Choir Research Articles

Cancer Survivors’ Resilience During COVID-19 and Virtual Community-Based Choral Singing: A Feasibility Study

Abstract The study aimed to determine the study feasibility of a weekly virtual community-based choral singing program and to explore the impact of weekly choral singing on resilience, anxiety, and benefit finding in cancer survivors. Six participants were recruited from the Survivorship Choir (SC), led by a board-certified music therapist and affiliated with a cancer center. Study participants attended their standard 90-minute rehearsals, which were conducted virtually because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Researchers followed participants over eight weeks, collecting data at weeks one and eight. Five self-report instruments were used and included a researcher-designed Demographic Form. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) is a 10-item questionnaire assessing participants’ resilience. The PROMIS: Emotional Distress-Anxiety Scale measured participants’ anxiety levels, and the Carver Benefit Finding Scale assessed participants’ benefit finding levels. The participant Feedback Form, designed by the researchers, assessed the study’s feasibility and effectiveness. High attendance and completion rates demonstrated the study’s feasibility. Choral singing led to a statistically significant increase in resilience (W = 0.00, p = .036, rrb = -1.00) between baseline (M = 28.33, SD = 7.20) and week 8 (M = 33.83, SD = 4.88), demonstrating a large effect. While not significant, anxiety and benefit finding trended in a desirable direction with large effects. The present study format was feasible during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study showed that community-based choral singing, even in a virtual format, may positively affect cancer survivorship by increasing resilience and benefit finding and alleviating anxiety.

METHODS OF TEACHING CHORAL CONDUCTING IN CHINA (BASED ON THE WORKS OF XIAN XINGHAI AND HUANG ZI)

The article studies the specifics of the educational cycle of choir conducting in Chinese universities, highlights the origins of the formation of the style of choral compositions by Chinese authors, analyses Xian Xinghai’s choirs “On the Taihang Mountains”, “Yellow Water Ballad” and Huang Zi’s choir “Fluttering Flag” in the aspect of pedagogical problems. The most effective methods for working on the selected works at different stages of training are revealed. The musical, stylistic, rhythm and intonation features of the choirs are indicated, the importance of the imagery of the poetic texts is emphasised. The conclusion is made about the expansion of the educational process in Chinese institutions in the field of choral conducting.

Hlukhiv People Amature Chamber Choir of Sacred Music creativity as a component of Hlukhiv region’s culture (the end of 20th – early 21st century): art reflections

Statement of the problem. The 20th century in the history of Ukraine was marked by the harsh policy of the USSR authorities in relation to religion and national self-identity. Aiming to destroy everything sacred for Ukrainians and transform them into an universal faceless nation, the government achieved the opposite result. Against a background unsuitable for revival, sprouts of spirituality and “Ukrainianness” appeared as a counter-response to the totalitarian radicalism of the government. Recent research and publications. We established that the Hlukhiv phenomenon was revealed in the works of O. Vasiuta (1998), H. Lokoshchenko (1990), L. Horenko (2006), V. Ivanova (1997), M. Kyianovska (2000), L. Kornii & B. Siuta (2011), K. Maiburova (1971), M. Yurchenko (2001). The purpose of these publications is to study the origins of the development of professional Ukrainian music and its integration into the world music space. The publications addressed the activities of the Chamber Choir were appeared in local periodical press, in particular the newspapers “Hluhiv region”, “Day”, “Courier”, “People Tribune”, “Week”, “Panorama”, and others; they have narrative character without analytical science approach and adopted to usual unprofessional readers. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of this article is a coverage of the creative activity of the Hlukhiv People Amateur Chamber Choir of Sacred Music. For this, source studies, scientific, historical, and analytical research methods were used, as well as generalization and systematization of information about the activities of the creative team. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the analysis and systematization of the Choir’s repertoire, in highlighting of its history and aesthetical principles directed its progress, in presentation of social and cultural context of the time, and revealing of significance the choir collective’s activity for actualization of Ukrainian national spiritual heritage. Research results and conclusion. The choral culture of Hlukhiv is a bright page of the centuries-old history of developing the Ukrainian choral singing. Its traditions were revived at Hlukhiv region in the 20th century through the activities of the Sacred Music Chamber Choir. The main vectors of the group’s creativity are highlighted: promotion of the Ukrainian-language repertoire, performance of works by countrymen composers M. Berezovsky, D. Bortnyansky, preservation of the canonical traditions of choral singing, and performance of sacred music. These areas of activity make it possible to identify the team’s creative work as an important component of the national Ukrainian culture. Regardless of historical and political obstacles, the choir’s activities achieved their goals: the performance of outstanding countrymen’s music gained popularity and found its continuation in the repertoire of the Choir department of the Hlukhiv School of Arts; classical and sacred choral music became part of the repertoire of city concerts; due to successful concerts and tours of the Choir as well as the active promotion work of its leader Kateryna Kobzar, the people of Hlukhiv got the opportunity to hear the performances of famous Ukrainian musicians, the guests of the city.

