Project to publish music of Artem Vedel (05/26/96)

Project to publish music of Artem Vedel

by Veronica J. Chuchman

EDMONTON - Artem Vedel (1767-1808) is one of the most prominent Ukrainian composers of the 18th century. His sacred choir compositions are jewels of Ukrainian music, which have up to this time remained undiscovered. Vedel's music is inextricably bound with Ukraine, and better reflects Ukrainian musical tradition of that period than compositions by his contemporaries.

Together with Maksym Berezovsky (1745-1777) and Dmytro Bortniansky (1751-1825), Vedel is recognized as one of the "big three" composers of the period. The political climate of Ukraine of the time made it virtually impossible to carry on the deep-rooted and rich Ukrainian musical tradition.

Berezovsky, who studied in Italy, returned to Ukraine only to be overwhelmed by intrigue and the constant persecution of the Russian Potemkin government; he committed suicide at the age of 32.

Bortniansky, who resided in St. Petersburg, watched his work swallowed up by the Russian musical world.

Of the three, only Vedel lived, worked and created in Ukraine.

Vedel's masterpieces are deeply religious works, inextricably bound to the Ukrainian people and their traditions. His lyrical style captures the tragic fate of Ukraine, while awakening the deep-rooted national pride of the Ukrainian people. Vedel and his works were viewed as an absolute threat to the Russian state, thus, he was arrested on the basis of false accusations. In prison, Vedel was isolated and forbidden to write. Tragically, he died a young, broken man.

The censorship of the Russian government continued long after Vedel's death. The regime kept Vedel's works locked away, far from human eyes, doing its best to erase the memory of Vedel's life and work. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that some of Vedel's works were published under the watchful eye and "guidance" of Russian censors.

The musical legacy of Artem Vedel includes approximately 20 four-part religious concerti, two two-choir concerti, a liturgy and sacred music to complement the liturgy. There is no way of determining if, or how many, of the composer's works have been lost to the world forever during the two centuries of continued denial of Vedel and his compositions.

The influence of Vedel the composer and Vedel the performer (violinist and singer) was far-reaching, despite attempts to exclude him from the collective memory of the musical world. Efforts to uncover original manuscripts, or general information about Vedel himself have met with very limited success. For this reason, the recent discovery of some of Vedel's original manuscripts was greeted with great excitement within the global musical village.

Maestro Volodymyr Kolesnyk has initiated a project to publish the works of Vedel, the original manuscripts of which are housed at the Central Library of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv. The focal point of the manuscripts are Vedel's liturgy and 12 sacred concerti. Maestro Kolesnyk, together with composer Zenon Lawryshyn, have taken on the task of editing the complete liturgy and concerti, making them accessible to today's performers and musicians, while retaining the authenticity of the original work. The Ukrainian Music Society of Alberta (UMSA) has undertaken administrative tasks in terms of the publication process itself.

It is believed by those involved in the project that the publication of Vedel's work will give performers and researchers access to this invaluable music, and bring to light and further promote the richness, depth and beauty of the Ukrainian musical tradition, while promoting the work of Artem Vedel and allowing his musical talent to take its rightful place within the global musical tradition.

It is further hoped that this project will assist in the rebirth of a nation and its culture, by bringing to light the works of its masters that have been purposefully undermined and hidden from public view for many decades.

Although the UMSA has taken on the administrative role in this project, the assistance of dedicated persons across Canada has been graciously offered to bring this project to its completion. The comprehensive project is estimated to carry a total figure of close to $54,000. Donations will be acknowledged within the completed collection "Masterpieces of Ukrainian Classical Spiritual Music: Artem Vedel 1767-1808" as follows: donor, up to $1,000; patron, $1,000-$5,000; benefactor, over $5,000.

Income tax receipts will be issued for all donations of $20 or more. Checks or money orders should be made payable to: Ukrainian Music Society of Alberta, and mailed to: Maria Dytyniak, Vedel Project Committee, 11728 97th St., Edmonton, Alberta T5G lY2.

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For more information about the Ukrainian Music Society of Alberta or the Vedel Publication Project, please contact Irena Szmihelsky, president, Ukrainian Music Society of Alberta, (403) 457-5136, or Maria Dytyniak, chairperson, Vedel Project Committee, (403) 474-9774.

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