The collection of songs included on this very record is not meant as an anthology, even the rough one. It is no more than a tiny window letting us see the depths of the Russian soul. Although all of the songs bear a distinctive folk character they were created in towns by enlightened authors transforming traditional chant in their own way. As a result these songs were closely related to European canon and became extremely popular outside the country; the exotic phrase of the melody and the unparalleled type of emotionality have fascinated the world for over two hundred years.