The state anthem of the Republic of Chuvashia ( cv, Чӑваш Республикин патшалӑх гимнӗ; russian: Государственный гимн Чувашской Республики), also simply referred to as "Oh Motherland" (), is the
regional anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to shor ...
federal subject
The federal subjects of Russia, also referred to as the subjects of the Russian Federation (russian: субъекты Российской Федерации, subyekty Rossiyskoy Federatsii) or simply as the subjects of the federation (russian ...
of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. Officially adopted by the state in 1997, the lyrics were written by
Ille Toktash
Ille Tuktash ( cv, Илле Тукташ; 1907–1957), also Ilya Tuktash (russian: Илья Семёнович Тукташ), was a Chuvash people, Chuvash writer and poet. He was a member of the USSR Union of Writers.German Lebedev.
History
Earlier version
An idea aroused in 1905 about creating a new universal anthem. At the time, poet Yakov Turkhan wrote poems to the melody of the Russian Empire anthem, and he published them in the first issue of newspaper ''Hypar'' in January 1906.
In 1917, priest Taras Kirillov wrote and composed the poem "" (). Unsuccessful at first, leader of Chuvash choir in
Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering an ...
Tikhon Alekseyev created the anthem in 1918 which garnered support by the entire Chuvash intelligentsia. A version had a melody based on the " Anthem of Free Russia" composed by Aleksandr Grechaninov, and a subscript translation was preserved.
It was performed in January 1918 (after the end of the
Russian Republic
The Russian Republic,. referred to as the Russian Democratic Federal Republic. in the 1918 Constitution, was a short-lived state which controlled, ''de jure'', the territory of the former Russian Empire after its proclamation by the Rus ...
) by the Chuvash choir in Kazan after the premiere of the first national play by Maximovich-Koshkinsky, which was based on the play " Live Not as You Would Like To" by
Alexander Ostrovsky
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Остро́вский; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 origina ...
.
Its popularity increased and it was performed on all significant events. However, it did not acquire an official status at the time.
Modern version
The modern version was based on the song "Oh Motherland", written in the mid-20th century by Chuvash poet Ille Tuktash and composed by
Honored Artist of the RSFSR
Honored Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Zasluzhenny artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achievements in the ...
German Lebedev.Авторы Государственного гимна Чувашской Республики /ref>
The composer German Lebedev created it for Pyotr Osipov's play "In His Motherland", which was staged at the Chuvash Academic Theater between 1944 and 1945. After the first performance, the audience was impressed. For the first time, the song acquired its status of an unofficial anthem of Chuvashia on 30 October 1950. Then, in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions in Moscow, the 30th anniversary of the Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was celebrated. At this solemn evening, the Chuvash State Song and Dance Ensemble performed a song accompanied by a symphony orchestra.История создания гимна /ref>
The song became an official anthem after the adoption on 1 July 1997 by the State Council of the Chuvash Republic of the Law "On State Symbols of the Chuvash Republic", approved and signed by the Head, Nikolay Fyodorov, on 14 July 1997.Закон Чувашской Республики от 14 июля 1997 г. № 12 «О государственных символах Чувашской Республики» /ref>
April 29 is a holiday in the Chuvash Republic which celebrates the day of state symbols of the republic (anthem, emblem and flag – all of which have been celebrated since 2004). It was introduced by the Decree of the President of the Chuvash Republic on 8 April 2004, No. 24 "On the Day of State Symbols of the Chuvash Republic", and the Law of the Chuvash Republic on 19 April 2004, No. 1 "On the Day of State Symbols of the Chuvash Republic".