Permissible Antiquity
News insignificant for the profane but leaving all music lovers thunderstruck is that a Department of Old Music has been officially presented at the National Musical Academy.
Old music means the medieval and baroque. Lute and harpsichord, bagpipes and bloc flute, troubadours and monastery choirs, finally, absolutely special laws of arts life, which modern culture has completely abandoned. Taking into consideration our (post) Soviet reality, they were abandoned categorically and totally. Old authentic pre-classical music was subject to a total ostracism, as well as the avant-garde, rock, and jazz. Even in the recent, independent, democratic, and period authentic music was at least disdained by academicians. This is why founding this department at the conservatory’s sanctum is a real feast for all musical gourmets.
Antiquity is exactly what those who are tired of modern rhythms and do not accept excessive pomposity of classics need. In the medieval and baroque tunes simplicity and accessibility are combined with seriousness and philosophical depth, while emotions are coupled with precise mind work. Speaking about instruments, this is a perfect paradise for all lovers of historical exotica.
However for the Old Music Department itself these instruments are no longer exotica but a subject to master. In addition to that baroque king, the harpsichord, students will play bloc flute, clarina tube, old organ, and learn how to play from an old score. The national school also will not be forgotten: kobza, bandura, lyre, and fiddle will be studied along with the stylistics of the Orthodox monody and early polyphonic singing. Professor Nina Herasymova- Persydska heads this most interesting department.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that, by creating an old music department, our academic education is only trying to catch up with the rest of the world. It would be an understatement to say that authentic and chamber music are in fashion in the West. In fact, it is a true sensation, which can be compared to the golden age of jazz in the early twentieth century. And for Ukraine with its rich baroque tradition it is simply a must.
