Dear e-friends,
I'm unusually proud to inform you that Edward Drach, fine Ukrainian composer, cobza player, singer (and physician...) has made available one of his best songs "im volkston" for you perusal and delectation in an arrangement that includes a prelude and postlude by yours truly.
It may be found on both
http://polyhymnion.org/lieder/lieder.html
http://polyhymnion.org/torban/torban4.html
and the latter page has the midi illustration.
The song is based on a historical incident from the mid-17th century.
Ukrainian cossacks under colonel Ivan Sirko (who later served with the French forces in Flanders during the 30-year War) during their attack on Ismail (then in the Ottoman territory) liberated a group of Ukrainians who had previously been taken prisoner by the Turks and settled there. Some of these didn't want to return to Ukraine because they now had families. Sirko has let them go, but after some heavyhearted contemplation he ordered his cossacks to kill them, saying that he cannot bear the responsibility of breeding more Turks, who would cause more bloodshed to Ukraine in the future.

URL: http://polyhymnion.org
Email: r.turovsky@verizon.net
RT