2022
Jacek Hałas (Poland) / Andrij Liaszuk (Ukraine).
A meeting of two artists, two stories, and two traditions which, although close, are nevertheless different. A meeting on bridges that allow us to move between threads, themes, and melodies.
On a footbridge too narrow to pass one another.
On a willow plank.
Wandering across the lands of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, beggar-lirnyks sang songs about saints, miraculous apparitions, the end of the world and the Last Judgment, about death and the posthumous journey of souls; ballads based on biblical and apocryphal motifs; and stories about the most important world events—battles, epidemics, spectacular victories and defeats, or terrifying murders. The rich and thematically as well as linguistically diverse song repertoire of Slavic aoidoi was characterized by its vivid depiction of universal human truths, while simultaneously reminding listeners of the moral principles derived from them.
The Ukrainian and Polish lirnyk traditions, although they intermingled across many areas and over many generations, were nevertheless divided by significant differences. The Polish tradition—more individualized and anarchic, more varied in its modes of expression, often anticlerical—was never institutionalized, nor did it ever become a lasting element of national culture. The Ukrainian tradition was different, as from its very beginnings it was marked by the Cossack ethos. The Zaporizhian Sich, regarded as a political and social structure forming the foundations of the future state and national organization of Ukrainians, played an undeniable role in popularizing this tradition. Bandurists, kobzars, and lirnyks fulfilled a very important role in Cossack life and most often occupied a high position within the social hierarchy. This stemmed from the influence they exerted through their art on unifying the nation and sustaining communal bonds. The Orthodox Church provided Ukrainian kobzar tradition with the framework of a broad social institution, whose members were educated in special academies of playing, singing, and song texts. The specificity of the Ukrainian lirnyk tradition as a guild-like organization resulted in a relatively hermetic milieu, with most of the repertoire and performance techniques transmitted exclusively through oral tradition. To this day, it remains a highly individual form of transmission, experienced primarily through direct personal contact.
This happened for the first time several years ago, when Jacek Hałas and Andrij Liaszuk met at the Lirnyk Pokrova in Rivne, Ukraine. This is a unique festival, referring to the tradition of lirnyk gatherings connected with the Orthodox feast of Покрови Пресвятої Богородиці (the Protection of the Mother of God), which fell on October 14 and gathered vast crowds of wandering singers around churches and monasteries. It was then that we discovered that at least several pieces in our repertoire shared twin motifs. This discovery inspired us to deepen our exploration, ultimately resulting in the program “Bridges,” in which we evoke what is shared in melodies, texts, and stories from folk transmission.
We believe that creating such artistic bridges is particularly important in times of political tension, xenophobia, and nationalism. Equally important is speaking about spirituality, mysticism, immaterial and transnational values—precisely the themes that constitute the essence of the forgotten art of the beggar-singers / lirnyks.
Singer, lirnyk. He comes from Kovel in Volhynia and is a graduate of the State Institute of Culture in Rivne. He took part in ethnographic research in Western Polesia and Volhynia. For many years he has been interested in playing and making folk instruments. In order to popularize folk art, in 2008 he created the “Etnoground” project, consisting of a series of cultural initiatives and outdoor events. He is engaged in educational activities among children and youth. He is a member of the Silska Muzyka ensemble based in Rivne. Fascinated by the Polesian and Volhynian lirnyk tradition, he has been playing the hurdy-gurdy since 2011. He performs at festivals, fairs, in museums, on the street, and in front of the gate of the Pochaiv Lavra.
Concert program:
Meeting on the Bridge / BRIDGES / Зустріч на мосту – program
Sybilla Nowa / Jacek solo / moral teachings /
Душа з тіла / Soul Leaving the Body / spiritual song /
Andrij sings the entire song first, Jacek continues the story (to Andrij’s melody), we play together
Про святого Георгія / St George / apocrypha /
We sing alternately – Andrij first, Jacek begins with an Alleluia that overlaps with the end of the final verse
Jasieńko / Чорноморka / ballad /
Jacek starts – then the story alternates, an irregular number of verses; from part III Jacek adds rhythm
5. Три могили / Saint Halina / mystical song /
Jacek begins with the first verse, then adds “Alleluia” underneath Andrij’s text; subsequent verses are sung by Jacek to Andrij’s “Alleluia”
6. Три ангела / There Is a Little Path / spiritual song /
Each verse is divided into four segments; Andrij sings first, Jacek sings the following fragments between Andrij’s segments
7. явор / Kaleda / archaic /
Andrij sings the whole piece; at the end he plays an instrumental rhythm in 7/8 (2,2,3). Andrij plays the rhythm, Jacek sings the entire piece over Andrij’s 7/8 rhythm (3,2,2)
8. Cвятий Mихаїл / St Michael / prophetic song /
We sing two songs in parallel, playing two melodies like two lirnyks sitting by a church (2 or 3 times)
9. Про битву під Оршею / Świteź / historical song /
Andrij plays and sings in 4/4, Jacek in 3/4, according to the division of verses; at the end we play together instrumentally with rhythm / 2×
10. Нема-в-світі-Правди / Andrij solo / moral teachings /
The program was presented at the International Storytelling Art Festival 2022