Ukrainian Folk Music.
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It is no wonder that Ukrainian music has such rich melodies and rhythmical structures. Many folk songs have been transferred from generation to generation and some of them are so old, that nobody even remembers who created them. Ukrainian folk songs were not created by someone's order, but they existed as the internal human desire to express their feelings and share experiences with others.
Traditional Ukrainian folk music becomes more and more popular in present day Ukraine. The history of Ukrainian music did not always know the best of times for its prosperity. For a long period of time it wasn't even consider as a form of art.
We cannot just cross out the centuries of the national history to ignore this period. Every nation has to remember its complete historical roots, both good and bad, in order to maintain its national identity and awareness.
It used to be very typical for common Ukrainian people to come together whenever they could and sing the songs of Ukraine. It would start with one person singing and soon others would join in and a breath taking song took ones heart away was in motion.
Today, people don't have as much time for singing; they are rushing to get somewhere all the time. But if you are lucky, you still have a chance to listen to them, if you are invited to someone's home, you may be fortunate enough to witness this performance of Ukrainian history.
If you are going to visit Kiev, you will encounter musicians in the streets or subway stations who sing Ukrainian folk songs while playing their banduras. Like this handsome man in the video below, whom I met at the St. Sophia Cathedral. He is also mentioned on the Ukrainian music page of this site, which also contains a collection of links which you can use to sample some Ukrainian music.
Sofia Rotaru is one of the most popular Ukrainian folk song singers.
There are a lot of young performers in Ukraine who continue traditions of the Ukrainian folk music. 2004 Eurovision winner, Ruslana, was born in the Carpathians Mountains where the tradition of folk music is especially strong. The video will give you a good idea about the Carpathians beautiful nature and Ukrainian musical instruments.
The last and shortest video is not quite traditional Ukrainian folk music. It is just a joke of two classically educated Ukrainian musicians, though it is still quite a performance and you just have to see it!!!
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