Young Ryhor Shyrma
Choir of the Cathedral of the Theotokos in Vilnius, 1926. Shyrma is sitting far right
Ryhor Shyrma and Belarusian poet Maksim Tank
Shyrma with his choir
Shyrma with his choir and famous Belarusian singer Mikhail Zabeida-Sumitski during Belarusian folk song concert in Vilnius, 1938
Ryhor Shyrma with Belarusian poet Nil Hilevich
Ryhor Shyrma with famous Belarusian singer Mikhail Zabeida-Sumitski in 1950s
Ryhor Shyrma with Belarusian folklorist, theorist of literature Yanka Salamevich, and Belarusian philologist Vyacheslav Ragoisha at Minsk Pedagogical Institute in 1967
Ryhor Shyrma with his wife Klavdia from the left
Ryhor Shyrma with his grandson Roman
Ryhor Shyrma as the Head of the Belarusian School Society (standing far left)
Evening of Belarusian poetry and song at Vilnius University, 1930
Ryhor Shyrma at the meeting of the Belarusian School Society in Grodno, 1928
Young Ryhor Shyrma
Choir of the Cathedral of the Theotokos in Vilnius, 1926. Shyrma is sitting far right
Ryhor Shyrma as the Head of the Belarusian School Society (standing far left)
Evening of Belarusian poetry and song at Vilnius University, 1930
Ryhor Shyrma with Belarusian poet Nil Hilevich
Shyrma with his choir
Shyrma with his choir and famous Belarusian singer Mikhail Zabeida-Sumitski during Belarusian folk song concert in Vilnius, 1938
Ryhor Shyrma with famous Belarusian singer Mikhail Zabeida-Sumitski in 1950s
Ryhor Shyrma and Belarusian poet Maksim Tank
Ryhor Shyrma with Belarusian folklorist, theorist of literature Yanka Salamevich, and Belarusian philologist Vyacheslav Ragoisha at Minsk Pedagogical Institute in 1967
Ryhor Shyrma at the meeting of the Belarusian School Society in Grodno, 1928
Ryhor Shyrma with his grandson Roman
Ryhor Shyrma with his wife Klavdia from the left
1929
Rygor, Grzegorz Szyrma
conductor folklorist musician researcher
Ryhor Shyrma was born on January 20, 1892 in a village of Shakuny near Pruzhany, at that time Grodno Governate, Russian Empire (today’s Brest voblasts', Belarus) into a peasant family. Everyone in the family sang very well. His mother Teadora Dzemyanovna sang him most beautiful lullabies, father Roman Vasil’evich served the army twice and new many Cossack and soldiers' songs.
The family had no money, but in 1905, Ryhor secretly entered Pruzhany secondary school. He became the best student, mastered many instruments, sang in the choir. He graduated in 1910. In 1911-1912, he studied at a two-year pedagogical courses in Švenčionys (today’s Lithuania). In 1914, Shyrma entered Faculty of Literature of Siedlce Pedagogical Institute (today’s Poland). During the World War I, Ryhor Shyrma along with the evacuated institute, moved to Moscow, then to Yaroslavl and Voronezh. He graduated in 1918. Later, he studied at Chuguev Military School in the Kharkiv region (today’s Ukraine).
Upon graduation from the pedagogical courses in Švenčionys in 1912, Ryhor Shyrma worked as a teacher in Lida and Švenčionys uyezds (administrative subdivision in Russian Empire) of Vilnius Governate. During the World War I, Ryhor Shyrma along with the evacuated institute, moved to Moscow, then to Yaroslavl and Voronezh. He founded his first choir in Yaroslavl. He was mobilized into the army by the end of the war, and served as an ensign in Turkestan.
Upon revolution, Belarusian National Commissariat sent him to organize a school in a village of Novogolsk, Novokhopyorsk region, Voronezh oblasts’ (today’s Russia). His parents moved there earlier. He taught there psychology pedagogy and literature. At the same time, he was in charge of the rural municipality departments of education and culture. He founded school library, choir, drama theater. After a year, he was called up for military service into the Red Army, but the students wrote a letter to Nadezhda Krupskaya, and Shyrma stayed.
