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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20534/EJA-17-1-55-59
Yan Irina Mykolaivna, Ph.D in Arts, associate professor, doctorant of the National Academy of Managerial Staff of Culture and Arts, Ukraine E-mail: [email protected]
Tradition and innovation in Ukrainian music and drama theatre in the late XIX - early XX century
Abstract: The article examines the traditions and innovations in Ukrainian music and drama theatre in the context of socio-cultural processes of late XIX — early XX centuries. Creative activity of outstanding Ukrainian theatre personalities formed the repertoire basis of the Ukrainian music and drama theatre, contributed to preserving cultural identity, national self-assertion, promoted the ethnographic foundations and traditions of the Ukrainian nation and proved creative affinity Ukrainian theatrical culture with European culture.
Keywords: Ukrainian theatrical culture, socio-cultural processes, Ukrainian music and drama theatre, traditions, innovations, repertoire.
In the process of building an independent Ukrainian state updated the questions of studying and preservation of the national cultural heritage in its retrospective diversity. Historical and cultural understanding of formation and development process Ukrainian music and drama theatre, which is an important component of historical memory and vivid manifestation of national identity, enables playback of common cultural and historical background, to identify the relationship of tradition and innovation to explore the cultural and artistic achievements of the leading theatre personalities of the time.
Social and cultural preconditions of Ukrainian theatre are revealed in the in historical-cultural, of art works of D. Antonovych, A. Krasylnykova, B. Romanytskyi and oth. The study features the director's interpretation are devoted ofYe. Horovych,
D. Dmytriev, I. Yershov, V. Moskalenko, A. Popov and oth. However, despite the significance of the scientists' achievements, historical and cultural aspects formation of Ukrainian music and drama theatre and development in terms of national cultural traditions and in the projection of European artistic trends still requires historical and art analysis. This caused the choice of the theme proposed article, which aims to highlight and analyze the traditions and innovations in Ukrainian music and drama theatre in the context of socio-cultural processes of late XIX — early XX centuries.
In the late nineteenth century development of Ukrainian culture and its artistic component — Ukrainian theatrical culture — was accompanied by significant spiritual elevation, caused by spread of the national liberation movement.
Ukrainian intelligentsia, following the system of Shevchenko's spiritual values, based their works put the national idea, as a component of national self-assertion, promoting democratic ideals, recovery and cultivation of the historical memory of the Ukrainian people, divided at that time between two empires — the Russian and Austro-Hungarian.
In this period, with the spread of cultural stage of the national liberation movement in the Ukrainian society, the Ukrainian theatre became a primary national cultural affair and at the same time became the brightest demonstration of its national identity, language and culture.
Artistic positions of outstanding theatre personalities M. Kropyvnytskyi, M. Sadovskyi, I. Karpen-ko-Karyi, M. Starytskyi, M. Zankovetska, P. Saksa-hanskyi were based on an understanding of the fact that Ukrainian theatrical culture has not experienced all stages of artistic and stylistic evolution, as European and Russian, because of long-lasting colonial and semi-colonial existence. The of outstanding theatre personalities saw the purpose of their activity in withdrawal of Ukrainian theatre culture to the European way of development, strengthening national identity in their own creative work, promotion of Ukrainian art heritage by means of theatrical art among the general public [4]. In that period, thanks to the creative work of outstanding theatre personalities, Ukrainian theatrical culture is represented to the society as a bright ethno-cultural phenomenon.
National specifics was the solid foundation for artistic and aesthetic system of Ukrainian music and drama theatre. On its basis gradually formed a national repertoire, diverse themes, genre forms, artistic form of the play, and principles of performance, stage design and directing, character of scenery, costumes, and choreographic design concepts. Careful and hard work formed a new, universal type of a Ukrainian actor, a true master of psychologically truthful stage characters.
Founders of Ukrainian theatre making effort to respond to the historical, ideological and aesthetic needs of the time defended in their works the principle of respect for the ideological and aesthetic systems of realism, organic connection with the mass audience. Their artistic and aesthetic concept of
creativity revealed the essence of Ukrainian theatre revival.
The luminaries of Ukrainian stage implemented realistically domestic style on the basis of psychological realism. Following its principles, Ukrainian playwrights strived to synthesise theatre performance, to put emphasis on integrity of director's idea and acting, to find optimal performance art form for accurate reproduction of the author's text.
