Paul Konoplenko-Zaporozhetz
Encyclopedia
Konoplenko origninally procured his kobza
Kobza
The kobza is a Ukrainian folk music instrument of the lute family , a relative of the Central European mandora...
from bandurist
Bandurist
A bandurist is a person who plays the Ukrainian plucked string instrument known as the bandura.-Types of performers:There are a number of different types of bandurist who differ in their paricular choice of instrument, the specific repertoire they play and manner in which they approach their...
Vasyl' Potapenko
Vasyl' Potapenko
Vasyl' Potapenko born in Berezna, Mensk region, Chernihiv province was the guide-boy for the blind kobzar Tereshko Parkhomenko. As a guide-boy he was a participant of the ХІІth Archeological congress held in Kharkiv in 1902. He travelled to Halychyna by himself after discovering that Hnat...
(Danylo Potapenko) in Kyiv before the revolution in 1902. At that time the instrument was 50 years old.
Konoplenko had studied violin under professor Karbulka and guitar in Odessa under an Italian teacher Spetsi. He joined the Sich riflemen
Sich Riflemen
The Sich Riflemen Halych-Bukovyna Kurin were one of the first regular military units of the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. The unit operated from 1917 to 1919 and was formed from Ukrainian soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army, local population and former commanders of the Ukrainian Sich...
and retreated with the Ukrainian forces to Poland. He continued to perform throughout Europe in the mid war years. After WWII he emigrated to Canada, settling in Winnipeg where he continued to perform kobzar repertoire on his kobza.
In 1961 Paul Konoplenko-Zaporozhetz recorded a disc of kobza music for the Folkways
Folkways
Folkways can refer to:*Folkways —theory by the sociologist William Graham Sumner.*Folkways Records—a record label founded by Moe Asch....
label, which can be downloaded from the Smithsonian website
Konoplenko's instrument had eight strings strung along the neck and four treble strings strung on the soundboard. The tuning used was reminiscent to that of the seven-string Russian guitar tuning (open G tuning).
Konoplenko was the author of a number of books about the history of the bandura, koza and kobzars published in Canada
- The kobza-bandura. - Winnipeg, 1963.
- Pavlo Konoplenko-Zaporozhetz - kobzar. - Winnipeg,1978.
Sources
- Kudrytsky, A. V. - Mystetsvo Ukrainy - Biohrafichnyj dovidnyk - Kiev 1997
- Ukrainians in North America, USA
- Литвин, М. – Струни золотії – “Веселка”, К.:1994 (117с.)
- Мішалов, В. і М. Українські кобзарі-бандуристи – Сідней, Австралія, 1986 - 106с.
- Самчук, У. - Живі струни - Детройт, США, 1976 (468с.)