THE CYCLE OF ‘21 UKRAINIAN FOLK SONGS’ FOR VOICE AND PIANO BY STANISLAV LIUDKEVYCH IS A NEW WORD IN THE GENRE OF FOLK SONG ADAPTATIONS

Abstract

The article considers a little-known cycle of folk song adaptations carried out by Stanislav Liudkevych in context of establishing the vocal and instrumental adaptation genre. Based on the rich national traditions (principally on Denys Sichynskyi’s traditions as he edited his first monumental Ukrainian collection of “Shche ne Vmerla Ukraiina” ( “Ukraine has not died yet” ) including 152 instrumental and vocal folk songs) and being the author of numerous choral (for various number of singers), ensemble, and sole vocal adaptions of the Ukrainian folk songs, Stanislav Liudkevych turned to the genre of instrumental adaption with the possibility to use the piano music pieces in the vocal and instrumental interpretation. “21 Ukrainian folk songs” for the piano (with voice) by Stanislav Liudkevych showed the new approaches of the composer and outstanding folklorist to passing the primary source of folk songs into the sphere of chamber instrumental music. At the same time, the high level of professionalism was demonstrated. The high artistic interpretation of each selected piece of music was correlated with genre varieties with maximum consideration for their etymological peculiarities. Stanislav Liudkevych introduced new, still unimplemented layers of the Ukrainian folklore (Halych and Lemko songs) by populating the new folk song samples within the sphere of the chamber music. Along with well-known lyrical ballads, Kozak, historical, humorous-dance or other genres, the composer also used recruiting and soldier songs, which were popular in Halychyna. The general principles of adaptation of the folk song material, no doubt, were transferred into the instrumental sphere. Although the main principle to which the composers turn to is “possibly connected with violation of the original source authenticity, namely it means the transfer of the customary form of tradition (the ethnic identity form including the choral singing) into the cultural and educational context (under the guise of salon chamber and instrumental performance of the musical compositions). And from that moment of understanding the practice of the “another” certain form of performing the musical compositions, one can realize the true sense of the composer’s stylistic devices that thanks to their unique national flavour and character of the genre form (folk songs and carols) boldly resonate with the similar music pieces, the European chamber and instrumental music miniature in general. S. Liudkevych in his collection “21 Ukrainian song” opens the new type of reading of the original folk source, which is deeply individual, emotional, figurative, and unfolded dramatically as well as it forms a basis of these undeservedly forgotten thevocal piano plays.It should be added that S. Liudkevych expands the panorama folk-verse genres due to the recruiting songs, soldier songs, local Lemky and Halych songs.