MUSIC AS A FACTOR IN THE EDUCATION OF THE NATIONAL ELITE IN THE WORLDVIEW OF HRYHORII HALAHAN

Abstract

The article analyzes for the first time the youthful Journal of Hryhoriy Galagan as a source of musicology. The figure of Hryhoriy Galagan (1819–1888) is inseparable from the history of Ukrainian music, education, and Ukrainian culture in general. A descendant of a wealthy Cossack family, a liberal with democratic views, a Ukrainian landowner, an ardent Ukrainophile who became the cultural elite of the time, a patron of the arts, and a publisher, he was not only involved in the abolition of serfdom, but also continued and developed family cultural traditions, or acted as the founder of Ukrainian scientific, educational, and cultural, and musical projects, which were extremely important against the background of constant Russian-imperial pressure on the Ukrainian ethnic group.The journal (diary) was written by the young Galagan in 1836–1841 – during the period that covered his studies at St. Petersburg University, short stays at the Sokyryntsi estate, and a foreign trip to Europe. Since musical education was considered an integral part of the aristocratic upbringing of the national elite, the diary reflects musical multi-vectority – from dry statements of the musical educational process, a list of musical events or names – to almost reviews of performances or outstanding concerts. Among the latter, one can mention ballet performances with the participation of the then Italian star Maria Taglioni, or performances by virtuoso pianists Liszt or Thalberg, whose rivalry and musical “duel” did not leave contemporaries indifferent. The musical notes made during a foreign trip in 1841 can be considered interesting and informative. While in Lemberg, Prague, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Munich and other towns, Galagan left behind a multitude of musical impressions, from church liturgy to the musical design of the Oktoberfest in the Bavarian capital, from the playing of a street orchestra to a concert by F. Liszt. An important part of the Journal is a clear Ukrainian-centricity, which is manifested not only in the everyday and philosophical-historical plane (a clear demarcation between Russian and Ukrainian, Ukrainian ethnic identity), but also in the musical sphere. The palette of ethnographic sketches covers the space from historical songs of the Cossack past to lyrical solo songs of the present, from entertaining folk dances to piano accompaniment to Ukrainian songs during dates. The listed characteristics emphasize the great source value of an important ego-document of the era, the narratives of which are consonant with modernity, especially in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war.