View source for Pesniary

{{Short description|Soviet Belarusian folk rock band}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background      = group_or_band
| name            = Pesniary
| image           = Песняры.jpg
| image_size      = 250px
| image_upright   = 
| landscape       = 
| alt             = 
| caption         = Pesniary, (1974).
| alias           = 
| origin          = [[Minsk]], [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic]], Soviet Union (Now Minsk, Belarus)
| genre           = [[Folk music|Folk]], [[folk rock]], [[folk-pop]], [[progressive rock]], [[psychedelic rock]], [[psychedelic pop]]
| works           =
| years_active    = {{Start date|1969}}–{{End date|2003}}
| label           = [[Melodiya]], Boheme Music, Media Star
| publishers      =
| spinoffs        = 
| spinoff_of      = 
| current_members = 
| past_members    = [[Vladimir Mulyavin]]<br/>Vladimir Misevich<br/>Anatoly Kasheparov<br/>Alexandr Demeshko<br/>Leonid Tyshko<br/>Leonid Bortkevich<br/>Valery Yashkin<br/>Valery Mulyavin<br/>Valentin Bad'yarov<br/>Valeriy Gurdizyane<br/>Ivan Krylov<br/>Сheslav-Viktor Poplavsky<br/>Vladimir Nikolaev<br/>Anatoly Gilevich<br/>Yuriy Denisov<br/>Ludmila Isupova<br/>Ludmila Medvedko<br/>Oktai Aivazov<br/>Marc Shmelkin<br/>Vyacheslav Mihnovich<br/>Valery Dayneko<br/>Yevgeniy Pozdyshev<br/>Vladimir Tkachenko<br/>Igor Palivoda<br/>Igor Penya<br/>Sergey Laptashov<br/>Arkadiy Eskin<br/>Boris Bernshteyn<br/>Vladimir Belyaev<br/>Vladimir Kudrin<br/>Yuri Lukashevich<br/>Alexander Rostopchin<br/>Mikhail Kulʹkov<br/>Oleg Martakov<br/>Dmitry Yavtuhovich<br/>Valeriy Golovko<br/>Eduard Tyshko<br/>Alexander Vislavskiy<br/>Leonid Kovalev<br/>Oleg Molchan<br/>Nicholay Neronskiy<br/>Alexander Moskalchuk<br/>Vyacheslav Bulda<br/>Aleksandr Katikov<br/>Vladimir Marusich<br/>Oleg Averin "Kozlovich"<br/>Victor Molchanov<br/>Arkadiy Ivanovskiy
| awards          = 
| website         = 
| module          = 
| module2         = 
| module3         = 
}}

'''Pesniary''' (also spelled '''Pesnyary''', {{langx|be|Песняры}}, {{IPA|be|pʲesʲnʲaˈrɨ|}}) was a popular [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Belarus]]ian [[folk music|folk rock]] [[VIA music|VIA]]. It was founded in 1969 by guitarist [[Vladimir Mulyavin]].<ref>[http://www.eg.ru/daily/stars/16855/ «Песняры» в квадрате]</ref> Before 1970, the band was known under the name '''Liavony''' (Лявоны).<ref>[http://www.vma-pesnyary.com/programs/vovesgolos.php Программа «Во весь голос»] — виртуальный музей ансамбля Песняры</ref>

==Style==
Pesniary combined various types of music, but mostly Belarusian folklore though often with various [[Rock music|rock]] elements and later rock as well. Several of Pesniary's songs were composed by [[Aleksandra Pakhmutova]]. The surprising influence of early [[Frank Zappa]] was also notable.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

==Biography==
In 1973, the band participated in Soviet television film "[[This Merry Planet]]".

Pesniary was one of the very few Soviet bands (and possibly the first one) to tour in [[USA|America]] in 1976. They toured the American South with folk band [[The New Christy Minstrels]]. 

