The cherry orchard by my house

Kupalo songfolkComposerArranger

Mar 20

Written By andrew waller

Translated Text

Score Ukrainian

Score Transliterated

The cherry orchard by my house | Садок вишневий коло хати | Sadok vyshnevyj kolo khaty

Composer: Yakiv Stepovyj | Яків Степовий
Lyricist: Taras Shevchenko | Тарас Шевченко

This song is based on a poem that describes a bucolic village scene: birds chirping, young girls singing, and workers returning home after a hard day in the fields. Taras Shevchenko, poet, writer, painter, political figure, and ethnographer, is considered by many to be Ukraine’s bard. His writings formed the foundation for modern Ukrainian literature in the middle of the 19th century, contributing greatly to the growth of Ukrainian national consciousness. Influenced by Romanticism, his unique manner of poetic expression encompassed themes and ideas germane to Ukraine and to his personal vision of its past and future. Shevchenko’s influence on various facets of Ukrainian intellectual, literary, and national life is still felt to this day, even inspiring some of the protestors during the Euromaidan movement of 2013-14.

Vesnivka's music archives include classical works with text drawn from poetry from many of Ukraine's great literary figures, including Ukraine's bard Taras Shevchenko. In addition to this version, Vesnivka's musical archives contain no less than 5 other arrangements of this piece by various composers.