Conductor Dmytro Kotko’s Creative Work in the Mirror of Polish Press (1922–1926)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to highlight the concert and performance activities of the Ukrainian Naddniprianskyi Choir leaded by conductor Dmytro Kotko based on the materials of the Polish periodicals of 1922–1926. The research methodology consists in the use of methods of analysis and synthesis, systematization of facts, and generalisation of the materials studied. The methodological basis of the work is based on the historical and chronological, source, logical and generalising method to analyse periodical sources, study the work of the Naddnipryanskyi Choir, and identify the impact of its artistic activity on the development of musical life. The scientific novelty of the article is the introduction of new archival documents, a significant database of periodicals of that time, and publications of music criticism for a detailed comprehensive analysis of the choir’s creativity. Conclusions. The scientific article hightlights one of the periods of Dmytro Kotko's artistic activity – the management of the Ukrainian Naddnipryanskyi Choir. The analysis of his work is based on materials from Polish periodicals. Polish press has created a kind of chronicle of the musical life of this ensemble, describing artistry, exemplary stage discipline, professional vocal skills, successful selection of repertoire, original interpretations of choral works, and artistic perfection of performance. A large number of reviews, including those of well-known Polish musicologists, attest to the popularity of the creative institution and its director, Dmytro Kotko. Despite certain contradictions, biased assessments, or contradictory conclusions, the importance of these reviews in periodicals lies, firstly, in the fact that they created a kind of chronicle of the musical life of the Ukrainian Naddnipryanskyi Choir, and secondly, they stimulated the development of historical and theoretical musicology, laid the foundations of musical culture, and preserved valuable documentary facts for posterity.
 Key words: Dmytro Kotko, Ukrainian Naddniprianskyi Choir, performance, concert activity, conducting technique, repertoire, national art.