Russian Imperial Children and the Balalaika
The balalaika is arguably the most Russian of musical instruments, and the imperial children loved playing and listening to it, especially the two youngest - Anastasia and Alexei.
Anastasia mentioned playing the balalaika quite often in her letters. In this video, I included the balalaika instrumental of "The Cold Waves Are Splashing", which Anastasia specifically wrote about learning to play. You can hear the song performed by a men's choir in my earlier video about the imperial yacht The Standart: • The Romanovs on the Imperial Yacht: T...
"October 3rd
My sweet, golden Papa Darling!
Tell Alexei that I play the balalaika, and the sisters do too. "
"4 Oct 1915. Ts S. My darling Little Alexei
I was just playing on your balalaika. I am learning to play “Cold Waves Are Splashing” . I am not very good at it yet."
"7 October 1915. Ts. S. My sweet Darling little Alexei!
Forgive me that I took your balalaika which was in your room, but Maria and I play it."
"1 November 1915 Ts. S.
My Dear and Darling little Alexei!
I sometimes play the balalaika when I get time, because I am busy with working and reading... We have just got back from a concert at the Sisters’ Palace Infirmary. Tolstoy and many others played the balalaika. The boy Seriozha, you remember him, played so intently that a string broke and the whole time he hung his head, and there was a woman who was such a dummy, she played it so weakly, holding the balalaika and playing it with just one finger and her hat was down as low as her nose..."
"1 November. My sweet and dear Papa Darling!... Today is the holy day of Kozma and Damian. We rode in the afternoon, then [we] went to the sisters’ Palace infirmary. There was a concert they played the balalaikas, the Tolstoys and many other acquaintances, it turned out very nice. "
"15 February, 1916. Tsarskoe Selo. My Golden Papa Darling... Fersen Bezobrazov and various young ladies played the balalaikas there, and many others. So you think we are not going to [another] concert, right? "
"31 March, 1916. T.S. My golden Papa Darling.... Maria and I are now playing, she on the piano, and I on the balalaika, and it’s turning out rather well, but it’s even better with Olga."
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