Acoustic Parameters in the Evaluation of Voice Quality of Choral Singers. Prototype of Mobile Application for Voice Quality Evaluation

Choral singers are among intensive voice users whose excessive vocal effort puts them at risk of developing voice disorders. The aim of the work was to assess voice quality for choral singers in the choir at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology. This evaluation was carried out using the acoustic parameters from the COVAREP (A Collaborative Voice Analysis Repository For Speech Technologies) repository. A prototype of a mobile application was also prepared to allow the calculation of these parameters. The study group comprised 6 male and 19 female choir singers. The control group consisted of healthy non-singing individuals, 50 men and 39 women. Auditory perceptual assessment (using the RBH scale) as well as acoustic analysis were used to test the voice quality of all the participants. The voice quality of the female choir singers proved to be normal in comparison with the control group. The male choir singers were found to have tense voice in comparison with the controls. The parameters which proved most effective for voice evaluation were Peak Slope and Normalized Amplitude Quotient.

THE IMAGE OF ANTONIO SALIERI ACCORDING TO THE MEMORIES OF HIS CONTEMPORARY AND EPISTOLARY PUBLICISTIC LITERATURE

The image of Antonio Salieri is recreated based on the memories of his contemporaries and epistolary and journalistic literature. The author, relying on memoir literature, archival documents and journalistic sources, substantiates his own position regarding A. Salieri’s contribution to the world artistic treasury and artistic higher education, the expediency of researching his heritage at the current stage. A wide range of primary sources little-known in scientific circulation are used, which allow us to reveal the image of Antonio Salieri – a musician, composer, teacher, theater director, rector of the central art institution of higher education in Europe in the 19th century – the Vienna Conservatory. The concept of A. Salieri’s involvement in the early death of is refuted Mozart. The aim consists in recreating the image of Antonio Salieri based on the memories of his contemporaries and epistolary and journalistic literature. The tasks of the research are the analy of primary sources on this issue and the identification of modern approaches to Antonio Salieri’s contribution to the world artistic treasury. Research methods. The methodology of the author’s research is based on the content-comparative method, which allows you to determine the reliability of one or another source, the ratio of traditionally established and non-traditional vision of the image of a prominent representative of his era – Antonio Salieri. Reconstruction was also used – to reproduce the events of the era at the turn of the 18 – 19th centuries within the scope of the research. Research results: The development of the pedagogical heritage of A. Salieri in the activities of his students and followers is shown; the creative portrait of Y.N. Hummel, who, thanks to the Maestro, mastered vocal art, Italian musical terminology, music theory and solfeggio, choral singing and conducting, orchestration, pedagogical skills, combined “Salierian” classicism and his own romanticism. The achievements of Fortunata Valzel-Franchetti as a singer, artist and teacher are analyzed, and it is shown how the vocal-pedagogical school of A. Salieri came to Ukraine through her. Conclusion.The analysis of primary sources –correspondence, diaries of Antonio Salieri and his students, made it possible to find out the significance of the Maestro’s creative heritage for subsequent eras, to recreate his image based on the memories of his contemporaries and epistolary and journalistic literature. 27 archival cases were presented for consideration, which gave an opportunity to understand how domestic scientists, artists and publicists treated Antonio Salieri throughout the 20th century, so often they turned to his creative heritage. After careful analysis of these materials, it can be said that their assessment was very high.

