Music of Ukraine

Music, an artistic representation of culture in Ukraine.

Music of Ukraine is one of the many artistic representations of culture in Ukraine; it was influenced by the Soviet Union that Ukraine was part of. Ukraine art shows the strong cultural heritage of Ukraine, you can notice through the paintings, sculptures, buildings and other art works that their ancient traditions are closely embedded.

What does Ukrainian music represent?

Ukrainian music in early times represented different ethnic groups because some developed their specific music related to the place in which they inhabited; the music was used for rituals. This traditional music used special instruments; the most famous was the Kobza an special instrument for playing folk music; as in other cultures such as: Chinese instruments that included the Erhu, Banhu, Xiao Xun and others made specially with material of the region (bamboo, wood, silk, etc.). The Kobza was replaced by the Bandura, which now is a national symbol in Ukraine.

Ukrainian traditional songs

Most Ukrainian traditional songs have more than one version (it’s called heterophony), especially in classic music; in the period in which classical music was heavily supported, it was a required discipline for all people that received higher education in Ukraine, so it was a very important part in one’s curriculum. Ukraine boasted several music academies and there was created the first professional music academy, in which students learned to sing, and play basic instruments.

Modern music of Ukraine

Modern music includes Ukrainian musicians and composers and non-Ukrainian composers that use Ukrainian folk material; there are also many musicians that were born in Ukraine but receive influences from their other countries in which they lived; that’s the case of Eugene Huts.

Eugene Huts, a famous and controversial Ukrainian musician and actor, quotes about music, specifically his music: “What we’re making isn’t folk music, but savage intellectualism. We speak a language of a new world community that understands cultures and can relate. So people who still speak of nationalism and racism or what separates us, they are inadequate for this time. Evolution goes on.”

However, traditional music and classical ballet didn’t disappear, there are many representatives worldwide such as: The Kiev Ballet, considered one of the best worldwide, Lesia Dychko, Volodymyr; the traditional instruments are also used in dance traditional and poetry. Nowadays, many Ukrainian musicians introduce their folk traditions in their music.