Cultural dialogue between nations

Cultural dialogue between nations. Ukrainian musicians in the interwar Czech lands presents the results of more than twenty years of research into the musical life of Ukrainian emigrants in Czechoslovakia. This specialist monograph analyses the activities of Ukrainian musicians, educational institutions and cultural associations, alongside their influence on Czech-Ukrainian cultural relations.
Extended description
The publication explores the history of Ukrainian musical emigration in the Czech lands between 1919 and 1939. It examines how Ukrainian musicians, teachers, composers and cultural institutions helped shape the cultural dialogue between the Ukrainian diaspora and the majority Czech society. The book is based on more than twenty years of archival research in Czech and Ukrainian archives and libraries, as well as analyses of the press of the time and surviving personal testimonies.
The author places the subject within the broader historical context of post-war emigration following the collapse of the Ukrainian state entities. Particular attention is paid to institutions that became centres of Ukrainian cultural and educational life in Czechoslovakia, most notably the Mykhailo Drahomanov Ukrainian High Pedagogical Institute in Prague and the Ukrainian Free University. A significant part of the book consists of chapters on prominent figures of Ukrainian musical culture, with Fedir Steshko, Oleksandr Koshyts, Vasyl Barvinsky, Mykola Kolessa and others playing key roles. The monograph also charts the activities of the Ukrainian Republican Chapel as a tool of cultural diplomacy and presents a comprehensive overview of the concert, choral and theatrical activities of the Ukrainian community in the Czech lands. The publication also includes a chronological list of hundreds of cultural events documented by archival sources.
The book is intended for musicologists, Ukrainian studies specialists, historians and researchers of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as anyone interested in Ukrainian-Czech cultural relations. It also serves as a valuable source of information for teachers, cultural institution workers and members of the Ukrainian community interested in the history of their diaspora and its cultural heritage.
Petr Ch. Kalina studied Ukrainian studies and musicology at the Faculty of Arts of Masaryk University. He works as an assistant professor at his home faculty in the Department of Musicology and the Department of Slavonic Studies, where he guarantees the Ukrainian Studies degree programme. He mainly teaches cultural-historical subjects and courses on musical instruments and folk music. In his publishing work, he focuses on various topics in Slavonic music, particularly Ukrainian and Sorbian music. In 2024, he published the award-winning monograph Sorbische Geigen in Germany. He is also active as a translator of Ukrainian fiction.
Keywords: Ukrainian emigration, music history, interwar Czechoslovakia, cultural diplomacy, Ukrainian Republican Chapel, Oleksandr Koshyts, Fedir Steshko, Vasyl Barvinsky, Mykola Kolessa, Zenoviy Lysko, Nestor Nyzhankivsky, musicology, Ukrainian diaspora, Czech-Ukrainian relations, music education
From the review:
"A high-quality treatment of little-known or completely unknown facts from the history of interwar Ukrainian and Czech musical culture and their mutual contacts. It contributes to a new, more diverse view of the musical culture of interwar Czechoslovakia as a whole, synthesising existing knowledge. Any future study of musical culture in Czechoslovakia as a whole will have to rely on these findings. In this respect, its value is extraordinary."
Questions the book answers
What role did Czechoslovakia play in the life of Ukrainian emigrants after the First World War?
It became an important centre for the educational, cultural and social life of the Ukrainian diaspora.
How did Ukrainian musicians contribute to the international image of Ukraine?
They introduced Ukrainian music to European audiences through concerts and cultural diplomacy.
Which institutions shaped Ukrainian music education in Prague?
A crucial role was played by the Mykhailo Drahomanov Ukrainian High Pedagogical Institute, the Ukrainian Free University, and, among the home educational institutions, especially the Prague Conservatory.