, about whom it is known that in 1844 he, professor, dean of Moscow University, gave permission for the publication of Ekaterina Lachina’s novel “Tricks in the Caucasus,” which was recognized as literature seditious, for which Krylov was removed from censorship.”

Winter. Blizzard. And in large flakes,
When there is a strong wind, snow falls.
At the entrance to the temple there is one in rags
The old beggar woman is standing.
And waiting for alms,
She's still here with her stick.
Barefoot both in summer and winter...
Give Christ for her sake!
Give Christ for her sake!
(option: Give her alms!)
Should I tell you... This old lady
How I lived twenty years ago.
She was a poet's dream.
And glory wove a wreath for her.
When she was singing on stage,
Paris was delighted with her.
She had no rivals...
Give her alms!
It happened after the performance
There is no way for her to get away from the crowd.
And the youth are delighted
“Bravo” thundered after her.
The nobles were looking for an opportunity
Become one of her guests;
Her talent and intelligence were respected.
Give her alms!
At that time of celebration and happiness
She had a house; not a house - a palace,
And in this house of voluptuousness
Thousands of hearts languished.
What magnificent praises
The circle of her guests censed her -
When we are happy, everyone is friends with us,
Give her alms!
(option: When you are in grief, you don’t have those friends...)
Holy will of providence...
The actress became ill
Lost my voice and sight
And wanders the world alone.
It used to be that a beggar is not afraid
Come to her for alms.
She is ashamed to ask you...
Give her alms!
Oh, who with such kindness
In times of misfortune he helped his neighbors,
Like this beggar with a stick,
When cupid caressed her.
She has lost everything in her life!..
ABOUT! So that in your old age
She didn’t complain about the trade,
Give her alms!