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Taras Shevchenko

Encyclopedia of the life and works

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Folklore recordings

This section contains all known to date folklore records made by Shevchenko or on his request of others, mainly in its working albums filled at different times with drawings, sketches, folk records, drafts of original poems and other materials, as well as several records from printed sources, which is authoritative evidence that they made by Shevchenko.

Folklore recordings placed in chronological order – by recording date.

Preserved four Shevchenko's working albums of 1839-1850 [Detailed description see in: Description of Shevchenko's manuscripts. – p. 227-256]

The first album of 1839-1843 [Institute of Literature. National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Department of Manuscripts, F. 1, № 106] filled with drawings, sketches, landscapes sketches, performed in St. Petersburg and during the first trip to Ukraine in 1843, Shevchenko recorded two folk passages: "Falcon, my man…" and "And the ravens peck and magpies peck…". With P. Kulish's hand recorded folk songs: "Boast Ukraine…", "In Makarov, famous town… ", "Sweet honey and sweet wine…", "Hey tighten in, little boy…", "Yes all alkalis, all banks…".

The second album of 1845 [Institute of Literature. National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Department of Manuscripts, F. 1, № 107] filled with pictures of monuments of religious architecture of Kyiv and Poltava, sketches landscapes, executed Shevchenko in Ukraine in June – September 1845 while working in Kiev Archaeological Commission, there are two folk records Shevchenko – "Did I not tell you…" and "Shapuvalko – a black jackdaw…".

The third album of 1846-1850 [Institute of Literature. National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Department of Manuscripts, F. 1, № 108] filled with sketches of Ukrainian and Aral landscapes, sketches of human figures, domestic scenes, drafts of original poems, made in Ukraine and in exile – in Orenburg, Orsk, and when the Aral narrative expedition, hand Shevchenko and others made such folklore recordings: "Kids kids! Bitter earns!..", "Salute Oh, God, Tsar Peter…", "In Kiev at the market Cossacks vodka drink…", "Oh woe is me, in a strange land…", "Semen Paliy! And what do you do for…", "Oh lord Branicky…", "And thank you father…", "I make drunk with honey…", "Oh boasted Bondarenko…", "Near the Solydon city…", "Oh writes writes… our emperor", "Not yet the dawn, still does not daybreak…", "O our God, our God, the only…", "Oh, I go to church…", "Oh cobbler around me…", "Father with mother…", "Hylya, hylya, drake…", "Oh, drink, knock back…", "Oh, in the garden, garden…", "Oh, Cossack sits on the road…", "Is not this the same godmother…", "Also grandmother have a soul…", "Fell in love Moskal", "Came a black cloud…", "Cossack as Cossack…", "Oh, Ulyto, Oh Ulyto… ", "Oh, I go to Kyiv…", "Talkative talkative…", "In Perep'yat on the shaft…", "Not at oncer Krakow built…", "Oh, though I have, sir-brother… ", "In Perep'yat in the pit…", "Swim pike from Kremenchuk…", "Star at evening went down…", "Oh Karmelyuche, walking through the world…" and poetic interpretation of the folk song "Oh I will go not shore – meadow…".

The fourth album of 1846-1850 [Institute of Literature. National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Department of Manuscripts, F. 1, № 109], which contains drawings and sketches, Shevchenko made in exile – in Orenburg, Orsk, and when the Aral narrative expedition. There are two Shevchenko's own recordings – "Prepare to death… " and "Think and think – you can not live… " and also poetic interpretations of Ukrainian folk songs – "Even hour tarry with you…", "Oh turn white the grass, sawdust graveside…", "Oh, the hill on the other side…."

It is known that there was another Shevchenko's album of 1858-1859 years, started in St. Petersburg in the spring of 1858 and extended to Ukraine in June – August 1859. After the death of Shevchenko album belonged to a family of V.M. Lazarevsky. First it was mentioned in article "Pictures and prints by Shevchenko". Known 13 separate sheets of this album with 18 pictures and several folk records (stored in the National Museum of Taras Shevchenko).

The edition also include folk texts, for which Shevchenko's original records are not preserved, but we have authoritative sources that their records published by Shevchenko. Thus, in the preface to the collection of "Chumak people's songs" (Kiev, 1874) compiled by I. Rudchenko, noted that in this edition he has included several Shevchenko's recordings from his handwritten notebook with records of songs in Skvira county. Tentatively, these records can be dated autumn 1846, sometimes staying Shevchenko in Kiev, where he was commissioned by the Kiev Archaeological Commission to collect folklore and ethnographic material, recorded historical information about the graves of prominent and tracts, described and drawed architectural monuments.

Recordings of folklore – a valuable material for pursuing creative laboratory of the poet. After some stanzas, lines, motifs, themes that are found in their albums, enriched the poetic palette Shevchenko. Embedded in the fabric of Shevchenko's poems, stories, they recruited another semantic meaning, testified about his constant inseparable ties with folk art.