VOCAL FEATURES OF BANDURA PERFORMANCE: BETWEEN FOLK TRADITION AND ACADEMIC SCHOOL

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of vocal features of bandura performance in the context of the interaction of the folk tradition and the academic school. Bandura, as one of the most characteristic symbols of Ukrainian culture, combines instrumental and vocal components that form a unique syncretic phenomenon. The historical basis of this art is the kobzar singer, which arose at the intersection of epic recitation and musical accompaniment. The vocal component of the traditional kobzar singing was distinguished by natural sound formation, close connection with speech intonation, declarational character, wide respiratory support and expressiveness, oriented primarily to the transmission of the content of the word. Such specificity formed a kind of artistic model, in which the leading place was occupied by semantic power and emotional sincerity, not technical virtuosity.With the assertion of academic music education, there was a need to integrate folk principles of singing into modern professional practice. The Academic School of Singing does not deny the tradition, but creates its new basis, expanding the vocal capabilities of the performer. Its main achievements for bandura art are the formation of the right breathing technique, the development of the resonant apparatus, the stability of intonation, the accuracy in the recreation of intervals, as well as the expressive diction necessary for the artistic interpretation of the Ukrainian word. This allows to maintain the timbre naturalness of the voice and at the same time provides a professional level of stage performance.In modern practice of bandura art, organic synthesis of folk and academic traditions is observed. It is manifested in solos, where the vocal line is organically combined with instrumental accompaniment, in ensemble forms that require accuracy of order and ensemble consistency, as well as in a modern repertoire, where Ukrainian composers combine folklore intonations with academic forms.It is concluded that the combination of the folk tradition and the academic school in vocal performance on the bandura forms a modern model of singing, which combines continuity and openness to new artistic searches. Such synthesis contributes to the preservation of Ukrainian cultural identity and at the same time integrates bandura art into the world professional musical space.