Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin (13 Feb 1873 - 12 Apr 1938) was a Russian opera singer. Possessing a deep and expressive bass voice, he enjoyed an important international career at major opera houses and is often credited with establishing the tradition of naturalistic acting in his chosen art form. Chaliapin sings over the opening credits of this film, to the tune "Dark Eyes" by Yevhen Hrebinka. a well-known and popular Russian romance (sentimental art song). The lyrics were written by the poet and writer Yevhen Hrebinka to a melody borrowed from the "Valse hommage", Op. 21 for piano, written by Florian Hermann. Chaliapin popularized a version of "Dark Eyes" (or "Black Eyes") with changes to the lyrics and additional verses, dedicating them to his future wife. Here is the original title sequence as created by Merritt Crocker: