Batiuszka, Fokstrot rosyjski (Szymon Kataszek – Jellin) – Tadeusz Faliszewski & Ork. Syrena Rekord (Dyr. Iwo Wesby?) Syrena-Electro 1935 (Polish)
NOTE: The word „batiuszka” (pronounced: ba:tooshka; in Russian: батюшка) used to be an old Russian noun relating to the reverend in an Orthodox Church. However, in the pass of time it became a popular Russian dialect expression for a sort of a “king of life”, a big chap with some dough who enjoys living and in that sense it was used in Poland during the interwar period (Today, Alexandr Lukashkenka, the Belorussian president is sometimes ironically called “batiushka” by his opponents).
After the Bolkshevik revolution of 1917 in Russia many so called “white Russians” (- representatives of the Tzarist Russia middle & upper classes) run away from the Soviet regime westwards, and many of them stayed in Warsaw on their way to Germany or France. The kinship of two Slavic cultures and the sympathy that Poles had for the Russians persecuted by the Bolsheviks, made them feel good in Poland, many married Polish women, opened restaurants or participated in various ways in the cultural life of pre-war Poland. This symbiosis was also expressed in the song: many Polish hits were aimed at Russians (Siemieczki, Andriusza, Pod Samovarem, Moja Natasza and many others). There was also a very lively dance based on Russian motifs called \"Russian foxtrot\" and eagerly danced in Poland in the night clubs. This song composed by Szymon Kataszek: a fine Polish dance band leader and composer of innumerable hot dance tunes, is a good example of that.
