The Kyiv Bandurist Chapel’s concert activity during the Second World War

Abstract

Statement of the problem. Recent research and publications. The article is dedicated to the creative activity of the Kyiv Bandurist Chapel, its origins, and stages of formation. It characterizes the peculiarities of the Chapel’s concert and touring activities and states the role played by the bandurist choir in the social and political life of Ukraine. The creativity of the Kyiv Bandurist Chapel (and later – the Taras Shevchenko Bandurist Chapel) as a spiritual phenomenon of Ukrainian musical culture has been increasingly studied over the last two decades. Published works highlight various aspects of its activity, however, there remain questions that require deeper analysis and a new approach, particularly, the concert and touring activities of the Chapel in 1939–1944. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the article is to analyze the Kyiv Bandurist Chapel’s concert activity in the context of the social and historical events during 1939–1944 and its impact on various aspects of cultural, musical, and social life in Western Ukrainian territories. The article uses general scientific methods: source study, descriptive and analytical. The concert and performance repertoire of the Chapel has been analyzed in terms of its content and dynamics. The article mentions joint projects of the Chapel with Ukrainian musical institutions and public organizations. New data about the numerical composition of the first Kyiv Bandurist Chapel, the peculiarities of its concert and touring activities, and some episodes from the lives of individual bandurists have been introduced into the scientific discourse. Research results and conclusion. The Kyiv Bandurist Chapel takes its origins from the period when the national liberation struggles began in 1918–1922. During its existence, the Chapel has been known under various names: “Kobzar Choir” or “First Chapel of Kobzars” (according to V. Yemets), “First Ukrainian Art Chapel” (1925), “United State Exemplary Chapel of Bandurists of the Ukrainian SSR” (1935–1941), “Taras Shevchenko Bandurist Chapel” (from 1941). The foundation of the Kyiv Bandurist Chapel’s repertoire in different historical times constituted Ukrainian dumas, historical, Sich Riflemen’s and insurgent songs, national-patriotic authors’ works, and song and dance melodies. During the period under study, the Kyiv Bandurist Chapel actively performed concert tours in such regions, including Kyiv region, Volyn, and Galychyna. Throughout 1942–1944, it performed in Germany for Ukrainians who were forcibly deported by the Nazis from Ukraine and placed in Ostarbeiter camps. The Kyiv Bandurist Chapel, being in the whirlwind of historical events, proved that the Ukrainian people’s will and independence were always the priority in their creative activities. Further study of the Kyiv Bandurist Chapel’s history is pertinent to several key historical periods: the post-war reconstruction of Soviet Ukraine, the nation’s journey to independence, and the Russian-Ukrainian war. These topics are awaiting unbiased examination and scientific synthesis.