Global InformationPrague Bandurist Capella information
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The Prague Bandurist Capella was a musical ensemble formed in 1924 by Ukrainians living in Czechoslovakia featuring performers on the bandura.
After the occupation of Ukraine by the Bolsheviks, many Ukrainians moved to the West. In Prague they established a cultural and intellectual centre.
Vasyl Yemetz also moved to the West, initially to Berlin and later to Prague. In Prague he established a number of bandura schools in Prague and Poděbrady in 1923–1925.
Over 100 banduras were made in Poděbrady by Romanenko and Dovzhenko. The school had over 50 students.
In time, from the better students a second Bandurist Capella was established in 1924. Among the members were Mykhailo Teliha and future Ukrainian President in exile Mykola Levytsky. The capella was made up of 15 or 16 bandurists and gave numerous concerts in Prague and its environs.
Reviews of the Capella's performances were published in music magazines in Ukraine, often quite negative regarding its repertoire. In general, the reviewers described the repertoire as too folky and village-oriented. Still, these reviews did stimulate the formation and government support of the bandurist capella movement in Ukraine.