The path of travelling capella
The interactive concert tour map of the First travelling choral capella of Dniprosoiuz (now called The National Choir of Ukraine “DUMKA”) which took place in 1920, based on the diary by Stepan Vasylchenko.
“The path of travelling capella. Executed voices” is the interactive concert tour map of the First travelling choral capella of Dniprosoiuz (now called The National Choir of Ukraine “DUMKA”) which took place in 1920, based on the diary by Stepan Vasylchenko, where each stop of the path of capella is marked using popup windows with text, graphical information and videos including the elements of choral singing and events reconstruction.
Origin Story
In 1920 huge travelling tour of group, that was named “The First Travelling Choral Capella of Dniprosoiuz” and in the future had become the basis of choir ”Dumka” (“National Ukrainian Travelling Capella”), took place around Left-bank Ukraine. Its aim was: the revival of Ukrainian folk song, its popularization, struggle “with very widespread in Ukraine hooligan-lackey songs”.
In 2003 a whole complex of unique materials from the personal archive of Hnat Yastrubetsky, Ukrainian cultural and musical figure of the 20s, came to Vinnytsia Regional Museum of Local History. Among the found documents was a handwritten "Diary of the first travelling choral capella of Dniprosoiuz" of the famous Ukrainian writer Stepan Vasylchenko, who accompanied the team on the journey in the summer of 1920. In 2019 Ukrainian Cultural Fund has supported the project within the competition program “Creating an innovative cultural product”.
The story of finding Stepan Vasylchenko's diary
In 2003 a whole complex of unique materials from the personal archive of Hnat Yastrubetsky, Ukrainian cultural and musical figure of the 20s, came to Vinnytsia Regional Museum of Local History. Researchers under the guidance of historian and art critic Larysa Semenko found among the documents a handwritten "Diary of the first travelling choral capella of Dniprosoiuz" of the famous Ukrainian writer Stepan Vasylchenko, who accompanied the team on the journey in the summer of 1920.
“Хор співав і у темряві, не убачивши диригента, так же бездоганно, як і при світлі”
/The choir sang in the dark without seeing the kapellmeister, as flawlessly as in the light/ - S.Vasylchenko
The choir included the best singing voices of Kyiv: part of the choir of P. Bigdash-Bogdashev, singers of the Kyiv Opera House, Kyiv Musical Drama Theater, the choir named after M. Lysenko, the student choir of the university and other singing groups of the city - only 43 (according to other data 40, 44, 46, 50) choristers and 3 (according to other data 6) administrators.
The purpose of the newly formed group was: the revival of Ukrainian folk songs, its popularization, the fight "against the very common in Ukraine hooligan-lackey songs." The repertoire of the choir includes works by Ukrainian composers: M. Lysenko, M. Leontovych, K. Stetsenko, J. Stepovyi, V. Stupnytsky.
During the chapel's journey was one of the first performances of the world-famous "Shchedryk" by Mykola Leontovych.
"Shchedryk" performed by the Folklore Ensemble "Slavutych" (Kremenchug city)
On September 3, 1920, a meeting of the board of non-trade departments of Dniprosoyuz took place, at which a decision was made "to consider the First Wandering Chapel disbanded [from] September 1, this year."
Instead, the Second Traveling Chapel of Dniprosoyuz was created, headed by Kyryl Stetsenko and Oleksandr Chapkivsky, which included a large number of choristers of the First Traveling Chapel.
Already on September 8 of the same year, the Second Wandering Chapel went on a tour of the Right Bank Ukraine, which lasted until November 10.