In the early 1960s, Ukrainian music underwent a profound stylistic renewal in its compositional output. This period saw an intensification of concert performance activities, as the Khrushchev thaw and partial loosening of state control created an environment conducive to certain cultural expressions (though they remained subject to scrutiny for Western avant-garde influences). The younger generationof composers-Sixtiers¹, namely Valentyn Bibik, Oleksandr Bilash, Borys Buievskyi, Leonid Hrabovskyi, Vitalii Hubarenko, Lesia Dychko,Yurii Ishchenko, Yevhen Stankovych, and others, were particularly active. This decade saw the rise of Myroslav Skoryk’s creative star, with his works becoming a striking phenomenon in Ukrainian chamber-instrumental music. His compositions reflected the general trends of the 1960s music characterised by a renewed engagement with folklore (the so-called ‘new folklore wave’), a bold expansion of compositional techniques, and the search for a new synthesis of national and pan-European elements.

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At the same time, composers in Ukraine faced an atmosphere of ‘silencing’, as the Union of Composers’ plenums harshly criticised their work for ‘indulging in Western avant-gardism’ and attempting to master new compositional techniques. Nevertheless, composers of this period pursued introspective topics, delving into humanity’s complex inner world, exploring themes such as ‘the artist and the people’, ‘the artist and time’, and reflecting on the present through the lens of history, patriotism, and war.

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The 1960s were the decade of the establishment of the Ukrainian estrada, associated with the emergence of numerous professional and amateur vocal and instrumental ensembles.

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The 1960s also saw a surge in concert institutions, special radio and television broadcasts, and the wide circulation of author and thematic song collections. Some of the most famous songs of this era include Ihor Shamo’s ‘Yak tebe ne liubyty Kyieve mii!’ [‘How Can I not Love You, My Kyiv!’] with lyrics by Dmytro Lutsenko, and Oleksandr Bilash’s ‘Dva kolory’ [‘Two Colours’] with lyrics by Dmytro Pavlychko. Moreover, this decade marked the rise of Ukrainian estrada², associated with the emergence of numerous professional and amateur vocal-instrumental ensembles, such as the Veseli Skrypky band, founded by Myroslav Skoryk in 1963 in Lviv. Their most famous compositions include ‘Namaliui meni nich’ [‘Paint Me the Night’] and the first Ukrainian twist ‘Ne topchit konvalii’ [‘Don’t Trample the Lilies of the Valley’]. The band enriched the Ukrainian music scene with elements of jazz, rock and roll, and blues. Songs by amateur authors also gained immense popularity, such as Anatolii Pashkevych’s ‘Stepom, stepom’ [‘Across the Steppe’], and Stepan Sabadash’s ‘Marichka’.

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Myroslav Skoryk, composer and head of a youth estrada ensemble, during a rehearsal. Kyiv, 1965

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A landmark cultural achievement of the 1960s was the 1965 release of one of the best Ukrainian films, Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, directed by Sergei Parajanov. The film subtly conveys Hutsul lifestyle, traditions, and, of course, art, with music composed by Myroslav Skoryk. The film features authentic Hutsul instruments such as the trembita, koza, drymba, sopilka, played by local Carpathian musicians.

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During this time, the first entertainment music venues emerged for urban youth, offering opportunities to listen to bands and dance. For example, in Kyiv, the first youth club opened in the early 1960s at the Mriia café, located opposite St Volodymyr’s Cathedral. This venue brought together several music sections, including jazz and big beat music. The apogee of Kyiv’s club life was the 1968 All-Union Big Beat Festival, held in the Main Post Office’s assembly hall. However, this seemingly free and vibrant musical life in the capital was short-lived. The authorities banned amateur bands by the early 1970s. They could only perform ‘under the roof’ and as part of official institutions, such as philharmonics, theatres, and university cultural centres.

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Interior of the Green Theatre, Kyiv, during a concert

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1. The Sixtiers were representatives of а new generation of the Soviet Intelligentsia, who entered the cultural and political life of the USSR during the late 1950s and 1960s. The Sixtiers were distinguished by their liberal and anti-totalitarian views, and romanticism, which found vivid expressions in music and visual arts.

2. Estrada (from the French estrade, ‘platform’) is a term of Soviet phraseology in art studies, which, along with the term ‘amateur art’, was used to refer to official show business. It had a clear ideological character and a monopolistic way of organisation in a closed society.

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