Ethnomusicology of Ukraine at the Turn of XX–XXI Centuries (1991–2022): Science, Publications, Conferences
Authors: Dovhalyuk Iryna , Dobrianska Lina 
Published: January 2023

The long-awaited times of Independence opened wide opportunities for Ukrainian ethnomusicologists. In the last issue of Problems of Ethnomusicology”, we began to review the achievements of the latest Ukrainian musical folklore studies during the years of Independence: we identified the main ethnomusicological centers and characterized their activities, considered ethnomusicological pedagogy, achievements in the field of documenting folk music – its collection and archiving. In this issue, we want to focus on such important areas as scientific, publishing and conference activities.

The relevance of our research is due to the need to paint a general picture of the achievements and, possibly, omissions of domestic ethnomusicology over the past 30 years. This will significantly complement the existing historiographical studies, focusing mainly only on certain aspects or certain periods of development of Ukrainian musical folkloristics.

Scientific research is a more expressive result of the work of Ukrainian ethnomusicologists of the period of Independence. They show a variety of interests, depths in scientific research, openness to knowledge and increasing the achievements of world ethnomusicology. There are such more important research areas of Ukrainian scientists: the theory of ethnomusicology, areal-typological research, historical studies, organology, ethnochoreology, resource science, ethnoculturology and ethnomusical sociology, folk music culture of ethnic minorities in Ukraine, professional music of the oral tradition of the East, folk music acoustics, etc. These directions are different in terms of achievements, fullness, and degree of innovation, but each of them is a contribution to the pan-European and world folk music science.

Publishing activity clearly demonstrates the results of the work of Ukrainian ethnomusicologists. It was able to develop in Ukraine only after Independence when Soviet censorship disappeared. This direction has become important not only for scientific institutions themselves, but also for higher educational institutions. Thus, two professional Ukrainian annual ethnomusicological collections of articles and materials were launched at the Kyiv and Lviv Music Academies, respectively: “Problems of Ethnomusicology” (1998–2021) and “Ethnomusic” (2006–2021). Ethnomusicological articles are published in other scientific collections, mainly periodical and serial. An important place in publications of the period of Independence is occupied by the publication or reprint of the heritage of predecessors, including the epistolary. A lot of different folk music collections with vocal and instrumental folklore of different Ukrainian regions were also published.

The conference activity of Ukrainian scientists deserves special attention. One of the most important forums is the Lviv “Conferences of folk music researchers of Chervona Rus’ (Halychyna and Volodymyria) and neighboring lands” (1991–2021). The series of specialized ethnomusicological conferences was later (2011) started in Kyiv, Dnipro (2018, 2020 and 2022). It is also worth mentioning the Lviv “Kolessa’s readings” (from 2007). Young researchers also have their own conferences. Ukrainian scientists constantly participate in international scientific conferences, including ICTM (The International Council for Traditional Music) conferences.

In general, in our brief review, presented by two articles, we tried to draw a line under the modern achievements of Ukrainian musical folkloristics. Such reviews should be done regularly since Ukrainian ethnomusicology is constantly evolving. Today, researchers are working in extremely difficult conditions due to russia’s military aggression, but all of all, the work continues.