Chastushka

Metre#

Most chastushki use a single metre, trochaic tetrameter, making it easy to combine the verses and share the refrain, the syllables within the lines of a typical four-line verse are arranged as 8+7+8+7. Typical song consists of one four-lined couplet, full of humor, satire or irony.

Form#

The name originates from the Russian word “часто” (“chasto”) – “frequently”, or from “частить” (“chastit”), meaning “to do something with high frequency” and probably refers to the high beat frequency of chastushki. The basic form is a simple four-line verse making use of an \mathrm ABAB , \mathrm ABCB , or \mathrm AABB rhyme scheme. Usually humorous, satirical, or ironic in nature, chastushki are often put to music as well, usually with balalaika or accordion accompaniment. The rigid, short structure (and, to a lesser degree, the type of humor used) parallels the poetic genre of limericks in British culture. Sometimes several chastushki are delivered in sequence to form a song. After each chastushka, there is a full musical refrain without lyrics to give the listeners a chance to laugh without missing the next one. Originally chastushki were a form of folk entertainment, not intended to be performed on stage. Often they are sung in turns by a group of people. Sometimes they are used as a medium for a back-and-forth mocking contest. Improvisation is highly valued during chastushka singing.

Content#

Chastushki cover a very wide spectrum of topics, from lewd jokes to political satire, including such diverse themes as love songs and Communist propaganda.

Political subjects#

Following the 1917 Russian Revolution, chastushki varied considerably in content from region to region. In some areas hit particularly hard by the grain requisitioning of the Soviet regime during the Civil War, such as Ryazan, peasant chastushki tended to be bitterly hostile. In other places, particularly those in close proximity to Moscow under Stalin’s leadership, “Soviet chastushki” favorable to Stalin’s Bolshevik government were sung and recited. Scholar Lynne Viola provides one such example of an anti-religious Soviet rhyme, rendered here in literal English translation: All the pious are on a spree, They see God is not at home. He got drunk on homebrewed liquor, And left to go abroad. Following the assassination of Communist Party leader Sergei Kirov late in 1934, chastushki sprung up relating the killing to a recent decision to terminate bread rationing, including this literal translation of one example provided by scholar Sheila Fitzpatrick: When Kirov was killed, They allowed free trade in bread. When Stalin is killed, They will disband all the collective farms.

See also#

• Bećarac
• Kolomyika

Further reading#

• Emil Draitser, Making War, Not Love: Gender and Sexuality in Russian Humor. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.

External links#

• Texts of ditties in Russian, in: Russian public domain library.