The ancient Lemko song “Floating Rocks in the Silence” performed by the group “Piccardian Tertiary” became a longing, sadness, and a requiem of today. Under this songblood, thousands of Ukrainians say goodbye to Heavenly Hundred Heroes. And now this work has led our people to commemorate for centuries, the memory of those who forever fell on the Maidan for our freedom.
Spring is coming
Every major historical event has only its symbols. But we do not know why such a sign immediately appears. Here are tens, or maybe hundreds of years, singing lemmas about how he drifts by the silence, about the conversation of the mother with the son, who himself does not know where he will die, but feels that he will lie down and the grave will be “chosen” by “other people”. .
These words appear at the same time as a kind of code, the symbols or signals of which carry over the centuries certain information, information, predictions. The hero of the song may have been called by the fronts of World War I or World War II, and perhaps by national liberation competitions, in particular in the ranks of the Ukrainian archery or the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. This barn has claimed many Lemko lives.
It was another evil hour in the fate of the westernmost branch of the Ukrainians. It is known that Lemkos lived in the Green Carpathians for centuries. The totalitarian regime 70 years ago rooted out, depriving homeland of singing, cheerful, incendiary, proud and friendly people. On September 9, 1944, the then USSR and the Polish Committee for National Liberation signed an agreement on “evacuation of the Ukrainian population from the territory of Poland to the USSR and Polish citizens from the territory of the USSR to Poland.” The communist flywheel forcibly separated almost half a million people forever from their native land.
This outrage of despotic power over an ethnic group of Ukrainians has been hurting for generations. And it will continue to hurt. Because this is not to forget! How, in the end, the memory, the heroism of the guards of the Maidan and, consequently, the defenders of a new and undoubtedly happy Ukraine, will not be eroded from memory.
The song of the burnt Lemkos became the sadness of the soul of the whole Ukrainian people. At the same time giving hope for the best. After all, the duck swims in silence. Eighty-year-old Lemko resident of Ternopil Volodymyr Verney says that “silence” in Lemko dialect means “flood.” During the spring flood of the valley, the water floods the meadows adjacent to the river banks. Then the floodplain becomes an obstacle, but later on this place will once again turn grass, bloom a colorful floral natural carpet, forget about life. And so in society. Ignorance, betrayal, dishonesty, abuse of power will surely provoke popular anger and resistance. But spring must come and wash away the hurt, for it has a completely different purpose – to give new, beautiful, to be in love, joy and in song.
The song is the soul of the people, they say. I wanted to meet with those lemmas who, throughout their lives, carry the songs of their mothers and grandmothers and promote them.
I heard it from my mother’s mouth
The Honored Cultural Worker of Ukraine Volodymyr Verney 80 years ago saw the white light in the village of Odrekhova in Lemko. I sincerely congratulate Vladimir Mykolayovych on his birthday, and at the same time, he is a bit into his destiny. The Verneev family is interesting when it comes to professions and hobbies. My mother was a physician, or more precisely, a midwife, although my father was well versed in dressmaking, watchmaking, shoemaking, he preferred hairdressing, so he took care of the hairstyles of Lviv masters even before the war and Terebovlyan workers in Soviet times. One of Vladimir Vernei’s grandfathers was grateful, but the other, he says, served in the military unit in Vienna at the Imperial Court. Probably, for the impeccable service he received from the hands of the emperor himself a gift – a ring with agate. This family heirloom is now worn by Vladimir Nikolaevich.
I was so interested in family details because I wanted to know who Vladimir Verney had received the genes for calling to music. It seemed like it was from my grandfather. He was wrong. Because Vladimir Nikolaevich himself is sure: from his mother this love was transmitted to him. Although from childhood he was fascinated with drawing, in his paintings he gave a prominent place to mahne and bass horses. Even called himself the best company (driver) of the village. He entered the Kiev art university, but did not pass the competition. And then he opened a music school in Ivano-Frankivsk, and even went to the second year immediately, having passed the exams in the respective disciplines. Then there was the Conservatory. And in 1960, after training, he came to work now his native Ternopil. He is now a teacher of the conductor-choral department of the local music school. Solomiya Krushelnytska.
The music was not for him, so to speak, extraneous. On the contrary, at the Terebovlya residence, the Poles who were deported left the piano, seeing that the Lemko boy was reaching for the keys. Then the mother forced her son to play with him for five hours every day on vacation. But mother liked not only classical music. She often sang Lemko songs. She even made a list of their names. That list turned out to be huge – almost 2500 songs. Many of them were taught by a son. Vladimir Vernei put 15 such national pearls on the notes. Many of them appeared in the notebook of Ivan Maychik, who also came from Odrekhov. He, the composer and conductor, also collected folklore, published several collections of folk works, which will contain up to one hundred Odrekhov songs.
