Stepan Pasiuha
Encyclopedia
Stepan Artemovych Pasiuha (11/12/1862-1933; although Zheplynsky states that he was born 29/XI/1862) was originally from the town of Velyki Pysarivky, Bohodukhiv county, in the Kharkov Governorate
of the Russian Empire
. He learned to play the bandura
from Dmytro Trochenko (Trottchenko). He had seven dumy
(sung epic poems) in his repertoire:
Left and Right - Portraits of S. Pasiuha from 1910 from Slastion's collection of Kobzar portraits.
The first three dumy were recorded on phonograph by Opanas Slastion
and sent to Filaret Kolessa
in Lviv
. Filaret Kolessa wrote that : "In his recitations, sung with a nice baritone, we hear the importance of the recitative above the melody. The singing and playing of Stepan Pasiuha makes a nice artistic impression."
Yehor Movchan was a student of Pasiuha, and highly praised him as a teacher of singing and playing, and also as a kobzar
who demonstrated great artism in his performance of dumy. He often spoke: "there probably was never such a kobzar like Pasiuha and in the future there never will be."
In 1910, Opanas Slastion painted two portraits of the kobzar.
In 1915 he was arrested and spent time incarcerated.
Photo: (left) Pasiuha in 1910
Photo: (right) Pasiuha with his student Hryhory Kozhushko in 1913 at the Poltava
Artisans exhibition.
From graphic sources his bandura had:
Portrait 1 - 4 basses and 14 treble strings (16 pegs)
Portrait 2 - 6 basses and 14 treble strings
Kharkov Governorate
Kharkiv Governorate or Kharkov Governorate was a governorate of the Russian Empire originally founded in 1780. It was renamed to Sloboda Ukraine Governorate in 1797 and back to Kharkiv Governorate in 1835....
of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. He learned to play 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...
from Dmytro Trochenko (Trottchenko). He had seven dumy
Duma (epic)
A Duma is a sung epic poem which originated in Ukraine during the Hetmanate Era in the sixteenth century...
(sung epic poems) in his repertoire:
- 1. Marusia Bohuslavka
- 2. The Widow and her three sons
- 3. The Sister and Brother
- 4. Oleksiy Popovych
- 5. Captives lament
- 6. Ivan Konovchenko, the Widow's Son
- 7. The Escape of the Three Brothers from Oziv.
Left and Right - Portraits of S. Pasiuha from 1910 from Slastion's collection of Kobzar portraits.
The first three dumy were recorded on phonograph by Opanas Slastion
Opanas Slastion
Opanas Georgievych Slastion was a Ukrainian graphic artist, painter and ethnographer.He was born in the Ukrainian port town of Berdyansk on the Berdyansk Gulf of the Sea of Azov...
and sent to Filaret Kolessa
Filaret Kolessa
Filaret Mykhailovych Kolessa was a Ukrainian ethnographer, folklorist, composer, musicologist and literary critic. He was a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society from 1909, The Free Ukrainian Academy of Sciences from 1929, and the founder of Ukrainian ethnographic musicology.- Biography...
in Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
. Filaret Kolessa wrote that : "In his recitations, sung with a nice baritone, we hear the importance of the recitative above the melody. The singing and playing of Stepan Pasiuha makes a nice artistic impression."
Yehor Movchan was a student of Pasiuha, and highly praised him as a teacher of singing and playing, and also as a kobzar
Kobzar
A Kobzar was an itinerant Ukrainian bard who sang to his own accompaniment.-Tradition:Kobzars were often blind, and became predominantly so by the 1800s...
who demonstrated great artism in his performance of dumy. He often spoke: "there probably was never such a kobzar like Pasiuha and in the future there never will be."
In 1910, Opanas Slastion painted two portraits of the kobzar.
In 1915 he was arrested and spent time incarcerated.
Photo: (left) Pasiuha in 1910
Photo: (right) Pasiuha with his student Hryhory Kozhushko in 1913 at the Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
Artisans exhibition.
From graphic sources his bandura had:
Portrait 1 - 4 basses and 14 treble strings (16 pegs)
Portrait 2 - 6 basses and 14 treble strings