“Suzanne Ament’s apparent enthusiasm for the living presence of the war songs among the Russians she encountered and interviewed verges sometimes on the romantic. She does not shy away from grand statements of music as a life-saving force in times of extreme violence and inhumanity. Her emotional involvement shines through the whole book, but is kept in balance by her extraordinary command of a wide range of sources and her meticulous analysis of all the factors involved. The most valuable contribution of this book to the understanding of Soviet history and culture is the light it sheds on the relationship between official cultural policy and grassroots reactions. The success of specific songs often ran counter to official opinion or ideological expectations. … The Great Patriotic War has rightly been called the great unifier of the Soviet people. Suzanne Ament’s timely study adds a much-awaited piece of explanation of how that peculiar agreement between State and People could arise in Soviet society at that time.” —Francis Maes, Ghent University, Belgium, European History Quarterly Vol. 49(4)

Suzanne Ament teaches Russian and World history at Radford University. With degrees in Russian area studies and history, her interests focus on music and culture. In addition to this book, she has written on the Soviet bard duo Ivashchenko and Vasil’ev, changes in Soviet music, and Russian revolutionary song.

Dedication
Acknowledgments
Contents    
Introduction

PART I - THE SONGS AND THEIR CREATORS

Chapter 1
THE SONGS OF THE WAR YEARS: Themes, Tunes, and Trends
Prewar Songs and Their Influence
Blitzkrieg: The Early War Songs
Farewell to Normality: The Early Lyrical Songs
War Is Here To Stay: Songs about Wartime Life
Victory on the Horizon: The Tone Shifts  
Victory Becomes a Reality
Chronologies, Shifts, and Variations in The Wartime Songs

Chapter 2
THE SOLDIERS OF THE SONG FRONT: Composers and Poets during the War    
The Composers    
The Poet-Lyricists    
Relations between Composers and Poets    
Remuneration: Contracts and Contests    
Amateur Song Writing    
Critiques and Debates on Song    

Chapter 3
COMMAND AND CONTROL: Official Policy and Institutional Responsibility over Song    
The Creative Unions    
Party and State Structures      
Trade Unions and Other Organizations      
Military Involvement    
Censorship Control        
International Relations and the Arts    
Conclusions    

PART II - SONG DISTRIBUTION AND RECEPTION

Chapter 4
PRINT, PLASTIC, AND SOUND WAVES: Mass Media and Song Distribution    
Songbooks and Other Musical Publications    
Newspapers      
Radio    
Records    
Film      
Conclusions      

Chapter 5
BALL GOWNS AND BOMBS: Performers and Brigades in Battle and at Home    
Diversity and Quantity of Performance Groups    
The Response to War    
The Experience of War: Brigade Travel, Performances and Living Conditions    
At the Front    
In Home Towns    
In the Rear      
Working Together    

PART III - SONG RECEPTION AND LEGACY  

Chapter 6
FROM DAWN ’TIL DUSK: Song in Everyday Life    
Audience and Memory      
Children’s Experiences        
Home Front Adult Experiences      
Song at the Front      
The Power of Song    

Chapter 7
THE LEGACY OF THE WAR SONGS
The Audience    
The State    
Fans and Idols    
Song Function    
The Legacy in the Body    
Post War Images of Freedom    

Conclusion    

Bibliography
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3