The Image of the “Golden-Voiced Trumpet” in Ukrainian Sacred Music of the 17th-18th Centuries

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to reveal the evolution of instrumental symbolism using the example of the image of the trumpet in Ukrainian sacred monody and spiritual song of the 17th–18th centuries. The research methodology based on the principles of historicism and objectivity, using methods of comparison and generalisation, analytical and systematic methods. The scientific novelty is accentuation of the durability of the instrumental image of the trumpet in Ukrainian spiritual music of the 17th–18th centuries. The relationship between the images of the poetic texts of monodic songs and the Ukrainian literary genres of the Middle Ages and the Baroque is highlighted. Conclusions. Instrumental imagery in Ukrainian sacred music of the 17th and 18th centuries shows a strong affinity with the Greek–Byzantine rite and liturgical chants. Instead, the Christian rite was formed for a long time on the basis of the symbolism of the Holy Scriptures, the texts of which contain a rich lexical dictionary of spiritual tools. This feature is characteristic of ancient religious rites of various peoples, and one of the central images is the trumpet. This instrument became a special feature of the glorification of St. John Chrysostom in a one-act service, from where he got into the Ukrainian spiritual song in praise of the saint. We find similarities not only at the level of poetic images, but also at the level of melodic development. In the future, such figurative and melodic connections will help to find parallels between different stylistic layers of Ukrainian sacred music.