Studying Ukraine’s Musical Tapestry

October 20, 2022

As the world’s eyes have turned to Ukraine and its fight against the Russian invasion, interest and coverage of the history of Ukraine and its culture have increased as well. “Ukrainian identity is grounded partly in geography, but I go to the language,” says Jeffrey Buettner. “Ukraine has a unique language, and that has been bedrock for me.”

Buettner earned his doctorate in choral conducting from MSU in 2005, and he met his wife, Jessica Allen ’04—also a choral conductor and singer—while studying in the College of Music. He’s now the director of choral activities and Christian A. Johnson Professor of Music at Middlebury College. He conducts the College Choir, and directs and performs with the Collegium, a small ensemble that performs a repertory of early music of the Renaissance and Baroque eras.

Ukraine has a rich history of vocal music, in both the folk tradition and in sacred music. For empirical evidence, Buettner lifts a hefty volume of Ukrainian folk songs. “It just came out in 2009, I believe,” he says. “There are hundreds of pages folk songs. We have a Ukrainian student living with us now, who could not go home after her exchange program, and she knows a lot of these songs. Ukrainian composers have been writing music in Ukrainian from at least the 17th century.”

Since 1999, Buettner has traveled and researched in Ukraine frequently. In addition to a Fulbright scholarship in 2010, Buettner was awarded two travel grants for study from MSU, the Research Enhancement Award Fellowship and the Special College Research Abroad Moneys Fellowship, in 2003 and 2004 respectively. “Many of my opportunities to travel to Ukraine to research were funded by Michigan State,” he says. “I could not have done it otherwise and I’m grateful for that.”

 

“Ukrainian identity is grounded in partly in geography, but I go to the language. That has been bedrock for me.”

 

Much of Buettner’s scholarly research focuses on the Romani music of Ukraine. “It is an underrepresented music in the world, and a marginalized population,” says Buettner. “So, a lot of my effort was to find where the cultural preservation was for this music.”

One of the most exciting aspects of Ukrainian Romani music for Buettner is its intensity. “There's a narrative element that really grabs you,” he says. “The music is oftentimes about human suffering, as well as the subjugation of the Romani historically, and the delivery of the music is enormously compelling.” The Romani performing groups were large operations. “They were often family or village ensembles, including soloists and dancers, and there could be theatrical elements as well,” explains Buettner. “They would take well-known Romani songs and stitch them into a narrative, like a musical revue, which would include choreography, costumes—everything.”

For Buettner, there is something special about vocal music in particular, and the human sense of togetherness it engenders. “You're singing with other people in the choir to an audience, and that's a meaningful relationship,” he says.

Among his other duties, Buettner directs Middlebury’s College Community Chorus, which comprises both students and community members. To further extend the reach of the music into the community, Buettner partners with advocacy groups, like the Vermont Foodbank, and he recently commissioned a piece from a young Ukrainian composer, Dmytro Malyi. “The commission will hopefully raise awareness and funds for humanitarian aid for Ukraine.”

 

Watch the Middlebury College Choir, conducted by Jeffrey Buettner, perform the Ukranian folk song “Vesnyanka.”

Contributing Writer(s): Chris Quirk