Exploring Music Performance Practices in the Zimbabwe Republic Police

The study explored the music performance practices in the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). The authors examined musical practices envisioned in the ZRP from colonial times to date. The ZRP music section has dance and brass bands, traditional dance, and vocal ensembles. The study focused on the ZRP dance and brass bands since they were subjected to colonial practices. Decoloniality theory was used to interrogate the data. A qualitative research methodology was used to examine the ZRP musical practices. Thirty participants were purposively sampled from current and ex-members of the ZRP. The study collected data through interviews and observations to understand the ZRP musical practices. The study explored topics including sight-reading, harmony, discipline, performance of copyrighted music, European songs, and transcription to explain how they affected the musical practices of the ZRP. The data showed that certain practices, like the playing of “Roast Beef of Old England” depicts the colonial system. Other practices, like playing European calls at national and police ceremonial events did not reflect African contexts. Although the ZRP incorporated indigenous musical practices into their musical renditions, more musical act ivities are needed to replace the fanfare and songs, including “Scipio,” “Road to the Isles,” and “Waltzing Matilda.”

Британская хоровая музыка на рубеже XIX и XX веков: феномен английского музыкального ренессанса

The article is devoted to the phenomenon of the English musical renaissance, little studied in Russian musicology — a movement under which presently the formation of the British national compositional school of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries is comprehended. The author turns to the musical heritage of the leading composers of that period — Alexander MacKenzie, Hubert Parry, Charles Stanford and Sir Edward Elgar — with the aim of demonstrating the sources of the English musical renaissance and determining, what significance was exerted by the choral heritage by its main representatives on the subsequent evolution of choral music in Great Britain. Among the chief factors which influenced the English musical renaissance, the following are highlighted: the development of the choral festival movement, the establishment of the Royal College of Music, the directedness of the British professional education on the formation of the national school of composition, as well as Parry’s and Stanford’s active work in musical criticism and research. The peculiarities of the choral writing of each of the aforementioned composers are analyzed on the example of the most well-known works in the genres of the cantata and the oratorio. The author brings to light the general tendencies in the organization of the choral texture and timbre and the unique techniques the discovery of which is capable of making adjustments to the existent perceptions about the evolution of the choral music of the early 20th century. In particular, study of Elgar’s choral works makes it possible to confirm the composer’s interest in the textural and timbral techniques typical for the composers of the first and the second avant-garde in Europe, such as diagonal texture and non-standard unisons. The author’s conclusions make it possible to form a perception of the works by the composers of the “first renaissance trio” (Parry, Stanford, MacKenzie) and their younger contemporary Elgar as the greatest impulse of the formation of 20th century British choral music, which in the second half of the century became among the most on demand in world performance.

STRIVING FOR THE UNDERNEATH: BODY AND PATHOS IN CHAYA CZERNOWIN'S COMPOSITION FOR VOICE IN INFINITE NOW AND HEART CHAMBER

AbstractIn her two recent operas, Heart Chamber (2017–19) and Infinite Now (2015–16), Chaya Czernowin uses vocal ensembles to embody a single character. In a 2016 article, she explained that she wanted to liberate the individual voice from its fixed emotional, social and individual conventions (especially its ingrained pathos), and to work with the voice as a free imaginative sonic material, using the ensemble technique to achieve this. This article argues that the voice ensemble technique amplifies and intensifies the pathos of the voice rather than eliminating it. Recognising that the voice has strong somatic qualities since it is produced in the body, I suggest a material-musical analysis, based on the theories of Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht and Brian Massumi, that focuses on the body, the sensual experience and the physical space, and rejects the hermeneutic tradition that refers to meaning and interpretation only. What emerges is that the voices, instrumentation and electronics of the ensemble are designed to embody the inner body and the outer space at the same time. The voice ensemble may split and produce multi-layered mental–physical states, and express how traditional dichotomies, such as culture/nature, body/mind and subject/object, can meld into multi-perspective processual movements. It is in this intersection of sound and drama, manifesting the corporeal, that the unique power of opera is evinced.

