Choral Singing as An “Emblem” of National Culture: Global or Local? (A Performative Response to The ‎Question)‎

  • Authors

    • Іryna Romaniuk Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
    • Olena Yastrub Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
    • Liu Dan Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
    • Jiang Shanyu Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
    • Svitlana Shchelkanova Kharkiv I. P. Kotlyarevsky National University of Arts, Kharkiv, Ukraine
    https://doi.org/10.14419/sw5g9y57

    Received date: June 9, 2025

    Accepted date: July 2, 2025

    Published date: July 15, 2025

  • Choral Art; Choral Writing; Cultural Semiotics; Genre; Globalization; Localization; Musical language; National Tradition; Sacred singing

  • Abstract

    The article aims to explore the emblematic function of choral singing, positioning it as a "key" to understanding the relationship ‎between two cultural development trends – global and local traditions, which remains highly relevant to contemporary performance practice. ‎The article examines the choral art of Ukraine, which has historically functioned as a performative phenomenon within a sacred chronotope. ‎At the level of compositional creativity, the dimensions of "sacred – secular" and "global–local" coexist on equal footing, facilitated by the ‎high standard of choral performance culture. The study addresses the consequences of postmodern aesthetics, particularly the dominant role ‎of globalization in the creative practices of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The key argument is that, within the musical component of ‎this cultural cycle, a "counter" movement emerged, which, when viewed from a historical distance, effectively highlights the "one‎dimensionality" and narrow perspective of seeing globalization as the defining characteristic of the 21st century. This is vividly illustrated ‎through choral art, particularly the history of Ukrainian sacred singing, from the Renaissance to the present. The material selected for ‎analysis encompasses the history of Ukrainian sacred singing, including key stages of its evolution (church monody, linear and part-singing, ‎sacred concerto), genre specifics (songs, prayers), and the compositional embodiment of the emblematic features of the musical-national ‎language. An optimistic forecast can be made based on the example of Ukrainian sacred choral singing's role in the choral culture of the late ‎‎20th and 21st centuries. The cultural experience of human interaction occurs within the zone of a “counter movement” between two ‎tendencies: globalization, which is built upon the experiences of many local traditions, and regional cultures, which expand into a broader ‎space, gaining insight into the global world‎.

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  • How to Cite

    Romaniuk І., Yastrub, O. ., Dan, L. ., Shanyu, J. ., & Shchelkanova, S. . (2025). Choral Singing as An “Emblem” of National Culture: Global or Local? (A Performative Response to The ‎Question)‎. International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(3), 26-33. https://doi.org/10.14419/sw5g9y57