TARAS SHEVCHENKO'S WORD ON THE BATTLEFIELD: HERITAGE OF KOBZAR TRADITIONS

Abstract

The article draws artistic parallels between the Second World War and the Russian-Ukrainian wars, where the influence of Shevchenko’s word, embodied with the help of kobzar art, is especially relevant. It has been proven that T. Shevchenko’s words are organically woven into modern military folklore, forming an inseparable synthesized unity.

During the war period, there is an active appeal to folk origins, so were the most popular during the Second World War such dumas: «About the Bandurist Cossack», «About Marusya Bohuslavka», «The Escape of Three Brothers from the City of Azov, from Turkish Captivity» etc. The poetry of T. Shevchenko was also very popular at that time. 

During World War II, folk singers took part in hostilities, were part of partisan units, traveled through the occupied territory. People’s kobzars professed the Shevchenko ideals of struggle and freedom, thus raising the fighting spirit of the soldiers. 

Shevchenko’s words inspire on the battlefield even today. In the last period, the art of kobzar became quite developed. Here, first of all, it is worth mentioning T. Kompanichenko, a soldier of the territorial defense, a kobzar, the leader of the Khoreya Kozatsky band, the author of «Duma about the Savur-grave», «Duma about the Holodomor», modern war songs («Armored ranks», «We will boldly go into battle», «Bayraktars and Javelins», «Carmina belli» and others). 

In the repertoire of modern kobzars, as in the period of the Second World War, Shevchenko motifs are prominent. Illustrative in this respect is the work of the bandur player Yu. Gerasimenko. His song «Gen in the Steppe» depicts the death throes of an old kobzar who worries about the future of his state. His work «Save the Song» expresses Shevchenko’s opinion about the immortality of the Ukrainian duma and song. In the song repertoire of this bandurist, the Shevchenko motive of thinking about the future fate of Ukraine is also felt.

The work also focuses on the fact that during the war period, the folklore genre of duma became especially widespread and appeared as a historical document that reflects the social changes of the era. 

The article also examines the functioning of the duma genre in modern military literature using the example of O. Ptashchenko's poetry.

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