Chapter I

What are the Folk Songs in General and the Ukrainian Folk Songs in Particular?

Various peoples have different traditions and beliefs as to the origin of the folk songs. The ancient Greeks thought that songs were composed by the gods themselves, and all the famous singers claimed their parentage from the gods.

The author of the ancient Ukrainian-Ruthenian[1] poem--“Slovo o Polku Ihorevi” (The Lay of the War-Ride of Ihor[2]) relating the expedition of Prince Ihor upon the Mongolian Polovtzi--mentions some great singer Boyan,[3] “the grandson of god Veles,” who composed beautiful epic poems about the activities of the ancient Ruthenians. The renowned Ukrainian Kobzar[4], that is, a singer (composer) and player on the bandore, Ostap Veresay, who sang with profound emotion the beautiful historic songs, was wont to say that songs come from God Himself.[5] Even in most recent times the Kobzars and singers, whether feeble old men or cripples, when they appear at bazars and church festivals are treated with highest respect. The people believe that the singers, especially the composers, are exceptionally beloved and endowed by God with talent to express the feeling of a rational human soul, common to all mankind; to move men to pity, charity and love of God and one’s neighbor; to proclaim the manifold human activities and thus instruct and educate weak human nature, uplifting men mentally and morally.

There is something in Ukrainian songs that attracts the entire being of those who understand the words; nay, those who happen to hear Ukrainian melodies are captured by the force of their expression of mirth and gayety, but principally by that of sadness and resignation. They teach us meditation concerning ourselves and appreciation of others’ dispositions and ailments; they teach us to love the truth and abhor falsehood; they teach us to love mankind, one’s native tongue and country; they produce noble aspiration, a spiritual conception of man’s existence; they develop the sense of beauty and art.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Ruthenian or Ruthen is the Greek form for Rusin or Rusitch--the original name for Ukrainian; for the last few decades it was applied to the Ukrainians of Galicia, Bukovine and Hungary. It now becomes obsolete.

[2] Translation of the Word of Igor’s Armament was made by Prof. A. Petrunkevitch of Yale University; published in “Poet Lore,” 1919.

[3] Prof. John D. Prince of Columbia University wrote a dissertation on Troyan-Boyan, published by Am. Phil. Society.

[4] Kobzar is a player on kobza or bandura which is a Ukrainian national instrument being used most frequently in the accompaniment of recitations; derived from Lat. pandura, Gr. πανδοῦρα; an instrument of the god Pan. Usually a blind elderly man, lover of the people, nature and song, gifted with great talent for emotional singing. Kobzars knew the songs by heart.

[5] Ostap Veresay, one of the many famous Kobzars from whom Kulish, Rusov, Chubinsky, Lysenko, etc.--the Ukrainian scientists, ethnologists and composers--copied the historic songs--epics, called Dumy in Ukrainian. Dr. Filaret Kolessa: “Ukrainski Narodni Dumy,” Lviv, 1920, p. 58.