Through the Wild Steppes of the Baikal (1930)
Konstantin Sokol’skii. Russian folk music; Lyrics: Ivan Kondratiev
Description: This mournful account of prisoners wandering through the Siberian wilds has long been known to Russians as a folk classic. The music is indeed folk, but the lyrics were written by the Muscovite lyricist Ivan Kondratiev, who was born to a poor family and went on to be friend of artists and writers.
Glorious Sea, Holy Baikal (1944)
Maksim Mikhailov. Russian folk song. Lyrics by Dmitrii Davydov
Description: The lyrics were written by a Siberian poet and school inspector in 1848, impressed by the daring and audacity of fugitives from the Siberian prisons and factories. It gained popularity as a folk song in the 1850s when sung to music of popular origins.