Music Traditions

♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮

The record standing here was often listened to by the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Church choir. It provided a model for their liturgical singing.

Behind the trophy is a bandura, a traditional Ukrainian instrument that has been sitting in the Holy Ghost Parish’s Men’s Club meeting room for several decades. Although no one in the parish remembers it being played, it is a recognized and valued emblem of Ukrainian traditional culture.

This violin belonged to Mrs. Harry Sigudin in Glace Bay, and was played by her husband in and around the 1930s, and was donated by Steve Zwarun.

The sheet music in this display unit was used to teach children of the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Parish.

Another document shows dance, movement and gesture to accompany music. These documents were used by Pavlo Yavorsky, originally from Saskatchewan. Yavorsky taught dance and music in Whitney Pier in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

These caroling books were used by members of the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Parish of Sydney, NS. Caroling – from house to house – is a tradition in Ukrainian communities.

Many of these books were used by the Ukrainian Amateur Theatre of Sydney, NS. The playbooks were printed in the city of Lviv, Ukraine in the 1920s. The songbooks for children were used in the Ukrainian school taught by the priests and nuns. They were printed in Winnipeg and Toronto in the 1950s, and Saskatoon in 1946.

The small green playbook is for a St. Nicholas play, which is traditionally celebrated in early December. St. Nicholas Day concerts have been a constant in the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Parish for as long as anyone can remember.