| English: "How Glorious Is Our Lord in Zion" | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music printed in early 20th century | |
Former national anthem ofRussia | |
| Lyrics | Mikhail Kheraskov |
| Music | Dmitry Bortniansky |
| Adopted | 1790 |
| Readopted | 1918 |
| Relinquished | 1816 |
| Preceded by | "Let the Thunder of Victory Rumble!" (1798) "The Internationale" (1918) |
| Succeeded by | "The Prayer of Russians" (1816) "The Internationale" (1920) |
| Audio sample | |
How Glorious Is Our Lord in Zion | |
"How Glorious Is Our Lord in Zion"[a] is ahymn written in the spring of 1794 by the composerDmitry Bortniansky to the verses of the poetMikhail Kheraskov. It was theunofficialanthem of theRussian Empire between the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The first public performance took place on 29 November 1798 during the ceremony of laying on the Russian EmperorPaul I the crown and other regalia of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John in theWinter Palace,[1] and since 1801 the anthem actually supplanted the previously performed "Let the Thunder of Victory Rumble!".[2] In 1816 it was replaced by the officially approved composition "The Prayer of Russians". From 1856 to October 1917, the chimes of theSpasskaya Tower in theMoscow Kremlin rang out the melody of the anthem. Also, before theOctober Revolution, it was performed by the chimes of thePeter and Paul Cathedral, and in 2003 it was restored in honor of the celebration of the anniversary ofSaint Petersburg.[3] In 1918–1920, "How glorious" was the anthem of theRussian State, and later continued to be popular among thefirst wave of emigrants. During theGreat Patriotic War, it was performed at the official meetings of theKONR, in fact it was the anthem of theROA.[4] In the modernRussian Federation, it is performed in military ceremonies when honoring - at the opening of monuments, farewell to servicemen and at burial.[5]
The text of the hymn is based on the48th Psalm and is replete with Christian symbolism, and its music is close to individual Voices of the GreatZnamenny Chant.
The melody of the anthem was used in a German song to the lyricsIch bete an die Macht der Liebe [de] ("I pray to the power of love") byGerhard Tersteegen. Also, the music of the anthem was used by the composer G. Beck when writing the anthem of the Jewish Socialist PartyBund "Di Shvue".[6]
| OriginalRussian orthography | Modern orthography | Russian Latin alphabet | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
Коль славенъ нашъ Господь въ Сіонѣ, | Коль славен наш Господь в Сионе, | Kolj slaven naš Gospodj v Sione, | How glorious ourLord is onZion, |