The Traditional Winter Repertoire of Rivne Polissia in Viktor Kovalchuk’s Recordings: Genre and Typological Characteristics

Abstract

The aim of the article is to provide an ethnomusicological characteristic of the mostly unpublished part of Viktor Kovalchuk's collecting work, namely, the winter ritual repertoire of songs recorded on the territory of Rivne Polissia. The aim of the study is a genre and typological analysis of V. Kovalchuk's winter collection, which is based on structural and typological, as well as statistical, analytical, and comparative methods. Results. The article provides a brief general description of the collection, paying special attention to the geography and frequency, recording circumstances, and so on. A detailed genre and typological characterisation of the most represented melotypes is carried out, in particular, songs are systematised by origin and formal features, the main compositional, rhythmic, and tonal-melodic features within the selected typological groups are analysed, the main functional and plot-thematic components of the most common melodic forms are indicated, and the performance textural, variational and improvisational aspects of the collection are reviewed. Scientific novelty. The article systematises and analyses 223 recordings of winter ritual compositions of Rivne Polissia (mostly unpublished), which is a significant scientific contribution to the study of Ukrainian traditional ritual music in general and the winter ritual repertoire of Rivne Polissia in particular. Conclusions. Through the analysis of the recordings by Victor Kovalchuk, the most common melodic forms of Rivne Polissia are identified, and their main local stylistic characteristics are determined. Based on the analysis, the cultural and scientific value of the collection is substantiated, which preserves and represents the music of the Christmas and New Year celebrations of Rivne Polissia, contributes to the revival of ancient songs in their contemporary sound, and continues the oral folk song tradition.