Both Vladimir Vernei and Ivan Maychik, like all their fellow villagers, were forcibly resettled in 1946. They were taken to the east in one wagon with cattle and belongings. In the memory of Vladimir Nikolaevich, the picture is still emerging when they waited for the railroad tracks at the neighboring station of Voroblik on the truck, around – screams, homer, fuss, and suddenly the mother sang: ». Everyone was crying, crying.
And here in life Vladimir Verney burst into tears as he saw from the television screen how the bodies of the dead Heavenly Hundred Heroes were carrying in coffins under the Lemko song “Floating Duckling in the Silence”. He remembers her from childhood – her mother sang. And then the heart broke because of the tragic meaning of the work, and now even more so because there are human sacrifices.
According to Vladimir Nikolaevich, most Lemkos have songs that are sad, sad, lyrical. The life of this branch of Ukrainian was not cloudless. They were forced to go to work in remote America (the Americas) and even Australia. Of course, there is little to enjoy. There were also no states, the Lemko boys were taken into soldiers, many of whom were killed during various hostilities. In the 1940s, tyrants completely deprived Lemkos of their native land. Hence the sadness and sadness.
Nadia gave hope to the Maidan
In the repertoire of Honored Cultural Worker of Ukraine Nadiya Kulik there are different Lemko folk songs in character, melody and genre. She actively promotes them, records and releases albums, arranges, musically updates. She says she has completed over one hundred such works. At her concerts you can also hear “Floating Duckling in the Silence”. It seeks, besides the well-known songs, to bring to court the music lovers and little known. Some of them records in their hometown from older people.
Interestingly, having scattered around the world, Lemkos are still producing songs. Unfortunately, many of them are also salient – they are saddened by their own country, emigrant and labor motives sound.
For example, a piece performed by Slovak singer Anna Servitska was included in Nadiya’s program. “Water is flowing, stone is flowing that my mother is waiting for me in a foreign world?” Is a keynote question not only for this song, but also for the life of many current Ukrainians looking for a better job in other countries.
Nadiya is a teacher of the class of academic vocal and bandura playing at the first Ternopil music school, the head of a model children’s band of bandura players “Vyshivanka”. She decided to perform some Lemko songs under the bandura. This phenomenon is not common, so even one of the dissertators became interested in it. Ms. Nadiya even recorded an album with bandura music.
Nadezhda Kulik is from a young Lemko stump. She was born in the Lemko family. She grew up in the city of Monastyriska, now called the capital of Lemko. It has been the honor of many times to open the Lemkivska Vatra in the Polish city of Zhdina, always performing in her hometown at the all-Ukrainian festival “Bells of the Lemkivschyna”. I am convinced that Lemko songs cannot be performed by anyone, because they have to be genetically tested. But the “Picardy Tertiary” song “Floating Rocking in the Silence”, in her opinion, performed unmatched, emotionally and mentally.
What is the spirit of the Maidan, Ms. Hope knows well. In January, it was twice a few days here. He said he wanted to perform on stage once, only two songs were allowed to perform. Of course, she suggested Lemko’s. They asked for an “encore”, and therefore – to sing again. So, for almost an hour, she gave music to the protesters.
“How do you think the attention to the Lemko song comes from?” He asked the singer. “It’s just that people are already tired of those imaginary ‘stars’, and they want heartiness, sincerity, genuine feelings,” he heard in response.
In fact, only the suffering, full of great truth and skillful execution of a song can captivate people, cause joy, add love, or pour tears, as, say, the Lemko folk product “Floating Kacha in the Silence”.
Пливе кача по тисині
Пливе кача по тисині,
Ой, пливе кача по тисині.
Мамко моя, не лай мені,
Мамко моя, не лай мені.
Залаєш ми в злу годину,
Ой, залаєш ми в злу годину.
Сам не знаю, де погину,
Сам не знаю, де погину.
Погину я в чужім краю,
Погину я в чужім краю.
Хто ж ми буде брати яму?
Хто ж ми буде брати яму?
Виберут мі чужі люде,
Ой виберут мі чужі люде,
Ци не жаль ти, мамко, буде?
Ой, ци не жаль ти, мамко, буде?
Ой, як же мені, синку, не жаль?
Як же мені, синку, не жаль?
Ти на моїм серцю лежав,
Ти на моїм серцю лежав.
Пливе кача по тисині,
Ой, пливе кача по тисині.
Мамко моя, не лай мені,
Мамко моя, не лай мені.