UKRAINIAN CHORAL PRACTICE IN GALICIA OF THE END OF THE 19TH AND THE FIRST HALF OF 20TH CENTURIES

Abstract

The article presents materials that cover the history of the formation of Ukrainian choral art since its inception from the earliest periods of the existence of human civilization to the beginning of the twentieth century. The definition of "chorus" and its various interpretations in the writings of philosophers is given. Particular attention is paid to the mastery of spiritual and choral performance in Galicia during the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, as this period was marked by violent military and socio-political events, educational and church-ritual changes. The article states that the church-singing practice of the Greek Catholic parish churches as a result of the introduction of liturgical and ritual and singing reforms was distinguished by balancing between more or less professional and simplest choral forms of the national singing, in particular the samolivka. The fixation of the activity of a number of church choirs in the territory of the present-day Ternopil, Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk regions and their repertoire showed renewal of the practice of joining within the same parish of the dyakovo and choral singing, which contributed to the further introduction of polyphony. In addition, the author noted that the quality of the vocal side of the stationary parish team on a permanent basis was due not only to the level of education of the regent, but also to close cooperation with secular choirs, who were often invited to the festive divine services. It was noted that the exchange of singing experience at the spiritual and artistic celebrations with the participation of diverse choirs stimulated the growth of rehearsal discipline, the expansion of the range of works performed, the improvement of the singing skills of amateur groups and even the improvement of the level of mastery of conducting skills. Thus, in the article special attention is given to the choir of the cathedral of St. Jura in Lviv, whose activities impressed with innovations in the church ritual repertoire, in particular the execution of 1936 unknown to the Galician listeners the liturgical and paralytic works by Y. Yatsienevich, P. Kozytsky, and K. Stetsenko of the Pridniprovanschyna, written on the national-language texts. It was noted that in the spiritual, cultural and artistic life of the Galician, the secular choirs occupied an important place, including those created on the balance of public organizations and societies, which by their numerous and extensive non-church concert practice enriched the traditions of liturgical singing and promoted the development of choral art by popularizing the best samples of spiritual music. The chronological coverage of the festival’s shows demonstrated not only their quantitative growth, but also a significant improvement in the vocal and choral side of their participants and adherence to the stylistic harmonization of works in the programs. The tendency of the gradual expansion of the repertoire of secular choirs has been confirmed due to the attraction of many samples of Ukrainian and foreign composers. Among the aforementioned thematic palette of celebrations it was emphasized that great spiritual concerts and personal celebrations, which took place at the initiative of leading cultural-artistic figures and Greek-Catholic priests and with the participation of many collectives, soloists and even orchestras, became widely resonant. The activities of touring choirs, in particular, the Ukrainian Republican Chapel under the direction of O. Koshitsa and the Ukrainian Dnieper Dormition Choir Dmitriy Kotko, which introduced new ideas into the regional manner of singing, in particular the methods of sound formation, intonation, voice-making, etc., are also important factors of influence on the development of spiritual and choral art of the region. As a result, the author notes that the concert and church ceremonial collaboration of church and secular groups, both in the regional and national context, positively influenced the development of spiritual and musical art with brightly accepted vocal and choral characteristics, and also revealed the demand for the spiritual factor in life of the population, activating the process of creation of liturgical and paralytic music by composers.