The Ukrainian Republic Capella (later known as the Ukrainian National Chorus) was a musical company during and after World War I which toured Europe and North America with the intent to promote Ukrainian culture abroad. The main sponsor of the Capella was Symon Petlura.

Background

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, many events shook

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

. In

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 ...

, a new chance to create an independent state presented itself. One of the key figures in this period was Symon Petlura. Petlura thought that many people may want to contribute to the promotion of

Ukrainian culture The culture of Ukraine is the composite of the material and spiritual values of the Ukrainian people that has formed throughout the history of Ukraine. It is closely intertwined with ethnic studies about ethnic Ukrainians and Ukrainian histor ...

, and realized that not everybody would be a good soldier. In order to include the greatest number of people into the process of statehood, Petlura organized a series of cultural programs, funded by the central

Directorate of Ukraine The Directorate, or Directory () was a provisional collegiate revolutionary state committee of the Ukrainian People's Republic, initially formed on November 13–14, 1918 during a session of the Ukrainian National Union in rebellion against Sk ...

, to actively promote Ukrainian culture abroad. One such initiative was the Ukrainian Republic Capella.

Beginning

In January 1919, Petlura held a meeting with Oleksander Koshetz and

Kyrylo Stetsenko Kyrylo Hryhorovych Stetsenko ( ua, Кирило Григорович Стеценко; May 12, 1882 – April 29, 1922) was a prolific Ukrainian composer, conductor, critic, and teacher. Late in his life he became a Ukrainian Orthodox Priest an ...

and presented the idea. Soon after this meeting, Oleksa Prykhodko also joined the Capella as assistant director. The situation of the Capella was difficult in that the political situation in

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Kyi ...

was unstable. Although Koshetz and Stetsenko began work almost immediately, on January 26, 1919, Koshetz was forced to leave Kyiv before it was overrun by the

bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

. The Capella eventually reunited in

Kamyanets-Podilsky Kamianets-Podilskyi ( uk, Ка́м'яне́ць-Поді́льський, russian: Каменец-Подольский, Kamenets-Podolskiy, pl, Kamieniec Podolski, ro, Camenița, yi, קאַמענעץ־פּאָדאָלסק / קאַמעניץ, ...

, where the final preparations were made.

First European Tour

The first tour of the Ukrainian Republic Capella started on April 26, 1919 in

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. The first concert was performed on May 20, 1919. The tour continued from Czechoslovakia to Switzerland,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Second European Tour

Even though the Capella as a choir was receiving triumphant reviews, personality conflicts between Koshetz and Prykhodko led to a split. In the fall of 1920, Prykhodko and 20 members of the Capella returned to Czechoslovakia. However, Koshetz received further funding from Petlura, and Koshetz recruited

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...

living in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

to the Capella. The new Capella toured France,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and Belgium.

Dissolution

In May 1921, Oleksander Koshetz announced the dissolution of the Ukrainian Republic Capella. Later that year, Koshetz and some other members of the Capella created the Ukrainian National Chorus.

Legacy

The Ukrainian National Chorus, which toured the United States and Canada between 1922 and 1926 is credited with introducing the Ukrainian Christmas Carol "Shchedryk" - known as the "

Carol of the Bells "Carol of the Bells" is a popular Christmas carol, with music by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in 1914 and lyrics by Peter J. Wilhousky. The song is based on the Ukrainian folk chant " Shchedryk". The music is in the public domain; Wil ...

" in English.

References

*Klymkiw, Walter, "''Olexander Koshetz Ukraine's Great Choral Conductor''",

Forum Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to: Common uses * Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States *Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city **Roman Forum, most famous example *Internet ...

, Winter, 1986, pp 15–21 {{authority control National choirs Musical groups established in 1919