The XIIth Archeological Congress

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. These Conferences were hosted by a different city of the Russian Empire every three years. The 1902 the XIIth Archeological Congress was notable for a performance by

kobzars A ''kobzar'' ( ua, кобзар, pl. kobzari ua, кобзарі) was an itinerant Ukrainian bard who sang to his own accompaniment, played on a multistringed bandura or kobza. Tradition Kobzars were often blind and became predominantly so by ...

from a number of regions of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, organized by writer and bandurist Hnat Khotkevych, who also wrote an accompanying paper. The success of this concert performance elevated the status of the kobzars, who had been persecuted by the Russian tsarist authorities.

Kobzar performers

For the conference six kobzars were invited; four from the regions around

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine.Petro Drevchenko Petro Semenovych Drevchenko (1863 – 1934) was also known by the surname of Drevkin and Drygavka. Biography Drevchenko was born in 1863 in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire (in present-day Ukraine) to a family of servants. From th ...

Pavlo Hashchenko Pavlo Ivanovych Hashchenko ( -1933) was a Ukrainian kobzar and bandura player. Hashchenko was originally from Poltava province but lived most of his life in the village of Konstantynivka, Bohodukhiv county, Kharkiv province. Among the kobzar ...

Ivan Kuchuhura Kucherenko Ivan Iovych Kuchuhura-Kucherenko ( uk, Іван Іович Кучугура-Кучеренко; July 7, 1878 – November 24, 1937) was a Ukrainian minstrel (kobzar) and one of the most influential kobzars of the early 20th century. For hi ...

, Hrytsko Netesa; one from Poltava province;

Mykhailo Kravchenko Mykhailo Stepanovych Kravchenko (1858-1917) was regarded as one of the most outstanding kobzars of Poltava province of the late 19th early 20th century. Biography Kravchenko was born in Velyki Sorochyntsi, Myrhorod county in 1858. At the age ...

; and one from Chernihiv province: Terentiy Parkhomenko. To this group of six were added three

lirnyk ] The lirnyk ( Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: лірник; plural лірники - lirnyky) were itinerant Ukrainian musicians who performed religious, historical and epic songs to the accompaniment of a lira, the Ukrainian version of the hurdy- ...

Aftermath

A review of the concert appeared in the journal "

Etnograficheskoe Obozrenie ''Etnograficheskoe Obozrenie'' (russian: Этнографическое Обозрение, translit=Etnograficheskoe Obozrenie; en, Ethnographic Review) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering "the study of peoples and cultures of the world ...

". Hnat Khotkevych attempted to organize a large concert tour of Ukraine featuring the kobzars, but was blocked by regional governors.

References

{{Reflist Kobzarstvo Cultural history of Ukraine