SHEVCHENKO’S MUSICAL TALENT

Abstract

This article reveals almost unknown but very significant side of the talent of Ukrainian genius Taras Shevchenko - his musical skills. Already his contemporaries, including Panteleimon Kulish (Ukrainian writer), recognized Shevchenko as triple poet – of words, brush and song. The fact that his first collection of poems Shevchenko called "Kobzar" (Kobzar – Ukrainian folk singer who accompanies his singing on musical instrument called Kobza) is symbolic. This demonstrates the organic unity of the poetic and musical factor in his literary word. According to the prominent Ukrainian musicologist Mykola Gordiychuk Taras Shevchenko is the most musical poet in the world literature. Folk songs stimulated artistic and imaginative scope of Shevchenko’s poetic heritage, their great melody and sweetness moved to his poetic word. Taras masterfully combined folk rhythms with classical rhythms. He developed a new form of rhythmic poem based on folk song tradition and syllabic-tonic versification (called Shevchenko's poem). Shevchenko couldn’t imagine life without songs. While painting pictures, he always quietly sang folk songs, which fascinated his friends and their teacher - the "great Bryullov" (Karl Pavlovich Bryullov – painter, professor of Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts). For Taras singing was an organic necessity. Kulish recalled that when Shevchenko sang all around became quite and listened spellbound, some was crying, and he sang for his and people’s delight. Shevchenko had a pleasant voice of silver tone – tenor. Taras sang from heart and was recognized as a true folk singer of Ukraine. His favorite song was “Oh, come up, come up, that evening star” – “Ой, зійди, зійди, зіронько та вечірняя”. All his life Shevchenko gathered and recorded Ukrainian folk songs. Sometimes he created melodies for his own poems (for example, the song "Oh, blow, wind, from Great Meadow and scatters our sorrows" – “Ой, повій, вітре, з Великого Лугу та розвій нашу тугу”). Shevchenko was intelligent man, he spoke with outstanding scientists, writers, musicians, often attended concerts and performances. He also was well oriented in classical music, in contemporary musical art, he felt fine aesthetic value and moreover like a professional understood performing skills of singers and instrumentalists. His favorite composer was Friderik Chopin. It should be noted that Shevchenko had played kobza and bandura himself and he loved cordial tone of cello. Musicality of Shevchenko’s words and the depth of its ideological content gave rise to numerous music tracks almost of all Ukrainian composers. One of the first printed music to Shevchenko’s text is song "Orphan" – “Сирота” ("For what me black eyebrows" – “Нащо мені чорні брови”) by poet’s friend Mykola Markevich (1847). The first opera - "Catherine" by Mykola Arkas (1891) and the first ballet - "Lily" by Constantine Dankevich (1939). The largest number of works on Shevchenko’s lyrics wrote Mykola Lysenko. Mykola Lysenko by the music to "Testament" – ”Заповіт” began unique in world of music series of vocal works in the words of one poet - "Music to Shevchenko’s "Kobzar" (about 100 songs). Mykola Lysenko and Stanislav Lyudkevych, two leading figures of Ukrainian professional music, claimed that wise, brave, strong-willed, fiery Shevchenko’s word and his life of suffer-ing made them realize themselves as Ukrainians and that was crucial in beginning of their difficult but honorable way to serve the native people.