LEVKO KOLODUB. LETTERS TO A STRANGER (formation of professionalism in the mirror of the epistolіa)
Authors: Sikorska Iryna 
Published: March 2021

Introduction. Levko Kolodub – is one of the most outstanding Ukrainian composers of the 2nd half of the XX-th – the beginning XXI-thcentury. Studying of his creative work will never lose its actuality in the context of understanding the integrity, depth and diversity of our national musical culture. Theoretical Background. There is no fundamental monograph about L. Kolodub. The brochure by M. Zaghajkevych (1973), collected articles based on the conference materials, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Master (2006), books by K. Bila (2010) about the instrumental concert and by L. Makarenko (2015) about folklore principles of his work, so as biographical articles for the Ukrainian Music Encyclopedia (V. 2, 2008) and for the Festival booklet (2019) – became a milestone on this path. Eight letters from Levko (1954) to Janna Brondz (his future wife Zhanna Kolodub), with whom they lived for almost sixty-five years!), recently found in the family archives, – are important for the scientific reconstruction of L. Kolodub’s creative biography. Objectives. The article aims to describe the letters, first submitted for publication and commented in detail, and determine the meaning of this period. Methods. It was used: analytical – to analyze the literature on this issue; historical – to comment and identify the significance of June 1954 in the L. Kolodub’s life; biographical – for the studying of life facts; interviews with J. Kolodub during 2020–2021 to clarify some details; and also – a source method for studying the epistolary corpus. Results and Discussion. The impetus for the letters was a brief acquaintance of two young people after a symphony concert at the Kyiv Philharmonic during the Republican Plenum of the Ukraine Composers Union. The correspondence lasted a little over a month – until the end of their student life. In the first letter, Levko describes in detail how he first saw Janna, decided to approach and talk. Then he tells about himself, about the years of his study at the Kharkiv Conservatory. As he finishes his own Cantata to the state exam in the specialty. How the composition lessons were held in the Professor M. Titz’s class. He remembers also, how he came to M. Titz on December 31, 1947 at the first time and almost until the New Year he showed the Symphony, improvising on the clarinet. Another letter tells, how Levko prepares carefully for the piano exam, where he will also play his own works – Scherzo and Fuga. During the preparing for the composition exam – in really a symphony concert at the Kharkiv Philharmonic – L. Kolodub considerably reworked his Symphonic poem; he describes the changes in detail because he is sure, she’ll be interested in it. We learn about the passing of the colloquium from the last letter, where the author expresses his confidence in the upcoming meeting: after his graduation he is going to come to Kyiv and congratulate Janna on her diploma. Conclusion. So, from these letters we found out L. Kolodub as a competent specialist – erudite, self-critical, hard-working composer, aimed at self-improvement.