It should be noted that ethnographic orientation was the main feature of the Ukrainian music and drama theatre; it played an active role in creation of nation, preserving ethnical treasure and consolidation, because under those social and cultural conditions in which Ukrainian society functioned, imperial oppression was aimed at the destruction of the Ukrainian nation and Ukrainian culture. To preserve national identity, revive and preserve national folksong, folk tradition luminaries of Ukrainian scene applied all their creative toolkit — music and drama, ethnographic domestic specifics of repertoire, ethnographic character of sets, costumes, choreographic design concepts.
National features of theatre performance were distinguished by masterful inclusion to dramatic action vivid means of expression: vocal and music (music pictures, folk songs) and dance (divertimento, folk dance, choreographic composition). The most important was the principle of folklore source preservation with only minor art processing and orientation in compliance with vocabulary authenticity, composition (avoiding repetition), literary text, manner of performance and the costumes. Folk episodes in luminaries' productions were a powerful means of improving psychological typification of characters. Domestic types, created in artistic song and dance way, represented different classes and social strata, their nature, internal emotions, controversial inner world [4].
Directing founders of Ukrainian theatre of is characterized by spectacular solution of stage space, picturesque staging. Folklore dance scenes in M. Kropyvnytskyi's productions significantly contributed to revealing deep artistic content of the work and impressed the audience. I. Maryanenko notes the following: «M. Kropyvnytskyi knew the
secrets of the impact on the audience, which was in his theatre: he precisely considered effects of every stage and could meet the needs of the most sophisticated theatre experts. Every act and the whole piece were built so as to keep the audience in the gradual emotional increase» [3, 100].
Directing of M. Starytskyi is ethnographic in its nature. For the production of bright musical and dramatic performances, the director introduced in the stage action both mass folklore-ethnographic scenes and individual dance duets and trios. For preserving national color, M. Starytskyi skillfully applied the dynamics of music and dance to enhance the influence of the dramatic action, content-accented scenes, and separate plastic staging [6].
An important synthetic component of Ukrainian theatrical performances was instrumental supporting music: orchestra, instrumental ensembles, etc. In particular, M. Kropyvnytsky's troupe included 40 singers with selected voices and an orchestra (25 qualified musicians) under the direction of M. Vasyliev-Svyatoshenko [4].
Ukrainian performances showed national psychological type of Ukrainians, promoted their ethnographic features and traditions, contributed to national spiritual awakening and were popular with the general public. The most popular plays of outstanding Ukrainian playwrights were as follows: «Natal-ka Poltavka» by I. Kotlyarevskyi, «Zaporizhzhian Cossak over the Danube» by S. Gulak-Artemovskyi, «Nazar Stodolya» by T. Shevchenko, «Two Families», «After Inspection», «Moustache», «Give a Heart Freedom, and It'll Lead to Captive ...» by M. Kropyvnytskyi, «Vechornytsi» by P. Nischyn-skyi, «Martyn Borulya», «Over the Dnipro», «The Maidservant», «Bondarivna» by I. Karpen-ko-Karyi, «Chasing two Hares», «It didn't Happen as It Should Have», «Oh, do not Go Hryts to Vechornytsi» by M. Starytskyi and oth. [5, 231].
Thus, Ukrainian music and drama groups gained an opportunity to disclose deep psychological, social and philosophical content, expanding national genre, repertoire range, due to the blossoming of dramatic art.
Surely, great popularity of Ukrainian music and drama among the general public in the late
nineteenth century provoked an imperial authorities' reaction. Government institutions tried to artificially slow down its rapid development, the censors did not give a permission for setting Ukrainian plays, banned some troupes to visit certain cities in Ukraine, which significantly limited the geographical touring for Ukrainian music and drama groups; work of theatrical performances still was under the most severe censorship, the Ukrainian language was still banned.
I. Karpenko-Karyi and P. Saksahanskyi, luminaries of the Ukrainian theatre, in a memo to the First All-Russian Congress of stage actors noted excessive colonization of Ukrainian theatre: «The writers supplying now repertoire of all theatres, could have written much better and more interesting if censorship did not limit so mercilessly in their choice of topics. To translate from foreign languages to little-russian language was prohibited, to write of the historical past — such a rich topic and interesting for the audience — was also prohibited. The words like «Zaporizhzhian cossak", "cossak", "native land" were as bogey for censorship and if the play is more or less well composed and has these words, it is better not to send it to censorship because it will not be allowed anyway ...» [7, 38].
However, the imperial state authorities failed to destroy the Ukrainian theatre tradition, to restrain spiritual and cultural progress of the Ukrainian community. Creative work luminaries of the Ukrainian theatre, based on Shevchenko's precepts and ideals became the general Ukrainian spiritual and cultural phenomenon that consolidated the Ukrainian elite on the basis of national goals and objectives.
