United Nations on the March
| "United Nations on the March" | |
|---|---|
| Single | |
| Published | 1942 |
| Genre | March |
| Composer(s) | Dmitri Shostakovitch |
| Lyricist(s) | Harold Rome |
"United Nations on the March" is a song composed by Dmitri Shostakovitch and with lyrics written by Harold Rome. The song was written with the intent of it serving as the anthem for the Allied Powers of World War II.
Song
[edit]Dmitri Shostakovitch was a successful Soviet composer, having composed many pieces such as the Leningrad Symphony. The tune that would become the basis for "United Nations on the March" was composed by Shostakovitch in 1932 for the film Counterplan.[1] The English lyrics of "United Nations on the March" were composed by Harold Rome, an American composer and lyricist.[2][3]
Usage and variations
[edit]The song became a popular morale-booster during the war. It was the featured choral finale in the 1943 George Sidney musical and patriotic film Thousands Cheer.[4]
The tune became used for the French socialist song "Au-devant de la vie" (lit. 'Ahead of Life').[5]
New lyrics to the tune of "United Nations on the March, titled "Salute to CYUC (M-L)" were written and performed by the Canadian Cultural Worker's Committee, a front for the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist–Leninist). It was released in an album titled The Party is the Most Precious Thing in 1979.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Matthew Tobin Anderson (2015). Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad. Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-0-763-68054-1.
- ^ "Classical Archives". www.classicalarchives.com. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- ^ "The United Nations (Paul Robeson)". Political Folk Music. 2021-09-11. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
- ^ Thousands Cheer (1943) - Kathryn Grayson as Kathryn Jones - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-02-19 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ Rearick, Charles (1997-01-01). The French in Love and War: Popular Culture in the Era of the World Wars. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-06433-9.
- ^ "Canadian Cultural Workers' Committee – Party Is The Most Precious Thing And Other Canadian Revolutionary Songs". Discogs. 1979.