Folk instrumental art is an integral part of the musical culture of modern Ukraine. Establishment of professional education system, creation of a significant number of musical compositions for folk instruments, advancement of festival competitions movement aimed at popularization and promotion of folk instruments playing techniques allow to acknowledge extreme progress achieved in this arena in the course of the last century. This success associated with academization of folk instrumental music is the result of significant efforts of numerous cultural and artistic personalities, and activities of both amateurs and professionals. Musicology research works have indeed paid a lot of attention to various aspects of folk instrumental music, as well as to foundation and functioning of various regional schools. However, the issue of development of regional Mykolaiv domra school in the context of the development of professional folk instrumental music has not yet been scientifically grounded.
It is emphasized that the historical development of folk instrumental performance of the 20th century is the evolution from amateur to professional music playing. The academization of folk instrumental performance is determined as the process characterized by transition from purely folklore music towards universal academic forms.
Professional folk instrumental music art arises as a result of interactions between three components: academic education – performance – composition. It is being proved that the emergence of a three-level educational system (elementary music school, high music school, music conservatory) creates the foundations for the formation of professional folk instrumental practice. Establishment of professional folk instrumental performance becomes possible due to the development of its various types (mainly orchestral, ensemble and solo), accompanied by modifications of instruments. An important indicator that testifies to the processes of academization of folk instrumental performance is the shift to factory production of musical instruments, as well as their modification aimed at widening of their technical and expressive capabilities. Creation of orchestral groups of same instruments allows for achievement of timbral unity of sound.
The study identifies three major areas of modern domra performance – folk, baroque and avant-garde. Each is recognized by the dominance of the corresponding sound image, repertoire preferences and performance intentions. Each of the domestic domra schools is focused on the appropriate type of repertoire, which demonstrates its genesis, its basic principles that form methodological basis of a school and its preferred artistic and expressive methods. The subject of typology of Ukrainian domra play is the actual task of the given thesis.
The thesis examines formation peculiarities of Mykolaiv domra play school, which is being formed on the basis of unity and heredity of artistic and aesthetic traditions and technical and expressive means displayed in the specifics of performers and author interpretation. Process of academization of domra play style in Mykolaiv region developed in three stages characterized by shifting from amateur to professional music making. The first two stages are implicit, with only the last, third, one (from the 1980s to the 2020s) demonstrating the reach of explicit level of domra play. A significant feature of this process has been its close connection with the general folk musical instrumental practice, being traditionally and still remaining the dominant form of music performance in the cultural and musical space of Mykolaiv.
The development of Mykolaiv regional school of domra play is marked by fruitful cooperation with various regional schools and cultural centers of Ukraine. Among the factors which contribute to the dynamic development of domra play school in Mykolaiv region is the great number of festivals, competitions and concert events (festival contest «Golden String», Hrygory Manilov regional festival of folk instruments performers, etc.). Changes are noticed in the perception of domra as the inheritor to Western European baroque music, which make standard its new instrumental role. It is noted that similar transformations occur with a number of other stringed instruments, including the guitar.
It is proved that the main feature of Mykolaiv domra school is the tendency to create sound images referring to the traditions of Baroque music. The domination of the Renaissance madrigal sound of domra is noted during performance of the Baroque era music, as well as through creative explications of the past eras’ styles in works of modern composers. The avant-garde style of domra performance is currently at its implementation stage and has not yet acquired its stable form, while its folk form is implemented at orchestral and ensemble performance level.