In the early twentieth century leaders of Ukrainian national liberation movement developed a strategy for national development, the main core of which was reproduction of their own state, a broad national, territorial and cultural autonomy. The dominance of imperial ideological doctrine led to an open confrontation of active Ukrainian intelligentsia, which was reflected in the formation of parties, political associations of different directions (federalists, autonomists, independence supporters). At that time the entire social structure gained relative completeness, focusing on the path of modernization at
the initiative of Ukrainian political and cultural leaders, it formed an extensive network of national public, scientific, cultural and educational organizations [2, 84-85]. Accordingly, these new social and political changes were reflected in the Ukrainian theatre and its organic component — the Ukrainian music and drama theatre.
Modernism in national art became a kind of ideological, artistic and aesthetic revolution. Modern European artistic-aesthetic direction synthesized a few leading at the time in European art trends, such as futurism, constructivism, expressionism, cubism and others. With great enthusiasm, characteristic of that time revolutionary-romantic mood elevation and experimental mood, Ukrainian artists, as well as European, plunged in search of artistic and stylistic innovations, techniques and means of expression in theatre. Consequently, it should be noted that the development of Ukrainian music and drama theatre, like the Ukrainian art in the whole, took place in the context of European culture development.
Characteristics of Ukrainian music and drama theatre development were due to the colonial status of the Ukrainian lands, total russification and continuous imperial censorship harassment, which greatly influenced the course of development and gave it subdued and undeveloped character. However, the main feature of Ukrainian music and drama theatre development was that drama, its organic component, was involved in the modernistic process.
The new generation of young playwrights, proponents of Ukrainian modernism such as Lesya Ukrainka, O. Oles, V. Vynnychenko, L. Starytska-Chernyakhivska and others had their modernistic style of thinking and strived to «resurrection», «revival» of Ukrainian theatre. They were aware of its ideological, national, educational, ethnic-consolidating function and felt the need to reform theatrical artistic and aesthetic system, created by luminaries, so that it combined national and universal values [5, 241]. It should be noted that the new Ukrainian playwrights, creating a new theatrical repertoire, allegedly denying a national theatrical tradition actually only treated it in a new way, framing a new dramatic and theatrical forms, creating new modernist theatrical world on a national archetype basis.
About the time of the new Ukrainian theater formation L. Starytska-Chernyakhivska said in her memoirs: «The Ukrainian theater lived and gained fame, in spite of all the evil circumstances because it was led by talented writers, who would not be at the end of the table even in Russian literature. Talented playwrights and artists, art intelligent attitude — these all factors strengthened at that time Ukrainian theater and raised it to the highest level. For a long time it was the only national flag that flattered over oppressed nation. Its best representatives understood it: they defended their own flag as they could and brought it to our days» [6, 239].
Within modernism, as the leading philosophical and ideological trend in the Ukrainian dramatic works, is typical desire to reveal the complex psychological conflicts, the search for new methods to render age, national, historical, professional features of plays characters, their social conditioning and the evolution under the influence of society. The plot of dramatic prose is based not on the sequence of events, but on the changes of experiences, when the author allegedly merges with the hero. New works of Lesya Ukrainka, V. Vynnychenko, O. Oles, L. St-arytska-Chernyakhivska by its substantial entity, by individual characteristic features formed the new Ukrainian drama (philosophical and psychological, lyrical and poetic) with a new directing-acting type of thinking under the influence of new trends and styles of European drama — plays of H. Ibsen, M. Maeterlinck, G. Hauptmann, A. Strindberg.
These Ukrainian plays became the adornment of modernistic repertoire: «Blue Rose», «Stone Host», «Orgy», «Cassandra», «Obsessed», «On the Field of Blood» by Lesya Ukrainka, «Without Lumen», «Petro Kyrylyuk», «On the Watch», «The Earth» by S. Cherkasenko, «Disharmony», «Steps of Life», «Great Moloch», «The Song of Israel» by V. Vynnychenko, «Getman Doroschen-ko», «Ivan Mazepa», «God's Mercy», «Sappho», «Wings» by L. Starytska-Chernyakhivska and oth. [5, 242]. Therefore, this repertory explosion clearly demonstrates the full-blooded «Europeanization» of Ukrainian theatrical arts.
Thus, creative activities of luminaries of the Ukrainian theatre, representatives of Ukrainian
modernism contributed to awakening of national cultural identity and proved creative affinity of
consciousness, preservation of historical memory, Ukrainian theatrical culture with European culture.
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