THE EMBODIMENT OF THE POEM BY T. SHEVCHENKO «OH, WHY ARE YOU BLACKENED» IN THE WORKS OF UKRAINIAN COMPOSERS

Abstract

The popularity of Taras Shevchenko’s poem «Oh, Why Are You Blackened» is due to the extreme relevance of its main idea, a call to fight for the freedom of the Ukrainian people. The first musical embodiment of this poem is a melody by Kobzar himself; in the context of contemporary events, the analysis of composers’ interpretations of the poem «Oh, Why Are You Blackened» becomes extremely important, which determines the relevance of this study. The poem «Oh, why are you blackened» has received numerous incarnations in Ukrainian choral music, which demonstrate different artistic approaches to understanding its content. The purpose of the article is to analyze the peculiarities of the musical embodiment of Taras Shevchenko’s poem «Oh, Why Are You Blackened» in the choral works of Ukrainian composers, to identify the common and distinctive features of the composers’ approaches to the interpretation of the poetic text. The research material is based on the choral works of S. Vorobkevich, L. Revutsky, R. Demshychyn, O. Lytvynov, M. Stefanyshyn, V. Kaminsky, and V. Antoniuk. The research methodology includes historical, genre-stylistic and comparative analyzes. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time in Ukrainian art history a comprehensive review of musical interpretations of the poem «Oh, Why Have You Turned Black» by Taras Shevchenko was carried out. Conclusions. Creative approaches to the realization of the artistic image of poetry combine traditions and innovation, demonstrating the powerful potential of the Ukrainian school of composition. A number of regularities in the interpretation of Shevchenko’s lines have been revealed: the use of the full original text of the poem, without abbreviations or significant modifications; reliance on folk song intonations, the use of light major chords in the final sections of the works. The artists demonstrate radically different approaches in their choice of performers; musical forms; harmonic design; and appeal to various figurative and emotional spheres (from dramatic to prayerful).