IVAN LABACHUK’S LIVING IN THE CONTEXT HUTSUL TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC

The author presents in his proposed paper, while continuing reconstruction of the Hutsul region famous violinists “pantheon”, the creative portrait of a folk musician – the representative of Kosmach, Brustury and Shepit rural traditions (Kosiv district of Ivano-Frankivsk region) – Ivan Fedorovych Labachuk (1929-2009), whose activities lasted for more than 30 years and left an imprint in the memory of fellow musicians he had ensemble with in instrumental chapels, serving weddings, joint work, carols and other folk festivals. The image of the almost forgotten outstanding violinist appears in the context of folk musicians activities – representatives of the senior and younger generations, whose memoirs depict the personality of Ivan Labachuk as one of the brightest participants in the continuous process of Hutsul professional chapel and solo performance. The author examines in hindsight the creative way of the folk violinist relying on information about his creative biography obtained from individual musicians. These include: violinist Ivan Sokoliuk (Kovalivka village), Vasyl Harasymiuk (Prokurava village), Mykola Dumutrak (Brustury village), Ivan Isaychuk (Kosmach village), and researcher of Hutsul instrumental, in particular violin, music Ihor Matsiievsky (St. Petersburg). Ivan Labachuc, as a talented performer of violin traditional music in its style regional interpretation, took the fixed place in the hereditary chain of “violin pedigree” of the instrumental Kosmach, Brustury and Shepit rural tradition. Vasyl Vardzaruk (1858–1941) was its eldest generation representative, and Ivan Meniuk (1903–1989) – its prominent successor. It is this outstanding violinist, who in the second half of 1940s had to live with Labachuks in their house, contributed to Ivan Labachuk’s development, who, in turn, picked up and continued the tradition, becoming its outstanding expresser in 1960–1990s.