In June 1922, during the re-evacuation of the citizens from Western Belarus from the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, he returned to his homeland. His friends Vsevolod Ignatovsky and Stepan Nekrashevich suggested going to Soviet Minsk, but Ryhor went to his native Shakuny with his mother. He actively involved in political activities, acted in the Belarusian electoral committee. When he refused to be registered as a Pole, he was forbidden to work as a teacher and did not get a passport. To earn for living, he worked as a woodcutter in the Pruzhany Puszcza for some time, but soon he fell under suspicion and was dismissed. By the end of 1922, he became the regent of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Choir in Pruzhany. In 1924, he organized a choir in Pruzhany, collected folk songs, arranged concerts. Soon, his choir became famous in Western Belarus. In Pruzhany, he met Branislaw Tarashkyevich, the head of the revolutionary-democratic organization of Western Belarus "Hromada".
In 1925, he received Polish passport (he was registered as Poleshuk) and permission to teach Scripture knowledge in primary schools. In 1926, he moved to Vilnius. Shyrma worked in the secretariat of the revolutionary-democratic organization Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union "Hromada", as well as the teacher of singing and Belarusian literature in the Vilnius Belarusian Gymnasium. He organized and directed an own choir there. In the same year, he became the first Head of the People's Chapel in Delyatichy (now in Novogrudok district, Grodno region, Belarus). In 1928, he was dismissed from the gymnasium, and began working at the University of Stefan Batory (now Vilnius University, Lithuania). He directed a choir. In order to work legally, Shyrma didn’t join officially Hromada and Communist Party of Western Belarus. From 1927, he headed Belarusian School Society and remained Secretary of Hromada, till the organization was banned in 1936. During this period, he traveled all over Western Belarus, set up circles of Belarusian School Society and choirs, schools with Belarusian language of instruction, helped to stage performances. He served as a regent in the Vilnius Cathedral of the Theotokos. In 1931, Shyrma organized a choir of the Belarusian Student Union in Vilnius. He never stopped recording folk songs, and was looking for the composers to arrange them. Having no opportunity to engage composers from Soviet Belarus, he found great composers in Russia, Paris, New York. Russian composer Alexander Gretchaninov actively corresponded with Shyrma, arranged several Belarusian folk songs, wrote “Belarusian Rhapsody” for symphony orchestra, a piece for violin on Christmas carol from Pruzhany "The Gift of White Rus", music for the play by Shashalevich. Belarusian composer Konstantin Galkauski was Shyrma’s close friend. He arranged 4 songs, which Shyrma recorded in his native Shakuny. All the compositions were performed by the choirs of Vilnius Gymnasium in the second half of 1920s, and choir of the Belarusian Student Union in Vilnius in 1930s.
Apart from these activities, Shyrma actively participated in dozens meetings of the Belarusian School Society, lectured a lot, published collections for school and amateur choirs “Belarusian folk songs” (1929), “Our Song” (1938). In 1927, he published collection of poems “Forest noise”, in 1936 – “From peasant fields” by a well-known in Western Belarus poet Mikhail Vasilyok. On own expense he helped Maxim Tank to publish his collection of poems “On stages” in 1936, and afterwards 2 more collections "Cranberry color" in 1937, and "Under the mast" in 1938.
Increased popularity of Shyrma in 1920s troubled Polish authorities a lot. In 1928, he was dismissed from the post of Gymnasium teacher “for establishing communist societies”, 3 trials were organized against Shyrma in 1930s. Not once he was suggested to translate Belarusian folk songs and publish them as Polish, but he refused. The police declared him to be an agent of the Counterintelligence service, but the public didn’t admit this and continued attending Shyrma’s concerts. For his activities he was twice arrested in Poland and stayed in the Vilnius prison Lukishki.
He began publishing his articles on literature studies and reviews in 1933. In the same year, he began publishing the journal “Belarusian School Society Chronicles” (since 1936 - 1936 "Belarusian Chronicle") together with Felix Statskevich. In 1939, he worked for “Kalosse”. Shyrma arranged Belarusian music transmission on the Polish radio, in the mid-1930s was one of the first, who supported the National Front program, cooperated with its newspaper “Nasha Wolia”.
Upon reunification of Western Belarus with the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1940, Shyrma organized and headed Belarusian Song and Dance Ensemble (since 1950 - State Academic Choir of Belarusian SSR, since 1957 - State Academic Choir of Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1978 - the Choir was named after Ryhor Shyrma). The Ensemble toured a lot and in the beginning of the war was in Caucasus, and then in Krasnoyarsk, where Shyrma was arrested by the NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) and imprisoned until March 1942. Afterwards, he was transmitted to Lubyanka in Moscow. He was released at the request of a famous Belarusian writer Yakub Kolas, and sent to Northern Kazakhstan to work as teacher at a secondary school and remained under constant supervision of NKVD.
