24 May 1917. The New York Times

Non-fiction

Project 1917 is a series of events that took place a hundred years ago as described by those involved. It is composed only of diaries, letters, memoirs, newspapers and other documents

The New York Times

The ‘Hymn of Free Russia’, heard for the first time in America yesterday afternoon at a benefit concert for the repatriated Siberian exiles, and overshadowing for the moment some of Russia’s greatest music in the same program, stirred an audience that filled Aeolian Hall, and left it excited as perhaps no other musical event has thrilled this public since the war.

At the fiest note from Ossip Gabrilowitsch’s orchestra, 1,500 persons leaped to their feet and stood at attention through the five brief stanzas sung in Russian by George Harris, the tenor. Copies of the words in English had been distributed, and the history of the song’s origin in the late revolution was already known. Before the house could be quieted, the magnificent air land to be repeated again to the same standing crowd.

Gretchaninoff, the composer of the music, which, since March, has replaced ‘Czar’s Hymn’ by the grandfather of Prince Lvoff, the present revolutionary Premier, is one of Russia’s best known composers today. The orchestra version used was made by Wilhelm Strassion, an Austrian by birth and former conductor at the opera in Petrograd. By the irony of fate he was not present yesterday to hear the work, though he is now in New York as a war refugee.

The melody of song, which is both march and hymn, is of notable simplicity, its highest flight comprised within octavo of notes, and unadorned as a child’s piano exercise. The crowd could have sung it after twice hearing yesterday. The harmony, almost equally plain, yet enriched in the spirit of Russian folksong, made a profound impression.

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✍ Also today

Lyubov Mendeleeva-Blok Alexander Blok

Pskov, Russian Empire

Today is Ascension, and I got up early at 7 o' clock and went to Detinets; there are birch trees and lilacs there, green grass, on the remains of the wall, far under the legs of Great Pskov, from all sides the white Church and the blue sky merged, and all was well with me. I only desperately wished that you were there and saw it.

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Vladimir Lenin

Petrograd, Russian Empire

Now that “socialists” have become members of the cabinet, things will be different, the defencists have been assuring us. It did not take more than a few days to reveal the falsity of these assurances.

What does Mr. Tereshchenko, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, the associate of Skobelev and Tsereteli, have to say on this question? See more

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Nikolai Bukharin

Moscow, Russian Empire

How can we find a way out of the current situation? In the first place, we must put an end to the slaughter, and return the factory benches and fields to those who toil in the cities and the countryside. Then we must rebuild Russia’s finances and treasury. And this can only be done by refusing to pay the loans incurred by the old government. This will anger the bankers of the Allied Nations deeply, but the Russian people is not obliged to render service to bankers - either Russian or foreign. See more

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Sergey Prokofiev

Apartment house, 122, Fontanka embankment, Petrograd, Russian Empire

Now, everyone is so busy with the revolution that, rightly, no one is going to new operas.

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Alexander Kerensky

Finland

I travelled to Helsingfors and Sveaborg. Not far from these two ports, our “large” navy (of dreadnoughts, frigates and cruisers) stood anchored in the Gulf of Finland. I spent two days there, attending many meetings, both public and behind closed doors. At the public meetings I was often openly attacked by Bolsheviks; during the private meetings I was given to hear very harsh criticism from a number of officers, whose lives, watched over by the vigilant eyes of the sailors’ committees, have descended into utter nightmare. See more

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Leon Trotsky

Tauride Palace

Lenin calls Kerensky a swaggerer. Kerensky was and always will be an accidental figure, a placeholder for the real men of history. Each new and mighty wave of the revolution, sucking in masses of the untested and inexperienced, invariably throws up such fleeting heroes, only for these to be instantly blinded by their newfound radiance.

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George Buchanan

4, Dvortsovaya embankment, Petrograd, Russian Empire (British Embassy)

I received a telegram from Lord Robert Cecil, who was then in charge of the Foreign Ofl&ce, informing me that the War Cabinet were impressed with the necessity of creating a more favour- able attitude among Russian Socialists and workmen towards the war, and of rectifying the false impressions that were being circulated in Russia about our aims. Feeling that this could be done with better chance of success by a Labour leader than by anyone else, they had decided to send out Mr. Henderson on a special mission. See more

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Nicholas II

Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire

It was a nice light day. I took a short walk until Mass. After breakfast I went with Alix to visit E. A. Naryshkin, who apparently had pneumonia. We worked in the vegetable garden and perspired a lot. I read until 7:15 and then for the first time I went for a ride with the children on bicycles. It was very pleasant to get out and breathe the evening air.

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23 May

What the Tsar’s family had for luncheon today

Drunk soldiers threaten to rape the Tsarina’s lady-in-waiting

Socialists from all over the world travel to Petrograd

1916: Year in Review.

From one revolution to another

Russia in 1917

+11

in Petrograd

+10

in Moscow