MUSICAL PROFESSIONALISM IN THE FOCUS OF THE RESEARCH ON IVAN FRANKO

Abstract

The article reveals the scientific and critical achievements of Ivan Franko, related to the highlighting of the problem of musical professionalism – that of a composer, musicologist and partly a performer. The aim of the article is to identify and systematize the vectors of Ivan Franko’s reasoning of musical professionalism, which he represented as the necessary driving force of the development of the national musical culture. Franko’s judgments about this, significant at that time, issue, are updated not only because of their historical relevance in the realm of musical journalism, but as well due to a specific contribution to the upgrading of the professional skills of the Ukrainian musicians. Factors which had an influence on the formation of Ivan Franko’s personal point of view on this sphere were his work as a folklorist (carrier, researcher and mentor of folk musicians), his attempts of scientific observation of the sacral song art, his wide outlook of a universal scholar and communication with M. Lysenko and other composers and musicians. Ivan Franko’s accurate remarks often encountered with contradictions, especially regarding such composers as D. Bortnianskyi and P. Bazhanskyi, sometimes with minor errors and fair warnings concerning the harm which could be caused by the lack of the appropriate qualification among the enthusiasts. Not considering himself as a perfect connoisseur of music, Franko constantly reminded about the importance of thorough analysis, detailed discussion on this or that question on behalf of people more competent than he. Franko’s music-critical and scientific attainments concerned Ukrainian national music school. It can be seen in the intention to demonstrate common and distinctive stylistic features of the representatives of the musical art of Halychyna and Great Ukraine, to combine them in an effort to create unique Ukrainian culture.