ANOTHER STROKE TOWARDS CREATIVE PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST: ONE OF THE LATEST LETTERS OF VASYL BARVINSKYI

Abstract

Epistolary of Vasyl Barvinskyi (1888-1963) is analyzed as a source of important thoughts and ideas of the artist regarding the development of national music art. Revival of forgotten pages, finding unknown documentary materials which would enrich the treasury of Ukrainian culture history is by far the most topical problem of modern Ukrainian musicology. It is emphasized by Vasyl Barvinskyi’s thought “bright moments of our music history as well as its modern development, give us hope that in such direction we will once catch up with other, happier than us nations and that maybe we will once play a significant role in music art development”. Interest in spiritual values of the nations bears the feeling of pride and respect for its achievements, assures its prestige in the world. One of the latest letters of Vasyl Barvinskyi to Oleksandr Tyshchenko, headmaster of Lviv secondary specialized music boarding school named after S. Krushelnytska, dated 28 February 1963, has been the subject of the research and it will complete and enrich the whole portrait of the artist, will help penetrate deeper into little-known events from his personal as well as artistic biography. This letter of V. Barvinskyi directly touches upon Lviv music boarding school, the artist was connected with its pedagogues and students due to old contacts. Barvinskyi-pedagogue desiring to broaden musical worldview of his students paid a lot of attention to forming repertoire, making special emphasis on “the works of Ukrainian, Czech and other Slavic composers. First of all, these were works by M. Lysenko, N. Nyzhankivsky, M. Kolessa, V. Barvinskyi, he had a special interest in creativity of Ukrainian composers from Soviet Ukraine: V. Kosenko, L. Revutsky, B. Liatoshynsky”. Thus, it is absolutely natural that the letter contains the words “sincere regards to the members of pedagogical group” as expression of respect and care for everybody and as a present – author’s exemplar of artistic achievement in particular or “violin miniature for the violin and the piano” and in the future the initiative of “passing children’s plays for the piano” to the school headmaster, feeling mutual understanding and support in his persona. A complicated context of cultural and artistic life of a defined period, understanding of its artistic tasks and searching the ways of their implementation are shown through the letter lines and the significance of epistolary heritage is priceless in it.