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Junior League Section EDITOR, MISS MILDRED MILANOWICZ—151 Hopkins Avenue Jersey City 6, New Jersey The Kobzar and Ukrainian History By M. M. It was from the Ukrainian bards, or wandering minstrels, called Kobzars, that Taras Shevchenko obtained, directly or indirectly, much of the material he spun so skillfully into his beautiful lyrics and ballads. At one period of Ukrainian history, and reaching their height of importance during Kozak times, these Kobzars were numerous in Ukraine and had a definite niche in the nation’s history. The Kobzar usually was a man who, in his youth, was a member of the Zaporroggian Sitch, a community of free, fighting Kozaks whose stronghold was located below the rapids of the Dneiper. He fought in many wars against oriental invaders and was finally taken captive and transported to Turkey, where he slaved as long as he was physically able. When he outlived his usefulness, his Turkish master set him free and sent him back to his own country — but not before putting out his eyes prior to his release. On his return to his native land, the old Kozak acquired the services of a homeless and usually nameless little boy, to lead him around the countryside. Thus the two, the old man, blind, white-haired, with his “kobza,” or bandura, the 12 to 23-stringed instrument he used to accompany his singing, slung over his shoulder, and the tattered orphan boy e.ver-present at his side leading the venerable old man by the hand, became a familiar sight in the land. From hamlet to hamlet, over the vast Ukrainian plains,• from capital to capital, singing folk-songs and relating their experiences in the wars against the Turks and the Tartars, there were countless numbers of these Kobzars. They kept (in lieu of printed books), the history, folksongs and folklore of the land alive. Records of Kozak heroic deeds were thus preserved in the songs sung by these Kobzars, called ‘Dumi.’ These dumi were free, melodic recitative-improvisa- tions, with melodic endings at the end of each sentence. Dumi first were heard around 1413 and were still sung far into the 18th cen tury. From the tenor and theme of the Dumi sung during the period from 1413 until the middle of the 16th century, Ukraine's glory ap pears to have been at its nadir. The themes of the dumi sung during this era were of slavery, Tartar pillaging, escape from slavery, pri vation, renegadism and weeping over the ruins. This, then, is the dark period of Ukrainian history which began with the destruction of the Kievan State, when Ukraine was conquered by and absorbed into Lithuania—1363. It was later incorporated into the Polish State —-1413. The Golden Horde (Tartars) which overran Ukraine, began to disintegrate. In 1474, the Tartar raids on Ukraine began, with the burning of villages, the taking of prisoners, and the beginning of the great Crimean trade in Ukrainian slaves. Hopeless Ukrainians began to abandon the steppes for the northern forests. However, when the Kozaks came into power, the Dumi of the Kobzars had a different theme. During this Golden Era, which mark ed the period of a great Ukrainian spiritual upheaval and the crown ing achievement of the Kozak epoch, we learn that Ukraine’s history was influenced principally by Kozaks. They appeared first as support ers in the struggle against the Tartars, then, as a strong, organized military force, with their stronghold, the Sitch, located oil Khortitsia Island in the Dnieper. With its democratic forms of government, the Sitch became the nucleus of the future Kozak State, attracting the Ukrainian village arid townfolk from Poland. In 1569, when Poland established aristocratic rule and began religious oppression of Uk rainians, Kozaks of the Sitch found another battle-front — with the Poles, fighting for their nationality, social justice and faith. Thus, fighting on two fronts, the Kozaks played a great role as defenders of both religious and political rights of the peasants. They took part in four uprisings from 1625 to 1638 — against the Poles. Finally un der Khmelnitsky, they freed Ukraine from Polish rule in 1648. The dumi of this ‘Golden* period, with their idealization of Ko- zakdom, as defenders of faith and truth, and Khmelnitsky as De- fener-Liberator, became the favorite source of material for many of Taras Shevchenko’s heroic poems—of which ‘Haidamaki’ is his best. HELP UKRAINIAN REFUGEES TARAS SHEVCHENKO -------------/ ------ By Helen Komarivna—Translated by Jos. Wiznuk. He knew no swaddling clothes of silk Within a palace wondrous fair, But born into a humble home, He met but bondage, toil and care, The hapless mother swaddled him Amidst the daily round of care, And throughout the life-long night, for The serf-born son she made her prayer. God heard the mother’s pleading prayer And comforted her, bereft of joy, And then the gift of matchless song Bestowed upon the little boy. When he grew up and took the lyre And moved his hand the strings along, A flame of wondrous living song Came forth with tales of ancient wrong. The song of which he sang to all Was freedom, life and happiness; It woke them from their sleep and cried— That soon their wrongs would have redress. He sang the peasants’ rightful cause, The shameful fetters of the day; He did not grudge to spend his strength, Nor paused to wipe his tears away. GRESCOE DEBUT A TRIUMPH Winnipeg’s Cinderella When a violin salesman knock ed at her door in 1934, Mrs. Geo. Grescoe, wife of a civil engineer n Winnipeg, Man., decided it was time to find out if her eldest daughter, Donna, aged 6, Tiad the traditional Ukrainian talent for music. Mrs. Grescoe bought the violin. A year later, Donna was enrolled in the Beresford School of Music (since defunct), which specialized in teaching the man dolin, guitar, violin, and other string instruments. “We used to stand in rows and saw away all together,” says Donna, now 19. “We didn’t learn much about music . but I did find out I had a liking for the vio lin.” By the time she was 8, Donna’s liking for the violin had won her acclaim as a child prodigy. She played at service-club luncheons, charitable affairs, and on the ra dio, and earned $30 a week at the Beacon vaudeville theater. At 14, using a borrowed violin, she made a record score at the annual Win nipeg Music Festival. Arthur Benjamin, an adjudicator, jubil antly declared: “Hats off, gentle men, a genius.” Up the Scale Overnight, the borrowed violin fired Winnipeg’s generosity. The Winnipeg Tribune sponsored a concert, to which local artists and groups contributed, to buy Donna a $1,000 Michel Deconnet violin (Venice, 1754). The Wo men’s Musical Club gave her a $100 scholarship. Then a group of local citizens subscribed more than $3,000 to send Donna to New York, where she studied for three years under Mishel Piastro, for mer concert master of the New Yo r k Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra. Last October, Donna gave her first solo concert in the city-own ed Winnipeg Auditorium to fin ance a debut at Town Hall in New York. Provincial and federal governments waived taxes. Hun dreds were turned away from the 4,500-seat hall. Even in New York, Winnipeg’s faith in its Cinderella ran high. Breaking Town Hall debut tradi tion, her sponsors refused to paper the house. Only a select few won free tickets. But the committee splurged money on a publicity agent and a post-concert reception at the swank Pierre Hotel, where Mayor Garnet Coub ter of Winnipeg was host. He shared the honors with Donna’s parents, Ralph Maybank, Winni peg member of Parliament, and Lady Eaton, dowager head of the transcontinental department store chain which gave Donna an $800 concert gown. Three out of five New York critics were warmly encouraging. The New York Times said she was “uncommonly talented” and The Post called her “highly ex ceptional.” With home-town pride, Winnipcggers felt sure their Cinderella was well launch ed on a concert career. (‘Newsweek’, Feb. 17, 1947). Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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