The Role of Zoltán Kodály’s Male Choruses in the Genre’s History, Possibilities of Their Application in the Repertoire of Amateur Ensembles

"Zoltán Kodály’s publication titled Férfikarok (Male Choruses) is a truly diverse collection: in addition to the composer’s works in the genre, one can find folk song arrangements, religious pieces, compositions inspired by historical events and even transcriptions, of various lengths and levels of difficulty. It is common knowledge that Kodály was not fond of exclusively male ensembles, being rather uninterested by male voice choirs and indeed his opinion was that these choral societies should be converted into mixed choirs. However, after travelling extensively in the country – thus gaining insight into the operation of these groups – he began to contribute to the genre’s repertoire. The composer began to view the case differently, as he thought that amateur male choirs – of which there were still many in the 1930s – should rather sing compositions of a higher value, as opposed to pieces of the Liedertafel-style. At the same time, the Férfikarok collection contains many pieces that are not suitable for amateur ensembles due to their challenging nature in terms of intonation and tone production. In this paper – in addition to presenting the volume – I intend to introduce a certain way of categorization based on the compositions’ level of difficulty, through an analytical approach, which may be of help to those who work with such ensembles that are rare, but worthy of appreciation. Keywords: Zoltán Kodály, male voice choir, Liedertafel-movement, choral societies, Hungarian poetry of the 19th century."

Seven choral compositions “Profiles of time” for organ by Volodymyr Guba

Seven choral compositions “Profiles of time” for organ by Volodymyr Guba

Exploring the Affective and Spatial Politics of Choral Music Performance through Focus Groups with Singers

This paper builds on focus groups with singers from a chamber choir that rehearses and performs in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. It explores the spatial politics of performance and singers’ understandings of the impact of choral music, in particular in music with social justice themes. Discussion centers on two compositions about forced migration. Singers reflected on their experiences rehearsing and performing these and other works, exploring the function of choral music, the politics of performance, and race and whiteness in choral singing. We argue that focusing on singers’ experiences allows musical geographies to further explore an affective politics of performance. Participants described singing as a form of political engagement—though one different from electoral or activist politics—but one that they navigate ambivalently, through affects that include hopefulness and (sometimes productive) forms of anxiety and discomfort. We contribute to discussions in cultural geographies and geohumanities around race and musical geographies, the affective (geo)politics of performance, and art-geography collaboration.

Choral music and identities in Tanzania

In her doctoral research, Lampinen explored the connection between choral repertoiresand identities within church choirs in one Lutheran Diocese in Northern Tanzania. The participantsin this research were a group of choir conductors in this diocese. The concept ofidentities was approached from individual, social, and group aspects as well as religious,ethnic, and national viewpoints.

Music for life: a case of good practice

This research is based on the hypothesis that music education, based on active participation, can improve the quality of life of older people and positively influence the prevention of dementias, such as Alzheimer's. Choir singing has always brought benefits, but active choral singing, including movement and body expression, as well as instrumental practice, can increase a healthy physical and mental life. Music for life is a project that takes place in an association of pensioners and retirees in a small town, in Spain. Participants go once a week to sing, actively learn music, but what they really do is work the laterality of the cerebral hemispheres, boost memory, improve self-esteem, and connect with people of similar characteristics and situations. One of the most important parts of the project is public auditions in homes for the elderly or similar, as part of musical learning, self-esteem and social responsibility. The idea of ​​being able to show other people their musical work, and offer a few hours of joy to older people, makes them feel important and necessary. The research part consists of checking whether these connected activities (singing, corporal expression and memorization), favor the prevention of dementias such as Alzheimer’s; improve psychomotor skills and the quality of life of people. At the moment, we have only been able to verify the increase in self-esteem, and the implication involved in participating in a research project.

