Blatnaya pesnya

Blatnaya Pesnya (Russian: Блатна́я пе́сня), or “criminals’ songs,” is a genre of Russian song characterized by romanticized and sometimes humorous depictions of criminal subculture and the urban underclass. The genre is also referred to simply as “blatniak” (Russian: блатняк). In the post-Soviet era, blatnaya pesnya are largely marketed under the more generalized and innocuously-named genre, “Russian chanson" (Russian: Русский шансон, tr. Russkiy shanson). Coined in the 1990s, “Russian chanson” has become a marketing neologism akin to “world music.” These songs are sometimes termed blatnaya muzika (“criminal music”), which is also the name of a guide to criminal slang used by NKVD agents, the predecessors of the KGB.

Characteristics Thematically, blatnaya pesnya focus on injustice and oppression under a political system, depictions of prison life, and celebrations of and dedication to criminal life, often combined with sexual innuendos as well as elements of irony and humour. Blatnaya pesnya lyrics are characterized by the use of criminal slang. Criminal slang (also called fenya) follows the grammatical structure of the Russian language, but also borrows vocabulary from Ukrainian and Yiddish, as well as other languages. In terms of structure, blatnaya pesnya generally lack choruses, instead spinning long narratives composed strictly of verses.

Origins The origins of this song genre lie in nineteenth-century Russia, and its precedents include the songs of serfs and czarist political prisoners, as well as Bolshevik prison protest songs. Given the glorification of criminality in these songs, blatnaya pesnya are often compared to gangster rap.

Musical Style Blatnaya pesnya have simple melodies, and root position tonic, dominant, and subdominant chords largely constitute the harmonic accompaniment. Consistent oscillation between tonic and dominant chords generally characterize the harmonic movement in these songs. Instrumentation varies, although contemporary songs make use of synthesizer sounds and supporting vocal arrangements.

Blatnaya pesnya (or shanson) have also been associated with klezmer, with an interplay between the genres beginning in nineteenth-century Odessa. “Klezmer-blatnoi hybrids” continue to be performed today, such as the Yiddish satire “Mein Yihus” (“my elder bother is a card shark, my mother is a prostitute”). Musical characteristics linking the genres include up-tempo clarinets, horns, and accordion.

Soviet Era The genre took hold in the early years of the Soviet era, but blatnaya pesnya proliferated after Stalin’s death. The relative relaxation of censorship and loosening of social control during the Kruschev and Brezhnev eras gave rise to an illicit and underground “second culture,” of which blatnaya pesnya were an important part. These songs were sung in homes and clandestine concerts, and secretly recorded and distributed in order to circumvent the backlash of political authorities (a practice known as magnitizdat). The repression under Stalin as well as the experiences of many Soviet citizens in the gulags led to a distinct form of blatnaya pesnya that depicted the terrors of this period while simultaneously mocking it. Blatnaya pesnya functioned as an important cultural alternative to sanctioned socialist realism during the Soviet era. Russian writer and dissident Andrei Sinyavsky (8 October 1925-25 February 1997) argued blatnaya pesnya represented the true music of the Soviet people, where criminalization and imprisonment served as the only bond among citizens.

Odessa and Jewish Identity During the Soviet era, the multi-ethnic port city of Odessa served as the center for blatnaya pesnya, both literally and metaphorically. Odessa is a frequent subject in blatnaya pesnya, and the city took on a mythical role as the cradle of Jewish gangster culture. Blatnaya pesnya are steeped in the mythology of “Old Odessa,” a city of excess and a paradise for thieves, where a prominent Russian-Jewish culture was associated with both wealth and sin. The Jewishness of Odessa, although wrapped up in criminality and debauchery, was also “a land of wit and irony,” in which Yiddish-inflected humour, brought over from the shtetls of Eastern Europe became the primary lens through which Old Odessa was depicted. Russian writer Isaac Babel popularized this image of “a city of swashbuckling Jewish swindlers and sinners,” and the Jewish gangster came to epitomize Odessa in Soviet culture, in contradistinction to the victimized, tradition-oriented stereotype of the shtetl Jew.

Major figures in the contemporary scene maintain connections with their Jewish heritage. In May 2006, émigré star Willi Tokarev (born 11 November 1934) drew a significant crowd to the Moscow Jewish Community Center, a Lubavitcher-run center financed by oligarchs. Tokarev’s songs also explicitly address Jewish identity and immigration (e.g. “Why Are the Jews Leaving?”), and in 2006 he toured Russia and Israel to promote “Hello Israel,” a Jewish-themed collection of songs.

Mikhail Shufutinsky (born 13 April, 1948), another international celebrity based in Los Angeles, sings songs based on Jewish themes and melodies, including “Song of a Jewish Tailor” (Russian: “Еврейский портной”).

Modern Context and Commercialization No longer a clandestine practice, St. Petersburg now serves as the unofficial capital of the genre. Popular with older generations of Russians, these songs hold a vital position in the contemporary Russian music scene. Because of the subject matter and obscenity, blatnaya pesnya are renounced by politicians and public officials, but remain wildly popular among citizens. Some contemporary radio stations in Russia are dedicated solely to this music, including Moscow’s Radio Shanson (Russian: Радио шансон) channel.

American Context During the 1970s, as Soviet immigrants came to New York City, Brighton Beach became the foremost Western center for the production and distribution of blatnaya pesnya. These songs—along with other banned cultural products—made their way back to the USSR via sailors and diplomats, and several performers based in New York City became émigré stars in Russia, including Mikhail Shufutinsky and Willi Tokarev.

Important Figures Mikhail Krug (7 April, 1962-30 June, 2002), Vladimir Vysotsky (25 January 1938-25 July 1980), Arkady Severny (12 March 1939-12 April 1980), Alexander Rosenbaum (born 13 September 1951), Willi Tokarev (born 11 November 1934), Mikhail Shufutinsky (born 13 April, 1948)