Yeah, he even stole from Dan Fogelberg: https://youtu.be/cIGiX-vc6M8?t=17s
Were there? They didn’t. So no, we haven’t.
As vicarious entertainment (like watching a soap opera) not as part of our government, of course.
“Spanish Bombs” by the Clash.
In the summer of 1975 (not the 4th of July) I went to a Cleveland Orchestra concert at Blossom Music Center, where the big attraction was the 1812. They made such a rousing jam of it that at the end my dad was overcome with fervor, stood with a fist, and cheered. Music can rouse a person like that. Aux barricades, les camarades!
My parents had that record! That was my introduction to the 1812. That story of how they recorded the cannons and church bells was on the flip side of the record. I remember listening to that when I was little.
The coordination of the cannons and the music is complicated. I was at an open air concert in Davenport, IA back in the mid-80’s. It was written up in the newspaper how they did it.
At the orchestra, the conductor is timing the orchestra and another person familiar with the score is at a telephone (the old military - survive nuclear blast type) on a land line down to the 105mm howitzer crews.
At a signal (nod) from the conductor, the relay man says a simple “go”.
The music is audible at the howitzer site but delayed by the distance (even blanks require safety separation from the civies).
There’s a slight delay as the listener hears and processes the “go”.
Another heartbeat for him to signal to the gunner, heartbeat as the gunner recognizes the signal, heartbeats as he pulls the lanyard, the ignition of the powder in the blank shell takes another heartbeat.
Then the sound must travel back up to where the audience is. It took a bunch of rehearsals to get the timing down so the sound is heard in time with the music. And the gun crews are rapidly reloading for the next volley. They had to signal slightly ahead of time to get it in sync. Whew.
Little note on the 105mm blanks. They were mostly previously fired brass cartridge cases that are cut down to a bit under half length. The cases are resized (expanded some when first fired), a short stubby primer is inserted. The case gets a small propellent charge (black powder or similar) and then is sealed with a wax plug or wad w/closure cup. The cartridge case are required to be turned back in but significant numbers disappear and end up with various engravings for ceremonies.
optional reading follows…
Old story from way back. I’m at US Army Azizuki Army Depot on an island (Etajima) near Kure, Japan. There’s a MLC (master labor contractor - local national) whose job is artwork. He produced paintings, etched/engraved awards, woodworked plaques and nameplates, did carving for not just the US base but for units in the nearby Japanese Self-Defense bases. He was carried on the books as an ammunition inspector. Some American passing through reported this discrepancy to the Inspector General office up in Tokyo area. A major dutifully arrives and documents the workshop, tools, artwork and reports back to Tokyo. The story goes that as he is ardently detailing this fraud to his boss; the colonel raises a brass mug with a brass plated .50 cal blank round brazed on as the handle. A 105mm blank cartridge case! The colonel noted that was very interesting. The major at this point must have recognized where the mug had come from and beat a retreat from the office. Note that the Japanese government paid the MLCs and were not concerned at all.
The official opening of Carnegie Hall in May 1891 the guest conductor was Tchaikovsky.
Remember, the most popular athlete for Americans in the 1972 Summer Olympics was Olga Korbut……a Russian gymnast
It’s true that it’s Russian, but it’s also about beating the French. What more do Americans link to patriotism than making fun of the French? ‘Freedom Fries Forever, baby!!!’ 
More seriously, it’s a very religious piece and that appeals to American sensibilities as well. It’s ultimately about God rescuing his people from disaster at the hands of godless invaders which had I’m sure a certain appeal during the Cold War.
Do people recognize the religiosity of the piece? I doubt it. I think most people just think it’s a loud, bombastic work that sounds really cool.
I’ve performed this multiple times and am irked that it’s never been with actual cannons.
Granted, twice* was* in crowded concert halls.
I’m with Calvin. The 1812 Overture was one of my favorite pieces of classical music as a kid, and I still love it, but not just because of the cannons - it’s a beautiful, multi-textured, stirring work.
Here’s a Japanese military band playing it - you can see at 9:50 that they use small flags to signal the 105mm artillery cues. The big booms start at 10:04: Tchaikovsky "1812 Overture" with 105mm Cannons 20101017 (2/2) - YouTube
And see the U.S. Army’s 101st Field Artillery at 6:19 here (including a slight mishap with the ammo for the final volley): 101ST Field Artillery Boston Pops 1812 Overture - YouTube
I once heard it said that a mark of your sophistication was if you could hear the William Tell Overture and not even once think about the Lone Ranger!
This. It’s the appeal of a lot of Russian orchestral works - “Night on Bald Mountain” for instance. I’m partial to “Marche Slave”, myself.
Just cigarettes and pizza rolls.
She was from Belarus, not Russia.
True, but I think during the Cold War Americans used Russian to refer to anyone from anywhere in the USSR.
A couple years ago I conducted the 1812 with the high school concert band I work with. Instead of cannons, we passed out paper lunch bags to the audience. On my cue, they blew them up and popped them. Made quite a racket.
Not written by a Russian, but it’s about some of them, and sounds like it, too:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BoyarGreenberg played a bit of it on one of his Beethoven Symphony Course CDs. I did find a copy, on a CD with the 1812 Overture. Cannons are divine. Lots of small arms fire in the Wellington is dreadful.
It was one of Beethoven’s more popular works, showing that the Viennese public was not necessarily any smarter than the American public.
They seem popular to record together. I had an LP of them when a was younger.