In 1943, Shyrma was allowed to return to the Ensemble, which toured around Kuznetsk Basin and Ural region. In 1944, he returned to Minsk. From Autumn 1944, Shyrma worked in Grodno, but in 1952, the State Choir of the Belarusian SSR moved to Minsk again. The choir and its Head were very popular, but in 1970. Shyrma was forced to resign from the post of art director of the Ensemble. In 1964, he was one of the founding members of public organization "Belarusian Society for Relations with Compatriots Abroad." From 1966 to 1978, Shyrma worked as the Chairman of the Board of Belarusian SSR Composers Union, and the Secretary of the Board of the Union of Soviet Composers. In 1966, he became member of the Union of Soviet Writers. In 1955-1978, he was the Deputy of the Supreme Council of the Belarusian SSR of the 4-9 convocations. In 1959, he joined Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Ryhor Shyrma founded first Belarusian choir which eventually grew into renown Belarusian State Academic Choir Capela. Throughout the years it was a symbol of cherishing and serious collecting and researching of Belarusian musical heritage. He published several collections of Belarusian folk songs, articles and research papers on the issues of Belarusian art, folklore and choir music, created and headed 2 choirs in Vilnius. Shyrma collected more than 2 thousand Belarusian folk songs, published first books by Mikhail Vasilyok, Maksim Tank, Siarhei Kryvets.
Ryhor Shyrma was an active participant of the Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union “Hromada”. He was its Secretary till organization was banned in 1936, but in order to work legally, Shyrma didn’t join officially Hromada and Communist Party of Western Belarus. He was constantly under suspicion of Polish authorities. Increased popularity in 1920s troubled Polish authorities a lot. In 1928, he was dismissed from the post of Gymnasium teacher “for establishing communist societies”, 3 trials were organized against Shyrma in 1930s. Not once he was suggested to translate Belarusian folk songs and publish them as Polish, but he refused. The police declared him to be an agent of the Counterintelligence service, but the public didn’t admit this and continued attending Shyrma’s concerts. For his activities he was twice arrested in Poland and stayed in the Vilnius prison Lukishki.
As the Head of the Belarusian School Society, Shyrma was under suspicion of Soviet authorities. During a tour in Krasnoyarsk, he was arrested by the NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) and imprisoned until March 1942. Afterwards, he was transmitted to Lubyanka in Moscow. He was released at the request of a famous Belarusian writer Yakub Kolas, and sent to Northern Kazakhstan to work as teacher at a secondary school and remained under constant supervision of NKVD.
In 1959, he joined Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Ryhor Shyrma supported Belarusian language and culture. In Vilnius, Polish authorities not once suggested him to translate Belarusian folk songs and publish them as Polish, but he refused. In his passport he was registered as “Poleshuk.”
Quotations: Ryhor Shirma always ended concerts with the words by Yanka Kupala "The stars will not go down in the sky.”
Ryhor Shyrma was an active participant of the Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union “Hromada”, and acted as its Secretary, but he never joined it officially, as well as Communist Party of Western Belarus. He was the Head of the Belarusian School Society. In 1964, he was one of the founding members of public organization "Belarusian Society for Relations with Compatriots Abroad." From 1966 to 1978, Shyrma worked as the Chairman of the Board of Belarusian SSR Composers Union, and the Secretary of the Board of the Union of Soviet Composers. In 1966, he became member of the Union of Soviet Writers. In 1959, he joined Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Belarusian SSR Composers Union , Soviet Union
Union of Soviet Composers , Soviet Union
Union of Soviet Writers , Soviet Union
1966
Communist Party of the Soviet Union , Soviet Union
1959
Belarusian Peasants' and Workers' Union “Hromada”
1926 - 1936
Belarusian School Society
public organization "Belarusian Society for Relations with Compatriots Abroad"
In Novogolsk, Ryhor Shyrma met his future wife Clavdia Ivanovna Raevskaya. After marriage, she sang in his chapel for thirty years. They had a daughter Helena, and a son Rostislav.
On own expense, Shyrma helped Maxim Tank to publish his collection of poems “On stages” in 1936, and afterwards 2 more collections "Cranberry color" in 1937, and "Under the mast" in 1938.
Tarashkyevich invited Shyrma to Hromada in Vilnius.
Shyrma was released from Lubyanka in Moscow at the request of Yakub Kolas.
Mikhail Zabeida-Sumitski sang in the Shyrma’s choir.
Alexander Szydlowski was an artist-soloist of the ensemble, founded by Ryhor Shyrma. They toured a lot around the country.
