Utushka lugovaya

"Utushka lugovaya" (Russian: Утушка луговая, lit. A Little Meadow Duck) is an ancient Russian folk song.

"Утушка луговая"
Song
LanguageRussian
English title"A Little Meadow Duck"
WrittenBefore 1791[1]
GenreFolk
Songwriter(s)Unknown

Synopsis

A young woman or maiden, also called utushka lugovaya, spends a night in the wood (or in the meadow[1]), near a willow. Several young men pass by and make several gudocheks – each makes one for himself. The maiden asks the gudocheks not to tinkle, not to wake her (however, in some versions, her father[1][2]) up.

Commentary

Historical background

According to Alexander Tereshchenko, ″Utushka lugovaya″ could be performed during traditional Russian marriage celebrations.[3] Pavel Svinyin wrote that the Don Cossacks used the song in matchmaking.[4]

Some researchers consider that image ("Utushka lugovaya"/ "Young duck") as a traditional image of the young woman or bride.[5][6]

Genre characteristics

A number of sources mention the song as a plyasovaya[7][3] or a khorovodnaya[8]. Alexander Potebnja regards it – for its time signature – as an example of the so-called summer or spring songs.[7]

Settings and performance

Before 1792, Vasily Pashkevich created for his third opera a theme based on the song.[9][10] In the following two centuries, many composers (such as P. I. Tchaikovsky[11], Nikolai Rimsky‑Korsakov[12], Anatoly Lyadov[13], Alexander Ivanov‑Kramskoi[12]) arranged "Utushka lugovaya".

The song appeared in the repertoires of Lidia Ruslanova[14], Lyudmila Zykina[15], Alexandra Strelchenko[16], and other famous Russian folk singers.

References
  1. Иванъ Прачъ, ed. (1790). Собранiе Народныхъ Рускихъ Пѣсенъ съ ихъ Голосами на Музыку положилъ Иванъ Прачъ (in Russian). Типографiя Горнаго училища. p. 83.
  2. Николай Римскiй-Корсаковъ, ed. (1877). Сборникъ русскихъ народныхъ пѣсенъ, составленный Н. А. Римскимъ-Корсаковымъ (in Russian). Imprimerie de musique de W. Bessel et Cie à St.-Petersbourg. pp. 54–55.
  3. Терещенко, Александр. Быт русского народа (in Russian). II (Свадьбы).
  4. Свиньинъ, Павелъ. Картины Россіи и бытъ разноплеменныхъ ея народовъ… (in Russian). p. 253.
  5. Червинский, П. П. (1989). Т. В. Цивьян (ed.). Семантический язык фольклорной традиции (in Russian). Ростов-на-Дону. p. 13.
  6. Зуева, Т. В. (2002). Русский фольклор: Словарь-справочник (in Russian). М.: Просвещение.
  7. Потебня, А. А. (1883). Объясненiя малорусских и сродных народных пѣсень (in Russian). Варшава. pp. 234–236.
  8. Лопатин, Н. М.; Прокунин, В. П, eds. (1956). Русские народные лирические песни (in Russian). М.: Государственное музыкальное издательство.
  9. Чешихинъ, Всеволодъ (1905). Исторiя русской оперы (съ 1674 по 1903 г.) (in Russian). С.-Петербургъ. p. 54.
  10. Финдейзен, Н. Ф. (1928). Очерки по истории музыки в России с древнейших времён до конца XVIII века (in Russian). II (issue 5). М.-Л. p. 110.
  11. Нотная летопись (in Russian).
  12. Нотные издания в фондах Государственной библиотеки СССР имени В. И. Ленина (in Russian).
  13. Иванов, Г. К. (1966). Русская поэзия в отечественной музыке (до 1917 года): справочник (in Russian). I. Музыка.
  14. Сафошкин В.Д.; Сафошкина Л.В, eds. (2000). Сердце, тебе не хочется покоя (in Russian). М.: Диадема-Пресс. ISBN 5-9256-0106-8.
  15. Уварова Е. Д, ed. (2004). Эстрада России. XX век. Энциклопедия (in Russian). Олма-Пресс. p. 243. ISBN 5-224-04462-6.
  16. Савченко, Борис (1997). Московская эстрада в лицах (in Russian). М.: Ассоциация авторов и издателей «Тандем». (see sn. 1, sn. 2)
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