ABSTRACT
In 1986 rock music in Belarus became Belarusan rock. 1986, the year of the Chernobyl disaster, marks the time when the Belarusan renaissance became a significant and recognized social movement in the public sphere. This renaissance motivated many to learn the Belarusan language and to base contemporary expression on cultural rediscovery and their search for a pre Soviet Belarusan identity. The Belarusan rock movement is also defined by the logistics of producing recordings, getting air play, developing an audience, and generating a viable income. Language choice was and remains a key aspect of Belarusan rock. The most far-reaching agent which affected the general "Soviet" rock movement was government legislation. The Pieśniary hold a unique position in Soviet and now Belarusan popular music. In "Pierapiolačka" the influence of Yes and Rick Wakeman's electronic keyboard virtuosity is strongly suggested, as is the sonorous texture of Emerson Lake and Palmer.
