Calendar-almanac «Lviv Pilgrim» and the beginnings of interest in Ukrainian musical folklore in Galicia

Abstract

One of the important events in the scientific and artistic life of Galicia in the early nineteenth century was the publication in Lviv of a new yearbook – the calendar-almanac «Lviv Pilgrim». There was published the work «Folk Songs» in its first issue, in which for the first time in Galicia the question of the need to study folk music was raised and folk melodies were published. The author of the publication, the founder and editor of the yearbook was Karl Josef von Guttner (1793–1822).However, despite the importance of the event in the history of the emergence of ethno musical interests in Galicia, about the publication of KJ von Guttner's «Folk Songs», the history of its emergence and its impact on contemporaries today little is known. Therefore, the main purpose of the publication is to be acquainted in more detail with the figure of KJ von Guttner (a graduate of the University of Vienna, head and professor of statistics department at the Austrian Empire of Lviv University) and his ethnographic work. Also to analyze and evaluate its exploration, to outline the significance of this important event in the history of music folklore.The calendar-almanac «Lviv Pilgrim» combined the best achievements of the periodicals of that time. There was published two versions: in German and Polish. Two issues of the almanac calendar for 1822 (edited by K. J. von Guttner) and 1823 (edited by Josef Mauss) were published. The publication had a foreword and two parts: the first – calendar and the second – literary-scientific and reference. The second part contained articles on history, economics, statistics and science, literary works, notes on economic topics, background information.In the first issue of the Lviv Pilgrim was published KJ von Guttner's work entitled «Folk Songs». The publication consisted of an article-review, four folk songs with melodies (two Polish and two Ukrainian) and comments-notes to them. In the article-review, which served as a kind of introduction to the published melodies, KJ von Guttner convinced readers of the need to study and record the folklore of their own people. He drew attention to the need to record and study not only the verbal lyrics of songs, but also their melodies for the first time in Galician ethnographic literature. As an example of theoretical reflection, the researcher for the first time in Galicia published texts and melodies of Ukrainian folk songs in the study of Moronskyi. These songs were presented in the form of arrangements for voice accompanied by piano.KJ von Guttner's work became a milestone in the history of musical folklore. His post initiated and encouraged research on folk music in Galicia and beyond. In the second issue of the Lviv Pilgrim, Denis Zubrytsky supported the call to study own folklore by publishing an article «About the singing of ordinary people». The initiative of KJ von Guttner also influenced the appearance of folk music publications by Vaclav Zaleski – Karol Lipinski, Mikhail Maksimovich – Alexander Alyabiev, studies on folk song culture by Ludwik Piontkevich, Yuri Venelin (Georgy Gutsa). The initiative of the Austrian scientist drew the attention of the educated community to musical folklore and aroused interest in own folk melodies. Composers gradually began to turn to folklore sources, as evidenced by the artistic heritage of Mikhail Verbytsky, Ivan Lavrovsky, Karol Lipinsky, and later subsequent generations of Galician artists.