Counterpoint and Non-harmonic tone Arrangements on “Bungong Jeumpa” Song Arrangements Works of Paul Widyawan

The purpose of this study is to analyze and describe Paul Widyawan's “Bungong Jeumpa” song about conterpoint and non-harmonic tone arrangements. This type of research is qualitative with a content analysis approach, namely: objectivity, systematic, and generalization. The data in this study were taken from literature studies and song scores. The analysis technique uses choral composition techniques, conterpoint, and non-harmonic tones. The results showed that the composition of “Bungong Jeumpa”'s song has three parts, namely: intro, content, and coda. The intro consists of 8 measure chambers, contains 20-measure chambers, and 4 coda chambers. The arrangement of the song is a polyphony-homophony texture, based on the Cantus Firmus. SATB's melodic contour relationships are tonal conterpoint in the key of A minor harmonics. Each melodic contour moves with the same rhythm and is generally different. Differences in melodic contours produce four types of Motus, namely parallellus, contrarius, obliqus, and rectus. Besides that, with the differences in the rhythm and melody of the songs on SATB with the presence of insert notes between the harmonic tones, there is also a different musical atmosphere. Based on position, motion, and solutions of dissonant tones, five types were found, namely: passing tone, appoggiatura, changing tone, neighbouring tone, and retardation.

Successful Online Choir for People Living with Dementia: A Qualitative Case Study

Group singing as a social musical activity can be used to improve the quality of life, well-being, and overall health of people with dementia and caregivers. Online choirs have gained awareness since the COVID-19 pandemic; however, singing in an online choir is an unsatisfying experience for most choir members in the general population. In order to report on the feasibility of creating an online choir for people with dementia, we studied a successful case of such a choir. This choir began and continued online for over a year, maintaining a group of about ten people. The objectives were to understand the participants' experience and explore factors contributing to its success. We surveyed 12 members using closed and open-ended questions (5 choristers with dementia, 5 caregivers, the choir director, and a volunteer). The thematic analysis of the responses revealed that (1) an online choir is better than no choir for participants with dementia, (2) participants sought and found in the online choir an accessible way to socialize and enjoy singing, and (3) obstacles to participate in an online choir (mostly technology-related) are not the same as those to participate in an in-person choir (mostly travel related). The success of this online choir may in part be attributed to the fact that it first started online (the members did not compare the experience to previous in-person rehearsals and had more flexible expectations); most participants with dementia had mild cognitive symptoms and had extensive previous choral singing experience.

The impact of an intergenerational choral singing experience as a channeling vehicle for emotions, values, motivations, and learning

Esta investigación diseña, aplica y evalúa un proyecto de Aprendizaje Servicio (ApS) de canto coral intergeneracional (alumnado de Educación Secundaria y mayores de una residencia de tercera edad en una primera propuesta) para estudiar su efecto en cuestiones de aprendizaje y calidad de vida. La metodología cualitativa, mediante la investigación-acción, plantea dicho estudio a través de la réplica del proyecto inicial en cuatro centros durante dos años consecutivos. Tras el tratamiento de datos y el análisis de resultados, afloran temas recurrentes en todas las personas que participaron. Se evidencia la pertinencia del canto coral en la Educación Secundaria como elemento clave para el desarrollo emocional y personal del alumnado adolescente, la práctica educativa del ApS como facilitadora de esta actividad, el enriquecimiento que supone la relación intergeneracional y los beneficios personales, profesionales y sociales que aporta el proyecto.

