Kolomyika

rdf:langString Kolomyika

rdf:langString The kolomyika (Ukrainian: кoлoмийкa, Polish: kołomyjka; also spelled kolomeyka or kolomeike) is a Hutsul (Ukrainian) music genre that combines a fast-paced folk dance and comedic rhymed verses. It includes a type of performance dance developed by the Ukrainian diaspora in North America. It originated in the west Ukrainian town of Kolomyia, in the Hutsul region of east Galicia. It was historically popular among the Ukrainians and Poles, and is also known (as the kalamajka) in north-eastern Slovenia where some Ukrainians settled in Austro-Hungarian times. Kolomyikas are still danced in Ukraine, as a tradition on certain holidays, during festivities, or simply for fun. In Ukraine's west, they are popular dances for weddings. The kolomyka can be a combination of tune, song, and dance with some recordings having a line of singing alternating with a line of instrumental melody, whilst others are purely instrumental. The text tends to be in rhyming couplets and is a humorous commentary on everyday life. Its simple 2/4 rhythm and structures make the kolomyika very adaptable, and the text and melodies of thousands of different versions have been annotated. One collection done by Volodymyr Shukhevych in 1905, contains more than 8,000. Although a very old form they continue to be popular due to their fast, energetic, and exciting melodies, often with syncopation. The kolomyika-style verse of the song is syllabic, consisting of two lines of 14 syllables (or of four lines: 8 + 6 + 8 + 6). This is typical not only for a kolomyika, but also for historical, everyday, ballad, and other Ukrainian folk songs. It was very often used by Taras Shevchenko. The National Anthem of Ukraine was also written in kolomyika verse.