Nikita Bogoslovsky, one of Russia's most prolific and popular
songwriters who performed for soldiers at the front lines and for the
wounded in hospitals during the Second World War, wrote about 300 songs
and composed scores for 119 films and 80 shows.
He was born Nikita Vladimirovich Bogoslovsky on May 22, 1913, in St.
Petersburg, Russia. His father, Vladimir Lvovich Bogoslovsky, and his
mother, Elena Mikhailovna (nee Pozemkovskaya), belonged to Russian
landed Gentry. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Communist
authorities confiscated the Bogoslovsky family lands and property in
the Russian provinces of Novgorod and Tambov.
Young Nikita Bogoslovsky was brought up in a trilingual family
environment. His early inspiration was his mother's piano renditions of
popular songs by Aleksandr Vertinskiy. Young Bogoslovsky started his piano lessons
at the age of 3. From age 10 he was tutored privately by composer
Aleksandr Glazunov, who was director of St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Conservatory.
From 1929 - 1934 he studied piano and composition at Leningrad
Conservatory, graduating in 1934 as a composer. At age 15 he wrote his
first musical, 'Noch pered Rozhdestvom' (Christmas Eve Night),
premiered at Leningrad Theatre of Musical Comedy in 1929. In 1937
Bogoslovsky made his debut as film composer of the music score for
'Treasure Island'. He made his mark in film music during the 40s and
50s, becoming one of the most popular songwriters of his time.
Bogoslovsky's songs represented the history of the Soviet Union and
Russia and its people. His haunting melodies expressed all the
feelings, cares and aspirations of the people there. Bogoslovsky
mastered many popular music styles and incorporated the spirit and beat
of the American jazz as well as the intimacy of French chanson and
lyrical finesse of English ballads and other international styles into
his own songs. His most popular film songs such as, 'Temnaya Noch"
(aka.. Dark Is the Night), 'Shalandy' (aka..Boats Full of Mullet),
'Beloved City' and others, were admired by people of several
generations in Russia and internationally, becoming best selling hits
in recordings by Leonid Utyosov and Mark Bernes. In 1943, when Winston Churchill first heard
Bogoslovsky's song 'Dark Is the Night' in performance by Ivan Kozlovsky, he
became a great admirer of the song; upon Churchill's order many copies
of 'Dark Is the Night' were shipped to Britain.
He was also a master of comedy and practical jokes, and became famous
among Russian cultural milieu for his sharp and witty humor, especially
for his risqué and hilarious gags. His brilliantly designed tricks and
comic stunts had always aroused quick and broad laughter, and made many
of his friends happy, albeit he earned himself a few enemies too.
During the late 1940s and early 50s, when many artists in the Soviet
Union were attacked by the Communist Party under dictatorship of
Joseph Stalin, Bogoslovsky was censored and banned from public performances.
His songs and other music were banned for several years until 1956 when
the "Thaw" was initiated by Nikita Khrushchev. During the 60s, 70s, and 80s,
Bogoslovsky made hundreds of concert performances before sold-out
audiences across the Soviet Union and abroad. He was crowned with the
title "The King of Gags" and was a host of several popular TV shows in
Russia.
Bogoslovsky's music legacy includes 8 symphonies, music scores to 119
films and 80 theatre productions, an opera, two string quartets,
compositions for piano, and about 300 songs. His music earned him
national and international acclaim. He also wrote 9 humor-splashing
books, including the popular 'Notes on the Brims of a Hat'. He received
the title of Honorable artist of Russia (1968), was designated People's
Artist of the USSR (1983), and received awards and decorations for his
contribution to the Soviet, Russian, and international art, such as the
Order of The Red Banner of Labor (1971) and the Order for Artistic
Achievements by the Republic of France (1978). Bogoslovsky also enjoyed
popularity as a social activist and Honorary President of the Russian -
French society of friendship. He died of natural causes, on April 4,
2004, in Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in
Moscow, Russia.
Nikita Bogoslovsky was memorialized in numerous works of art, in
literature, and by astronomers: in 1993 a small planet # 3710 was named
"Bogoslovsky" after him. A plate was laid on the Star Square in Moscow
in his honor.