Polyphony in Vadim Salmanov's a cappella choral work

The author examines in detail the revival of ancient choral genres and forms that corresponded to the aesthetic trend in the Russian musical culture of the second half of the twentieth century. The subject of the study is the stylistic features of Vadim Salmanov's polyphonic writing. The object of the research is the choral heritage of V. Salmanov's a cappella from the point of view of integrating new compositional techniques and polyphony. Special attention is paid to polyphonic techniques in the concert for the a cappella choir "Lebedushka". The author examines in detail the dramaturgy and architectonics of the choral concert "Lebedushka", as well as such aspects of the topic as: polyphonic methods, including imitation polyphony and heterophony, writing techniques of the twentieth century (sonorica, aleatorica). V. Salmanov's works clearly demonstrate that the genre of choral concert occupies one of the main places in the history of Russian choral creativity a cappella. It is proved that in the genre hierarchy, it is the choral concert that plays the leading role in terms of the number of artistic discoveries. The research methodology is based on the analysis of historical materials, a wide range of works by Russian musicologists concerning the history and theory of musical genres, polyphonic writing techniques and performing practice. Through the synthesis of research methods, including musicology and choral studies, the parameters of musical composition are revealed. The main conclusions of the conducted research are the paradigm of artistic connections of traditional polyphonic techniques with modern means of compositional writing. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time polyphonic techniques in modern choral composition are analyzed from the standpoint of musicology and choral studies. A special contribution of the author to the disclosure of the topic is the study of V. Salmanov's choral concert "Lebedushka", which had not previously been the object of special research from the point of view of polyphony. In this work, the presentation of musical material itself, as well as polyphonic methods of working with it, are conducted under the auspices of the search for a new sound characteristic of modern music. Attention is focused on the need to study the issues related to the role of polyphony in modern choral composition, due not only to the general artistic and historical potential of choral culture as a whole, but especially its great importance in modern musical art.

PIANO ART OF THE TERNOPIL REGION OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: HISTORICAL AND MUSICOLOGICAL ASPECT

Piano art of Ternopil region and one of the main forms of its realization – performance, started, according to scientific sources, in the second half of the nineteenth century. This was the time when in Galicia abolished serfdom in 1848 and began the period of formation of educational and cultural organizations “Native School”, “Prosvita”,“Literary Society” and others. They became the main factors in shaping the national consciousness and culture of the local people.The most important role in these processes in the Ternopil region was played by the “Native School” society, in which groups of choral and vocal singing, artistic recitation, and playing musical instruments were organized. Actually, these circles formed a love of art in different directions, including piano music.The founder of piano art in the Ternopil region is the Polish pianist, teacher and cultural and public figure Vladyslav Vshelyachynskyi, a native of the town of Kopychyntsi, in Ternopil region. It was he who became the brightest representative of the piano movement in our study area initially.In 1876, after completing his studies at the Conservatory, Vladyslav Vshelyachinskyi moved to Ternopil to continue and improve his practical activity. He organized the “Friends of Music” Society and a school for piano lessons with him. He was the music director of these two institutions for twelve years.One of the founders of the creation of piano art in Ternopil region was also Denys Leontovych, born in Lviv in 1868. Denis’s father, Theodore Leontovych, whose family started in the village Novosilka Buchach county (now Buchach district of Ternopil region), was at one time a wellknown Lviv cultural and public figure, pianist, music critic, owner of the newspaper “Osnova”), author of popular songs at that time. He became the first piano teacher for his son.Unfortunately, Denys Leontovych’s short life did not allow him to develop his musical talent to the full, but those few years of concert activity of the drunkard deserve attention from musicologists and point to his invaluable contribution to the formation and development of the piano art of the Ternopil region, he had a special love.An important contribution to the formation and development of the piano art of Ternopil region was made by Denys Sichynskyi as a composer, pianist and accompanist. His creative activity was, first of all, connected with Ternopil region. In the initial stages of being in the land, besides creating musical compositions and managing the countryside and small-town choirs, he was involved in the promotion of piano art through his direct creation and representation as an accompanist.Denys Sichinskyi, as a creator of piano art, has realized himself in three spheres – in writing works for piano, in preparing piano accompaniment for choral and vocal works and in accompaniment for famous singers – Solomiia Krushelnytska, Evgen Gushalevych, Oleksandr Myshuga and others. It was these aspects of his creative activity that determined the formation of piano art in Ternopil region in the first half of the nineteenth century.Thus, the piano art of the Ternopil region of the second half of the nineteenth century represents a stage connected with the birth of its main forms of realization – pedagogical, concertperforming, composer-reproductive. All these forms are clearly traced in the activities of such representatives as Vladyslav Vshelyachinskyi, Denys Leontovych and Denys Sichynskyi. Each of them laid the foundations of piano art for its further development and development to the best of its creative potential. This was, first and foremost, designed to ensure that their successors made a more representative contribution to its transfer. And the piano works of Denys Sichynskyi formed a repertoire performed by the Galician pianists of that time, marked by lyricism, genre linearity and typical harmonious turns derived from traditional folk music. Overall, this stage provided the basis for the subsequent professionalization of piano art in the twentieth century.

