Seagulls fly away

Kupalo songfolkComposerArranger

Mar 19

Written By andrew waller

Translated Text

Score Ukrainian

Score Transliterated

Seagulls fly away | Летять ніби чайки | Letjat' niby chajky

Composer: Judif Rozhavska | Юдіф Рожавська
Arranger: Larysa Kuzmenko | Лариса Кузьменко
Lyricist: Lada Reva | Лада Рева

Composed by Judif Rozhavska and set to the words by Lada Reva, Ukrainian poet and lyricist, the popularity of this song makes it one of Reva’s most well-known works. The lyrics describe the heartache of being separated from one’s love in a memorable, sorrowful melody. Born in Kyiv in 1923, Rozhavska was a noted composer, talented pianist, and well-known for her phenomenal ability to recall a musical piece from a single hearing. This song is often performed by a male soloist. However, this version was arranged for women’s voices by Larysa Kuzmenko, who cites this song as one of her favourites. Kuzmenko, born in 1956, is a Juno Awards-nominated Ukrainian Canadian composer and pianist based in Toronto, Canada. Many of her works have been published by Boosey & Hawkes.

Larysa Kuzmenko has a long association with Vesnivka, which has commissioned a number of pieces from the Toronto-based composer throughout its history.