“Dark Night”: author and composer of a military song

The author wrote the poems for the song “Dark Night,” according to the director of the film “Two Fighters,” in a matter of hours. Wartime songs and verses are special.

The author of the song "Dark Night"

The lyrics were written in 1943 by the famous poet and songwriter of the Soviet era, Vladimir Garievich Agatov. The poet was born in 1901 in the city of Kiev. In his youth, he changed a large number of professions, including the journalist-feuilletonist. At the age of 18, Agatov was published in a collection entitled "Poems and Prose about the Russian Revolution."

For some time he worked in Kiev, but already at the beginning of the 1920s he settled in the capital and served in the Gudok newspaper. But the true recognition to the songwriter came after the release of the feature film “Two Fighters”, in which the song “Dark Night” sounded. The author wrote a legendary poem at the request of Leonid Lukov. Songs in the film "Two Fighters" were performed by Mark Bernes.

The author of the famous poem died at the age of 65. On his monument are written lines from the famous and beloved by everyone the song "Dark Night", which he is the author.

History of occurrence

The poem itself has a very interesting story. When the film was shot, the director L. Lukov had some problems during the filming of the episode in which the soldier wrote a letter to his relatives. The director tried to shoot, but all attempts ended in failure. And he suddenly came up with a brilliant idea, which consisted in the performance of the main character of the song while writing the text of the letter. On the same day, L. Lukov asked for help from N. Bogoslovsky and V. Agatov, authors of the words and music “Dark Night”. In a couple of hours the text and music were ready, and the episode was filmed.

After the song was performed by M. Bernes in the film, she became a popular favorite. The soldier A. Dzyubin sang it while in the dugout, accompanying himself to the guitar. It should be noted that after the episode with the song was filmed, the filming went much easier and faster. And the scene with the writing of a sheet to relatives was shot the first time.

However, the story of the song does not stop there. During the recording of "Dark Night" the first batch of phonograph records somehow turned out to be spoiled, an incomprehensible noise was heard. The reason for what was happening became known a bit later. It turns out that the noise arose due to the fact that the first matrix deteriorated during listening - the technician could not restrain the stream of tears.

Nikita the Theological

The composer was born in May 1913 in St. Petersburg into a noble family. N. Bogoslovsky studied at a labor school in his homeland. Based on the master’s recollections, it can be said that the musical education received at the school meant much more than all subsequent years of study at the conservatory.

The author wrote his first work at 8 years old. And already at 15 he created the operetta The Night Before Christmas. After school, the young composer went to the music college, where he studied at the composer’s department. Then he studied at the Conservatory of Leningrad. Studying at the conservatory, N. Bogoslovsky wrote music for theatrical productions.

At the age of 24, he began to compose motion picture music. The fame came to the master after the song Jenny from the film “Treasure Island”, and the song “Dark Night”, the author and composer of which is N. Bogoslovsky, like many other wartime works, cemented success.

The master wrote over 300 songs and created music for 119 films and 80 productions. He acted as a conductor at creative events both within the country and beyond its borders. In the middle of the 20th century, appeared on radio and television many times as a presenter. One of the first to appear on the stage of the famous television show of that time - KVN, which originally had the name “Evening of Fun Questions”.

N. Bogoslovsky died in April 2004. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy cemetery.

Song popularity

After winning the Great Patriotic War, the song began its conquest of the world. There was a case when I. Kozlovsky (songwriter) paid a visit to the USA to the communist leader W. Foster and asked if the American leader wanted to hear the song in live performance. To which he replied that he would listen to the song with joy, since in America it enjoys great success and popularity.

During the first release of the song on the plate back in 1943, many listeners liked the wartime song. But the performance of L. Utesov was not as sincere and sincere as the singing of M. Bernes in the movie “Two Fighters”. For this reason, everyone remembered the performance of the song “Dark Night” in the interpretation of Mark Naumovich, the great artist of the Soviet stage.

They remember and love the song

The song was and remains one of the most beloved, as well as in demand from written works during the Second World War. The song "Dark Night", whose author was well-known, was taught by children in schools and sang at demonstrations dedicated to the Great Victory Day.

Lines of a war time song after almost 75 years can be heard in folk performance in cities and villages of the countries of the former Soviet Union.