The Kyiv Bandurist Capella () is a male vocal-instrumental ensemble that accompanies its singing with the playing of the multi-stringed Ukrainian folk instrument known as the bandura.
The group was initially known as the Kobzar Choir and was established in August 1918 under the direction of the renowned bandurist virtuoso Vasyl Yemetz, having its first performance in November that year. The group continues to actively perform to this day as the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus.
History
Preamble
The idea of organizing a bandura ensemble came to V. Yemetz after seeing a performance by four kobzars in Okhtyrka: Ivan Kuchuhura Kucherenko, Pavlo Hashchenko, Petro Drevchenko and Oleksander Hamaliya on 20 August 1911. In some of the pieces, the kobzars were joined by the lira player Sampson Vesely. This performance seemed to have been the catalyst for the formation of the first Kobzar Choir.
Initially, Yemetz tried to organize a Bandurist Capella in Kharkiv from his students in 1913. His next attempt was with his students in the historic Kuban region in 1913–1914 in Yekaterinodar, but none of these attempts was fully successful. This could have been possible due to the youth and inexperience of Yemetz himself. In 1914, Yemetz travelled to Moscow where he had the chance to see the bandura ensemble that was organized by Vasyl Shevchenko. He was also aware of the student bandura ensemble organized by Mykhailo Domontovych in Kyiv in 1905.
Organization
In April 1917, Yemetz first visited Kyiv travelling there as a delegate to the First Ukrainian Congress. After a brief return to Kharkiv, he settled in Kyiv. In May 1918, he placed advertisements in the Kyiv newspapers Vidrodzhennia, Robitnycha hazeta and Narodna volia asking for interested persons to approach him with the intent of organizing a kobzar ensemble.
A number of bandurists answered these advertisements and they had their initial gathering in June of that year. Altogether 18 people came to the first meeting. Each had varied playing levels, musical knowledge, and technical proficiency. Each played different styles of bandura made by various makers. The Chernihiv-style was chosen over the Kharkiv-style by Yemetz as being easier for everyone to initially master. A standard tuning had to be chosen which initially also proved problematic. Some of those initially interested dropped out because they could not read music and thought that playing from music was not traditional.
The group was initially known as the Kobzar Choir (Kobzarsky khor) and later Kobzar Capella (Kapela Kobzariv). Yemetz states that the word bandurist was not used at all at that time.
First performance
After a few months of rehearsing, the ensemble was ready for their concert début. This also proved problematic because none of the bandurists had the money to pay the rent required for a concert hall in Kyiv. This obstacle was overcome by the direct intervention of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky. Before their first independent concert, they had a chance of performing as a group at the Hetman's Palace. After hearing them perform, Hetman Skoropadsky was so moved that he made sure that the rental fee was paid for the use of the second largest hall in Kyiv after the Opera Hall – the Bergonie Theatre (now known as the Lesya Ukrainka Theatre). The première concert of the Kyiv Kobzar Choir took place on 3 November 1918.
The program given by Yemetz for the first concert included the following pieces: Kozatskiy pokhid (Hey nu khloptsi do zbroyi) arrangement V. Yemetz – (Instrumental) Pro Morozenka (solo) Ta lita orel – arrangement V. Yemetz Duma – Pro smert' kozaka bandurysta (solo) Hey na hori ta zhentsi zhnut' – arrangement V. Yemetz My hajdamaky Ya siohodni shchos' duzhe sumuyu (solo) Vyklyk – Arrangement V. Yemetz – Instrumental Hopak (by M. Kropovnytsky) – Instrumental Tarasova nich (solo) – V. Yemetz Oy shchozh to za shum – uchynyvsia – arrangement V. Yemetz Kyselyk (solo) Ta vzhe rokiv dvisti Hey ne dyvuyte dobriyi liudy Oy za hayem, hayem Horlytsia – Instrumental Hrechanyky
"Kozatskiy Pokhid (Hey nu khloptsi do zbroyi)" and "Vyklyk" are still played by many bandurists in North America although the pieces are often ascribed to bandurist Mykhailo Teliha, a Kuban Cossack and a member of this initial Kobzar Choir. Teliha was also a student of Vasyl Yemetz. These works were recorded by Teliha by a Polish record company "Syrena Elektro" and were published in a collection of bandura works in Prague in 1926.