Farewell of Slavianka

Прощание славянки

English: Farewell of Slavianka
The cover of one of the first editions of the Farewell of Slavianka notes
Regional anthem of  Tambov Oblast
Also known as	Гимн Тамбовская области English: Anthem of Tambov Oblast
Lyrics	Vasily Agapkin, 1912
Music	Vasily Agapkin
Adopted	1937

Farewell of Slavianka (Russian: Прощание славянки - Proshchaniye slavyanki) is a Russian patriotic march, written by the composer Vasily Agapkin in honour of the Slavic women accompanying their husbands in the First Balkan War. The march was written and premiered in Tambov in the end of 1912. In summer of 1915 it was released as a gramophone single in Kiev. Slavyanka means "Slavic woman".

The melody gained popularity in Russia and adjoining countries during World War I, when the Russian soldiers left their homes accompanied by this music. This march was performed also during parade of 7 November 1941 on the Red Square, after which soldiers went straight to fight in Battle of Moscow. This march was also used as an unofficial anthem of Admiral Kolchak's White Army.

It was commonly believed that prior to its use in the award-winning 1957 film The Cranes Are Flying, the song was banned in the Soviet Union due to lyrics about banned subjects. Due to its popularity and quality, the Communist authorities adopted the song; however, only after significant changes were made to its lyrics. The original text, which sings about Russian patriotism, religion, and culture was not acceptable under the Soviet Union regime. It was originally published by Zimmerman Production Association around 1912. This march was published in an official collection of music for Red Army orchestras, and it was recorded in the early 1940s by a military orchestra under Ivan Petrov (1906–1975), though different lyrics were used during that time. There are lyrics which are usually sung by the Red Army choir today.