Marusia Churai

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Ukrainian postage stamp featuring Marusia Churai

Maria or Marusia Churai (1626-1689) was a semi-mythical Ukrainian Baroque composer, poet, and singer. She has become a recurrent motif in Ukrainian literature and the songs ascribed to her are widely performed in Ukraine.

Very little is known of her life. She was a native of Poltava, and is regarded as the author as well as the subject of the well-known Ukrainian folk song "Oi Ne Khody Hrytsiu Tai na Vechornytsi" (Hryts, Don't Go to the Evening Dances). According to the mythology surrounding Churai she was in love with a cossack named Hryts. Her love was not returned, and she prepared a poison potion for herself, which Hryts drank by accident before she could get to it. She was accused of murder, and stood trial. The exact verdict was unknown, but she is believed to have spent some time in incarceration, before being released or amnestied, commonly believed due to her reputation as a singer-songwriter.

The legend about Marusia Churai was formed under the influence of 19th century literary works such as the novel "Marusia, Malorosiiskaia Sapfo" (Marusia, the Littlerussian Sapho) by C. Shakhnovsky (1839). Many writers used the theme of "Hryts" in their works: M. Starytsky's play "Oi Ne Khody, Hrytsiu" (1892), V. Samiylenko's drama "Churaivna" (1894), Olha Kobylianska's novel "V Nediliu Rano Zillia Kopala" (She Gathered Herbs on Sunday Morning 1909), I. Mykytenko's drama "Marusia Churai" (1935), L. Kostenko's novel in verse "Marusia Churai" (1979), and others.

Franz Liszt composed "Ballade d'Ukraine," a piano piece on the theme of "Hryts." The song "Oi Ne Khody Hrytsiu" was translated into Polish (1820), Czech (1822), German (1827), French (1830), English (1848) and other languages.

Three other songs are attributed to Marusia Churai: "Kotylysia Vozy z Hory" (The Wagons Were Rolling Downhill), "Viyut' Vitry" (Winds Are Blowing) and "Za Svit Staly Kozachenky" (The Kozaks Were Ready to March at Dawn). While the texts of these songs may indeed be authentic, the music is not. All the melodies that are attached to her texts date from the late 18th century.

This legendary composer and singer was commemorated on a Ukrainian postage stamp in February 2000.