Music and Song Folklore in Modern Ukrainian Culture

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to investigate the use of music and song folklore in the modern Ukrainian cultural space, to identify trends in the adaptation of folklore sources, symbols, and ethnocodes in artistic projects that represent the Ukrainian cultural mentality. Research methodology. To achieve the goal, the following methods were used: art history – contributed to the understanding of Ukrainian folk art as a type of artistic activity; culturological – made it possible to identify the place of folklore in modern musical culture; analysis, synthesis, and generalisation – made it possible to identify the use of folklore texts, motifs, and manner of performance by individual performers and groups and to establish general trends in their development in modern Ukrainian culture. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that it reveals the specifics of the integration of Ukrainian folk music and song creativity into the modern national socio-cultural context. Conclusions. Throughout their existence, Ukrainians have created music and song products that reflected the mentality, history and aspirations of the people, who in various socio-political conditions were constantly forced to defend their rights and freedoms, including cultural ones. The invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine intensified the desire of Ukrainians to preserve their cultural codes, in particular by rethinking and modernising the folk memory encoded in folklore. The ways to preserve folk music and song heritage are their citation, processing, stylisation or creation of new original works based on them. Such adaptations, the transfer of the meanings and symbols of folk songs into a new cultural context make it possible to preserve folk music and song creativity, while making it understandable and interesting for a modern audience. Folklore texts, melodies, and performance styles serve as a source of inspiration for today's musicians, who draw on images, metaphors, and motifs to create modern compositions. By preserving authentic samples, reconstructing musical instruments, combining the traditional and the modern, and actively participating in festivals and music competitions, these artists help shape national identity and preserve the cultural heritage of Ukraine. The artists have taken up the demand of Ukrainian society for knowledge of their roots quite actively, so folk music is currently abundant on the Ukrainian stage, which increases the requirements for its quality and consideration of today's realities.