This is what Ukraine sounds like - a search for musical identity/ So klingt die Ukraine - Eine Suche nach der musikalischen Identität

Description

The Ukrainian lute instrument "bandura", its history and the way it is played are identity-forming for the sound of Ukraine, as is its musical relative - the "kobsa". These instruments are used in traditional music as well as in modern and contemporary compositions. Stylistic elements of folklore also find their way into composed music. Ukrainian-born Lidya Melnyk is a musicologist and expert on the musical history of her homeland. She talks about typical features of the country such as the musicians' guilds, the texts of national poets that are popular for setting to music and the baroque polyphonic singing tradition of "partes", which developed from sacred music. Singing together is widespread in Ukraine - the people who fled to the Kiev metro stations also used it to show mutual solidarity. The images of this have entered the collective memory and bear witness to the importance of Ukrainian music.