«THE HISTORY OF UKRAINIAN LITERATURE» BY MYKHAYLO HRUSHEVSKYI AS BELL-RINGING CULTURE

Abstract

Images of sounds of beaters (byla), bells and handbells, clappers (klepala) and small clappers (klepachky), time and purpose of their employment, functions put down firm roots in oral and written creations, became a peculiar glow of the Christian worldview tradition and a characteristic image in literature. The references to these idiophones and their play gave epithets concerning the beauty of their ringing, endurance of motifs, apt metaphorical expressions. It helped the writers create a complex of images full of strong moments that impress the reader’s senses and imagination. The ringing of these idiophones, a special character of their play is compared to the human language communication. Frequent usage of bells created conditions when at least somewhere there was heard a phenomenon of sounds of these idiophones. The belletrists compelled attention to the need of observing church regulations and, accordingly, canonical ringing, equipping bell towers with sets of bells among which each one had its own assignment. Their military employment, ritual usage of bells was important. The role of bells and bell towers in the life of a church community is evaluated, the significance of bell-ringers, the development of the tradition of donations to erecting buildings for bells or their casting are pointed out. The popularization of campanological data in the European space was promoted by printing books in the Church Slavonic language. Pictures of bell towers are in illustrated books. A network of educational establishments helped pupils to master church singing that contributed towards compliance with the statutory principles of ringing. The attention on bell-ringing is reinforced by means of the rich campanological lexicon at the end of the XVIth – beginning of the XVIIth centuries in Ukraine. M. Hrushevskyi’s characterization of literary works puts forward a number of research tasks, and his appropriate thoughts are important for outlining campanological search prospects. His recommendations on studying chronicles, implementing a cultural-historical approach towards interpreting received facts will help to a more profound perception of the terminology of bell studies. Fresh information is to be found in Church Slavonic texts, spiritual songs, in the repertoire of lirnyks (hurdy-gurdy players) and kobzars. Compilers of the dictionary of bell-ringing culture are sure to get interested in the results of writers’ work, special vocabulary used by them, their estimation of the components of bell-ringing, its functions, etc. Attractive results will be given through studies of such a source as testaments where it was often remarked upon donations to bells and bell towers, bell-ringers’ payment, etc. Interesting scientific horizons are opened through the attention to such a recondite sphere of culturology as studying urban rituals and holidays of ancient Ukraine, singling out functions of bells here.