The dissertation is a complex research in which the folk music culture of Lemkos and Ruthenians on the border of Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia of the XX–XXI centuries is considered. as a systemic phenomenon.
The diverse musical world of the Carpathian border demonstrates the urgency of the issue of identity. In Ukraine, Poland, and Slovakia, the self-identification of Lemkos and Ruthenians within the Ukrainian nation had its differences due to the political system, ideological influences, and cultural interaction.
The main ground for the identity of the Lemkos and Ruthenians is the traditional material and spiritual cultures, which are a powerful consolidating force for national self-determination and self-consciousness. Due to the division of Ukrainian nationality into Ukrainians and Ruthenians and the intensification of assimilation processes, the ethnic minority of Ruthenian-Ukrainians did not form into a strong, united, nationally or ethnically determined community. The policy of merging peoples and cultures has certainly done great damage to Ukrainian traditional culture.
90s of the twentieth century Ruthenian-Ukrainians call the period of democratization of society, the most difficult for them in the history of Slovakia. The population, which for centuries was one whole, was divided into groups: Ruthenians, Ukrainians, Lemkos and Slovaks. The latter group is constantly increasing due to the first two. If such a process of assimilation gains even more momentum, in the future they will disappear completely from statistical surveys. To date, Ruthenians and Lemkos have been and remain separated by administrative borders, which has caused some differences in the processes of their identification in the countries of the Carpathian region.
In the processes of transformation of folk songs and rituals, as well as the interaction of song tradition and creativity, in particular related to the influence of the Slavicization of modern Ruthenian-Ukrainian culture and the Polonization of Lemkos in Poland, their main trends were revealed. The priority folklore genres of folk music culture of these ethnic groups of the Carpathian region and the historical dynamics of their existence are determined. The folklore tradition of Lemkos and Ruthenians, its transformation, transmission and preservation in modern art forms of performance, festival movement, museology are covered.
The principle of work of amateur choirs is often not the reproduction of the authentic sound of folklore, but its stylization, which does not always preserve the quality of the original and a deep understanding of the spirit of Lemko folk songs. in the musical culture of the Lemkos and Ruthenians, musical folklore is distinguished as a priority value, and its song samples as original artifacts. The main types of cultural activities of these ethnic groups aimed at the creation, reproduction, preservation, dissemination, promotion and use of folk and musical values are also analyzed.
