Ukrainianism

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Rye, Not Wheat! is a typical up-tempo flirting song whose lyrics employ metaphors from nature. It?s one of the first I learned as a teenager, when I joined a Ukrainian polka band in the competitive ?Baba-belt? scene of western Canada. The derangement performed here opens with several configurations of the original melody, then a blues structure emerges. I think of it more as a Canadian-style blues, where each of the three harmonic pillars are major seventh sounds. Instead of collards, gumbo and cornbread pudding, think perogies, borscht and cabbage rolls.
In North America, kolomeykas have evolved into improvised circle dances that usually take place at Ukrainian weddings and celebrations at the zenith of festivity. Everyone gathers in a circle and claps along with the beat of the music, then people take turns in the center showing off virtuosic dance routines and death-defying acrobatics. Kolomeyka Fantasy is a medley of melodies that I grew up dancing to during these events, and in this musical excursion I?ve integrated the de rigeur ?showing off? tradition. While these miniature folk gems undergo deconstruction, the somewhat modern treatment and harmonic renovation suggest possible images of a futuristic kolomeyka.
The tetramerous left hand in Harmony In The Family is what gives this ballad its distinct atmosphere. I kept the original melody pure and unaltered, but wanted the accompaniment to levitate free of tonal gravity. Although each chord is often unrelated to the next, the melody/harmony relationship at any given moment is consonant and sympathetic.
Zabava is a word from my heritage that roughly translates as ?playful dance-party.? Musically speaking, this is a celebration of Ukrainian folk songs - some real, and some made up. Mostly in 5/4 and 7/4 time, this Slavic odyssey begins with a simulation of a Ukrainian drimbeh, or jaw-harp. I always have fun playing this because of the dynamic and rhythmic variety, and because of the extemporaneous regions to camp out on and blow.
Still unbeknownst to many, seven million Ukrainians were purposely starved to death in the ?breadbasket? of Europe. The man-made Famine of 1933 was an act of genocide by Stalin?s Soviet Regime to undermine the social basis of national resistance. Soldiers confiscated all grain and food, shot those who didn?t comply, and meanwhile 1.7 million tons of grain were being dumped on western markets. With this unfathomable horror in mind, I improvised this piece, and eerily alluded to two different Ukrainian folk songs, the first, ?Mother Told Me So? is basked in a sea of atonality, and the latter one is ironically titled The Rye Is Ripe... (welcome my good guests during this bountiful harvest.)
A hammer-dulcimer soundscape introduces Carpathian Blues. Rife with Eastern European scales, this slow-grinding minor blues theme has its origin in the Carpathian Mountains. Folklorists claim that the mountain-dwelling people of the ancient Hutzul tribes would drink homemade vodka, dance around the fire arm in arm, and shout out various steps of the dance known as Arkan.
Sitting By the Window is traditionally a waltz, but here I opt for a 4/4 straight-eighth-note version. The busier bass ostinato acts as a foil for the simple right-hand melody, and is reminiscent of Carol of the Bells - a North American Christmas chestnut that originated in Ukraine.
Created for my grandmother?s 90th birthday, Savella Stechishin is the author of the definitive book on Ukrainian cookery. This ballad is dedicated to all Ukrainian grandmothers and is a salute to their fine cooking.
Ending this solo set is an improvisation dedicated to the Children Of Chornobyl (sic). Sixteen years after this horrible nuclear reactor accident in north central Ukraine, thousands of children and even newly born children are continuing to get deathly ill. Contrary to what the well-funded lobby-masters and PhDs of the self-serving nuclear industry will tell you, nuclear energy is not worth the risk - how many more Chornobyls must there be before this is universally understood?