Mark Naumovich Bernes (russian: link=no, Ма́рк Нау́мович Берне́с) (,
[This date: – is a mistake found in the '']Great Soviet Encyclopaedia
The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; ) is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Bolshaya rossiyskaya en ...
''. True date: – was engraved on the Bernes's gravestone at Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery ( rus, Новоде́вичье кла́дбище, Novodevichye kladbishche) is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist ...
(Moscow), and also confirmed by Bernes's daughter Natasha. – 16 August 1969) was a Soviet actor and singer,
[Mark Bernes' biography](_blank)
– www.kino-teatr.ru who performed some of the most poignant songs to come out of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, including
"Dark Night" (russian: link=no, Тёмная ночь, "Tyomnaya noch"; 1943) and "
Cranes" (russian: link=no, Журавли, "Zhuravli"; 1969). His voice had some similarities to
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
, but his style was closer to French
chansonniers such as
Yves Montand
Ivo Livi (), better known as Yves Montand (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), was an Italian-French actor and singer.
Early life
Montand was born Ivo Livi in Monsummano Terme, Italy, to Giovanni Livi, a broom manufacturer, Ivo held strong ...
.
Life and work
In late 1930s, not long before the war, Mark Bernes starred in two motion pictures: ''Man With a Rifle ''and ''The Fighter Planes''. In both of these films, he performed songs which immediately became famous all over the Soviet Union after each film was released. In the former film, he performed the song "Clouds Rose Over the City," which was a romantic song of a simple young Soviet worker. In the later film, he performed a famous patriotic ballad "Beloved Town". This pre-war song was full of hope and optimism, and several years later, encouraged soldiers during the war.
When the war began, Bernes became among the first singers to perform for the Soviet troops. In 1943, he starred in the motion picture ''
Two Fighters''. He played a young soldier from
Odessa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...
named Arkady Dzubin. In that film, Bernes demonstrated Jewish wit and humor characteristic of Jews from Odessa. In that film, he sang two masterpiece songs:
"Dark Is the Night" (russian: link=no, Тёмная ночь, "Tyomnaya noch") and "Scows Full of Mullet" (russian: link=no, Шаланды полные кефали, "Shalandy polnye kefali"). The second song is the humorous account of Kostya the sailor from Odessa who ironically spoke to his fiancee Sonya, the fishing girl. The first song, "Dark Night" was a serious ballad about a wife with a baby waiting for a soldier in the midst of a deadly fight. The song was sung by Bernes from the point of view of that soldier, who addressed his wife at home and assured her that he will live through all the deadly battles as long as she waits for him. "Dark Night" is the most recognizable Soviet song from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
Bernes's name had become closely associated with
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. After the war, he continued to perform songs about the war. His greatest hits of the 1950s were "Boys From Moscow" (also known as "Sergey From Malaya Bronnaya Street") and "Enemies Burned the Dear House Down". Both songs were about hardships suffered by people who lost family members in the war, and expressed extreme melancholy, directly confronting death and grief. The latter song was banned by the government because it was considered purportedly as too pessimistic. In the song, the soldier from front-line dugout bespeaks to his distant wife and his child at the cot, with sad and melancholy, but with hope for future meeting too.
In the 1950s, Mark Bernes also performed torch songs such as the sentimental ballad ''I Dreamed of You Three Years,'' and inspirational optimistic songs such as the march "I Love You, My Life".
In 1969, Mark Bernes was dying from lung cancer. In the summer of 1969, he recorded his last song
"Cranes" (russian: link=no, Журавли́, "Zhuravli"), which became his
swan song
The swan song ( grc, κύκνειον ᾆσμα; la, carmen cygni) is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful so ...
. Bernes sang that the soldiers that perished in war turned into cranes, that the cranes are still flying, and, that he will join their ranks. On 16 August, Mark Bernes died. "Cranes" was played at his funeral.
Popular songs
* "
Cranes" (russian: link=no, Журавли, "Zhuravli"; 1969)
* "
Dark Night" (russian: link=no, Тёмная ночь, "Tyomnaya noch"; 1943
* "
Scows full of mullet" (russian: link=no, Шаланды, полные кефали, "Shalandy polnyie kefali")
* "
What does the motherland begin with?" (russian: link=no, С чего начинается Родина, "S Chego Nachinayetsya Rodina")
*
"I love you, Life" (russian: link=no, Я люблю тебя, жизнь, "Ya lyublyu tebya, zhizn")
* "
Do the Russians Want War?" (russian: link=no, Хотят ли русские войны, "Khotyat Li Russkie Voyny")
* "
Dark mounds are sleeping" (russian: link=no, Спят курганы тёмные, "Spyat Kurgany Tyomnyie")
* "
When a distant friend sings" (russian: link=no, Когда поёт далёкий друг, "Kogda poyot daliokiy drug")
* "
Enemies burnt the dear house down" (russian: link=no, Враги сожгли родную хату, "Vragi sozhgli rodnuyu khatu")
* "
Vast Sky" (russian: link=no, Огромное небо, "Ogromnoe nebo")
Honors
Bernes received
People's Actor of the RSFSR (1965), was awarded the
Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to:
* The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize
The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...
(1951),
Order of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...
,
Order of the Badge of Honour
The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union.
It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...
,
and few other medals. in 1993, Bernes received a star in his honour on the
Star Square in Moscow.
A
minor planet
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...
3038 Bernes discovered by Soviet astronomer
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh (russian: Никола́й Степа́нович Черны́х) (6 October 1931 – 25 May 2004Казакова, Р.К. Памяти Николая Степановича Черных'. Труды Государст ...
in 1978 is named after him.
Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – p.250
/ref>
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernes, Mark
1911 births
1969 deaths
Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
Deaths from lung cancer in the Soviet Union
Jewish male actors
Jewish singers
People from Nezhinsky Uyezd
People from Nizhyn
People's Artists of the RSFSR
Recipients of the Order of the Red Star
Soviet Jews
Soviet male actors
Soviet male singers
Stalin Prize winners
Ukrainian Jews
Jewish Russian actors