Music centers of Chernihiv-Siversky region: names, events, creative teams, repertoire (to the 100th anniversary of the M. D. Leontovich Music Society)

Abstract

The study of music centers of Chernihiv-Siversky region in the context of the leading musical and public organization of the Ukrainian Renaissance – M. D. Leontovych Music Society (1921–1931) – opens wide opportunities for scientific research of hitherto unknown pages of the history of musical culture of Ukraine in XX century. Although the emergence of music centers in this period was due to a certain historical event and created in these lands after the tragic news on the death of the famous composer Mykola Leontovych, this process began long time before they received legal status as the members of the Society as its Chernihiv and Pryluky branches. Establishment of the branches of the Leontovych Society was associated with increasing the level of musical culture of the republic and was aimed to organize the process of unification of the Ukrainian people around the idea of national revival. All members of the Leontovych Society (not only the Pryluky and Chernihiv branches) had a responsible mission to be pioneers and reformers of musical culture in cities and villages, which at the time of the formation of the new Soviet art appeared to be the most important and difficult task. and coordinated work of each member of Leontovych Society, at the beginning of 1927 as its parts throughout Ukraine it was opened, registered and operated 69 branches and music centers, including about 930 members and 1013 musical organizations consisting of professional musicians and amateurs, who presented the school and student, peasant and workers’ choirs and ensembles, the chamber, brass, folk orchestras, etc. The history of the Leontovych Society’s activity turned out to be a kind of challenge to fate and a conscious putting on the altar of building the musical culture of Soviet Ukraine of the best human abilities, knowledge and strength, which became an unsurpassed example of the civic service to its people. The archival heritage of the Music Society named after MD Leontovych, preserved in the Fund № 50 of the Manuscript Institute of the National Library of Ukraine named after VI Vernadsky, was and is a unique document of Ukrainian history, which will forever remain for descendants an exclusive source of the information national past of Ukraine in many spheres of science, art and culture as a spiritual monument of our country.