Prague Bandurist Capella
Encyclopedia
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
living in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
featuring performers on the bandura
Bandura
Bandura refers to a Ukrainian plucked string folk instrument. It combines elements of a box zither and lute, as well as its lute-like predecessor, the kobza...
.
After the occupation of Ukraine by the Bolsheviks, many Ukrainians moved to the West. In Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
they established a cultural and intellectual centre.
Vasyl Yemetz
Vasyl Yemetz
Vasyl' Kostovych Yemetz was born in the village of Sharivka, 40 km from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Son of Kost' and Yevdokia . Married to Maria Horta-Doroshenko...
also moved to the West, initially to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and later to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. In Prague he established a number of bandura schools in Prague and Podebrady
Podebrady
Poděbrady is a historical spa town in the Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It lies on the river Labe 50 km east of Prague on the D11 highway. A historic milestone in the life of the town was the year 1905, when it was visited by the German estate owner Prince von Bülow...
in 1923-25.
Over 100 banduras were made in Podebrady by Romanenko and Dovzhenko. The school had over 50 students.
In time, from the better students a second Bandurist Capella was established in 1924. Among the members were Mykhailo Teliha
Mykhailo Teliha
Mykhailo Pavlovych Teliha Mykhailo Teliha was an active Ukrainian community leader and distinguished musician. He was born in the Akhtyrka Stanitsa in the Kuban. It is here that he first became interested in playing the bandura in 1913...
and future Ukrainian President in exile Mykola Levytsky. The capella was made up of 15 or 16 bandurists and gave numerous concerts in Prague and its environs.
Repertoire
The Soviet Ukrainian magazine "Muzyka" #2, 1925 gave a review of the first concert of the Prague Bandurist Capella which took place 13 September 1924 and included the program:I
Kobza and the kobzars - speech by V. Yemetz
II
- Nema v sviti pravdy - kant - Capella
- Kynu kuzhil' na polyciu - Capella
- Plyve sonce nad Orelliu - I. Khvorostenko
- Zasvystaly kozachen'ky - M. Zhyrkov
- Zalizniak - M. Teliha
III
- Oj na hori vohonq horyt' - R. Zavors'kyj
- Oj Moroze, Morozen'ku - Capella
- Oj shchoh to za shum uchynyvsia - Capella
- Hopak - Capella
- Oj, za hayem, hayem - Capella
All the orchestrations were done by V. Yemetz.
In 1926 a book of 12 pieces for the bandura was published in Prague.
Participants
Members of the Capella and students of the school included:- A. Biletskyj
- Petro Buhayiv (Mykola Burhaj)
- Nina Burtakova
- Hryhoryj Dovzhenko - bandura maker that Yemetz knew from Moscow.
- Oleksander Dutka (and daughter) - moved to Chernivtsi were he continued to make banduras.
- Vasyl' Harmiga (Farmiga?)
- Maria Hasiuk
- Il'ko Havryliuk
- Mykola Hudzij
- Rostyslav Kaplynskyj
- I. Khvorostenko
- H. Khomenko
- Yukhym Klevchutskyj - originally from Central Ukraine, later moved to Ternopil where he taught Z. Shtokalko.
- Pan'ko Konoushynsky
- Stepan Koshchyk
- Petro Koshchyk
- Yevhen Koshchyk
- Kulish
- Andriy Kyst' - later moved to the USA, performed with Avramenko.
- Mykola Levytsky - Later moved to France.
- Liashenko
- Lisevych - Originally from Central Ukraine. Moved to Lviv and taught bandura there.
- Ivan Lokshynsky
- K. Mohyla - a student of medicine, later director of the Prague capella after Yemetz
- Petro Nepokypnyj - Bandura maker. Later lived in Bratislava.
- Vasyl' Oblomskyj
- M. Omelchenko - taught bandura in Prague. Studied piano in Vienna.
- I. Romanenko - bandura maker in Podiebradakh
- Rostyslav Pazanivskyj - moved to Canada - St Catherines.
- Maria Shostak - originally from Kuban. Later moved to Lviv and taught bandura there.
- Volodymyr Shmorhun
- Volodymyr Shul'
- K. Stetsiurenko
- Dmytro Stopkevych
- A. Syvokin'
- Serhiy Tarulia
- Zavorytskyj, Panas (Zavorskyj R. - soloist of the capella
- Zhyrkov, M. - soloist of the capella
- Vsevolod Zmiyenko
Sources
Yemetz, V. - U zolote 50-richchia na sluzhbi Ukrainy - Toronto, 1961 - p. 75, 79"Muzyka" #2, 1925
- Горлиця. Л. - Василь Ємець – кобзар віртуоз, композитор // Вісті, ч. 34, 1970.
- Ємець, В. У золоте 50 річчя на службі Україні — Голівуд, США, 1961
- Ластович-Чулівський, С. Бандура – Рукопис, Мюнхен 1965
- Лисько, З. До історії кобзарського мистецтва // Сучасність, 1977 ч. 10
- Маруняк, В. (упор) Українська Гімназія в Чехії (1925-45) – Мюнхен, 1975
- Мішалов, В. Бандура в еміграційних центрах у міжвоенний період // Karpacki collage artystyczny Biuletyn - Przemysl 2005 s.95-104
- ж. Музика #2, 1925 р.
- Самчук, У. - Живі струни - Детройт, США, 1976
- Теліга, М. – Наша пісня – Збірник українських народних дум і пісень з проводом бандури – Збірник перший – вид. “Кобзар” Прага, 1926