Istoricheskaya evolyuciya kitajskih horovyh idej nacionalizacii i razvitiya

The term “nationalization" is a frequent word in today's society. This article takes the historical process of the nationalization of Chinese folk music as a starting point, explores its development, and considers the ideas for the future development of Chinese choral singing.

Spiritual choral compositions of the Ukrainian composers of the first third of the 20th century: genre-stylistic and performance principles

Statement of the problem. The article deals with the spiritual and choral works of the composers of the first third of the 20th century on the examples of the liturgical and paraliturgical choral works of K. Stetsenko and O. Koshyts, representatives of the “new school”. (Kozarenko, 2001: 153) of Ukrainian sacred music of the first quarter of the 20th century. Recent research and publications testify to the relevance of the proposed topic. The collection «Olexander Koshyts and time» (Scientific Herald of the UNTAM, 2007, vol. 57) contains scientific articles devoted to various aspects of the creative activity of O. Koshyts. The studies by N. Kalutska (2001) and N. Suprun-Yaremko (2014) are devoted to his composer style. L. Parkhomenko’s monograph (2009) continues to be one of the fundamental works dedicated to K. Stetsenko. O. Zasadna and O. Chersak (2021) examines the process of Ukrainization of liturgical music during the period of national revival (the first third of the 20th century). A. Pater’s dissertation (2021) presents the creative activity of modern professional choirs at Ukraine in the context of the revival of spiritual music. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the study is to reveal the genre-stylistic and performing principles of the selected spiritual compositions: the kontakion «Zi Sviatymy Upokoi» («With the Saints Give Rest») from K. Stetsenko’s «Panakhyda»(«Requiem») and the arrangement of the folk psalm «Oi Khto, Khto Mykolaia liubyt» («Oh, Who, Who Loves Nicholas») by O. Koshyts. The scientific novelty of the study is related to highlighting the fundamental qualities of spiritual choral composer work by K. Stetsenko and O. Koshyts in terms of performance interpretation and the continuity of the tradition of Ukrainian spiritual singing in the genre and stylistic dimension. The historical-cultural, genre, stylistic, structural-functional, interpretative, semantic, and systemic methods are used in the study. Results and conclusion. ● The foundation of K. Stetsenko’s and O. Koshyts’s composer work is the involvement of genres of liturgical and paraliturgical heritage (in the considered cases – memorial services, folk psalms) and the principle of psalmody; elements of folk song style and stylization of folklore images (lullaby in “With the Saints Give Rest”, sound image from the Kobzar and lirnyk tradition – imitation of the sound of the wheel lyre in “Oh, who, who loves Nicholas”). ● The choral work of both artists is characterized by certain common musical and stylistic features: a tendency towards multi-layered texture and expansion of the general range of sound in climaxes; involving the principles of antiphonal singing inherited from the established tradition of Ukrainian choral music; interpretation of the choir as an orchestra of voices; repetition of some syllables of the phrase in the chorus, which is characteristic of the tradition of group folk singing; major-minor variability. ● The examples of modern interpretations of the compositions testify to the high quality of rendition of the spiritual compositions, which was achieved through remarkable plasticity of voice management, experimental choirmaster work on the timbre combinations, microdynamics, etc. ● In our time, the performance interpretations of the spiritual works of the composers of the first third of the 20th century by the best choirs of Ukraine is the evidence of the revival and continuity of the domestic spiritual tradition on a new stage of its understanding.. Masterpieces of spiritual choral heritage, updated after a long time of prohibition in a new quality, prove their enduring value in the 21st century.