Kvitka's songs ... and a bus in the Karpaty (04/12/98)

Kvitka's songs ... and a bus in the Karpaty

by Orysia Paszczak Tracz
In good memory of Kvitka Cisyk

WINNIPEG - Our tour bus was rumbling through the Karpaty (Carpathian Mountains) this past August, and, as usual, those of us who liked to sing, and thought we could, were in full voice. If the song was something like "Lutshe bulo," then it was a full chorus at least on the refrains. Other times, for more obscure songs, we had some wonderful quartets, trios, duets and solos. The interconnections between people and tradition were fascinating. A woman who immigrated to Canada as a 10-year-old before World War II, a native-born Canadian now in her 80s, our Ukrainian guides, and a few of us DPs - we all knew and harmonized on "Tam na hori kruta vezha."

Our Ukrainian tour leaders, Ihor and Mykola, had wonderful voices and led us in a great variety of folk and contemporary songs. Other times, we listened as they sang. This was my opportunity to learn some other traditional music, the more salty kind. Hey, the raunchy songs are creations of the folk, too! Talk about narodna tvorchist!

I started "Teche richka nevelychka z vyshnevoho sadu." This is a lovely song I have known since childhood, from my mother. For some reason, I was singing alone, with Mykola and Ihor just listening. As I finished, Mykola turned to me and said, "Tse Kvitka" [that's Kvitka]. I looked at him blankly, with no idea what he meant. "Kvitka? I was singing about richka." Again, he says, "Kvitka. Kvitka Cisyk." Then he explained that my "version" of the song was Kvitka's version, from her recording. We had a lively debate, since my "version" was the one I had known all my life, and maybe it was Kvitka's version as well, but that was the way I had learned it very long ago (and Kvitka is younger than I).

Both Ihor and Mykola spoke highly of her, and about how well-known and admired she is in Ukraine. One of the most welcome gifts for relatives and friends in Ukraine is a collection of her tapes. Then Ihor mentioned that we "North Americans" have a different identifiable style of singing Ukrainian folk songs, and that in Ukraine, people can tell right away where we are from by our singing. This I could not understand.

He also expressed admiration and amazement that so many from Canada and the U.S. know so many old songs that even people in Ukraine do not always remember. But the songs are always there, spontaneously. They unify families, generations, and strangers in beautiful harmony.

So, somewhere on the road between Yaremche and Ivano-Frankivsk in mid-August, continents and an ocean away, Kvitka was with us on that bus.