Vdol po Piterskoy

"Vdol po Piterskoy" is a song created by Russian singer Feodor Chaliapin based on Russian folk songs.

Historical background

Shalyapin created the song by combining three folk songs. It consists of two melodically distinct parts. The first one combines yamshchik's song «Вдоль по Питерской»:
and the folk dance song «Во пиру была». The second, fast-paced part is based on the dance chastushkas of Volga Region «Кумушка».
Vladimir Gilyarovsky, a Russian journalist and writer, devoted a chapter of his book Moscow and Muscovites to the song.
Later that expression became a catchphrase meaning “to do something in plain sight”. Nikolai Dobronravov, a Russian poet, used the phrase in his song "You know what a guy he was" dedicated to Yuri Gagarin.
In fact, there was no such Piterskaya Street; It was a colloquial reference to the Tverskaya-Yamskaya street, now Tverskaya Street

Settings and performance

Some works of such composers as Tchaikovsky or Stravinsky contain themes based on «Vdol po Piterskoy».
The song was further popularized by the Alexandrov Ensemble. It also appeared in the repertoires of Yuri Gulyayev, Leonid [Kharitonov |Leonid Kharitonov], Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sergei Lemeshev, Vladimir Matorin, and Muslim Magomayev.