Eve of Kupalo

Evhen Stankovych

Mar 19

Written By andrew waller

Translated Text

Score Ukrainian

Score Transliterated

Vesnivka Catalog Number 0043

Eve of Kupalo | Заключне купало | Zakljuchne kupalo

Composer: Evhen Stankovych | Євген Станкович

This song is one of many Ukrainian folk songs for the Feast of Kupalo (intertwined now with the Christian celebration of St. Jean Baptiste), which falls on July 7 for Ukrainians following the Julian Calendar. As inspiration, many Ukrainian composers have tapped into the vast repertoire of Ukrainian traditional folk music, much of which had been orally passed down through generations. Folk music is one of the strongest reflections of the character of a culture and its history. Most of the music from the Ukrainian folk song genre falls within two main areas: music that reflects the important stages of a person’s life, such as carefree youth, unrequited love, courtship, marriage, motherhood, and music that reflects the seasonal cycle of a predominantly agrarian society. Ukrainian folk song tradition is rich with imagery and conveys an array of emotions. With seasonal ritual songs, while many retained much of their archaic pagan motifs and symbols, with the advent of Christianity, these ritual songs became intertwined with Christian beliefs and celebrations.