After Mulyavin's death in a car accident on 26 January 2003, the original Pesniary split. Five different bands claimed to be the official descendants of Pesniary, touring and performing original Pesniary songs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.belmarket.by/opyt-i-molodost-pesnyarov|title=Опыт и молодость "Песняров"|last=Жданович|first=Анна|date=2014-03-17|website=|publisher=[[Belorusy i rynok]]|language=ru|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200409065901/http://www.belmarket.by/opyt-i-molodost-pesnyarov|archivedate=2020-04-09|accessdate=2020-04-09}}</ref> These are:

* Belarusian State Ensemble Pesniary – a state-produced band under the Ministry of Culture of [[Belarus]], consisting mostly of young musicians.
* Belorusskie Pesniari – led by former Pesniary saxophonist [[Uladzislau Misevich]].
* Pesniari – led by former Pesniary vocalist Leanid Bortkevich.
* Liavony – a band which split from Bortkevich’s Pesniari in 2008, consisted of young musicians, none of whom participated in Pesniary until 1998.
* Until 2006, the Liavony-Pesniary ensemble existed under the direction of the classical line-up drummer Alexander Demeshko. The band broke up in 2006 after his death.

==Discography==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year||Album||Transliteration||Meaning
|-
|1971||Ты мне вясною прыснiлася||Ty mnie viasnoju prysnilasia||I dreamt of you in spring
|-
|1974||Алеся ||Aliesia||Alesya
|-
|1977||Перапёлачка||Pierapiolachka||The Quail
|-
|1979||Волoгда||Vologda||[[Vologda]]
|-
|1980||Гусляр||Husliar||[[Gusli|Guslar]]
|-
|1982||Зачарованная моя||Zacharovannaya maya||My Enchanted (live album)
|-
|1984||Через всю войну||Cherez vsyu voynu||Throughout the Whole War
|}

The band also released dozens of singles.

==Lineup==
The lineup of the band changed frequently. Among the most notable and long-lived band members were:

*[[Lyudmila Isupova]] ([[Singing|vocals]], flute,1975–1979)
*[[Vladimir Mulyavin]] ([[guitar]], [[Singing|vocals]],1968–2003)<ref>[http://naviny.by/rubrics/culture/2008/10/04/ic_articles_117_159306/ Звание заслуженного артиста БССР Владимир Мулявин получил в Чувашии]</ref>
*[[Valery Mulyavin]] (guitar, [[trumpet]], 1968–1973)
*Leonid Bortkevich (vocals, 1969–1980)
*[[Anatoly Kasheparov]] (vocals, 1970–1990)
*[[Valery Dayneka]] (vocals, [[alto]], 1976–1992)
*[[Igor Penya]] (vocals, 1980–1998)
*[[Leonid Tyshko]] ([[bass guitar]], 1968–1981)
*[[Vladislav Misevich]] ([[saxophone]], [[flute]], 1968–1992)
*[[Alexander Demeshko (musician)|Alexander Demeshko]] ([[Drum kit|drums]], 1968–1988)
*[[Valery Yashkin]] ([[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[hurdy-gurdy]], 1968–1977)
*[[Vladimir Nikolayev (musician)|Vladimir Nikolayev]] ([[Keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[trombone]], 1971–1980)
*[[Cheslav Poplavsky]]  ([[violin]], guitar, 1972–1979)

==See also==
*[[Soviet music]]
*[[Belarusian music]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.pesnyary.by/ “Pesnyary”- official website of the group (БЕЛОРУССКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ АНСАМБЛЬ "ПЕСНЯРЫ"-официальный сайт]
*[http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2284 PESNIARY(PESNYARY)]
*[http://www.tagtuner.com/music/albums/Pesniary/ Pesniary Music Albums]
*[http://www.pesnyary.com/ «Песняры»-unofficial website]
* {{Discogs artist|Песняры|Pesniary}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Belarusian folk music groups]]
[[Category:Belarusian rock music groups]]
[[Category:Belarusian folk rock groups]]
[[Category:Belarusian progressive rock groups]]
[[Category:Soviet vocal-instrumental ensembles]]
[[Category:Belarusian musical groups]]
[[Category:Pop-folk music groups]]
[[Category:Soviet rock music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1969]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 2003]]
[[Category:1969 establishments in Belarus]]
[[Category:2003 disestablishments in Belarus]]