Гістарычны шлях нацыі і дзяржавы
Радзім Гарэцкі, Міхась Біч, Уладзімір Конан
Выдавец: Беларускі кнігазбор
Памер: 348с.
Мінск 2001
Despite the difficulties of historic fortune, the Belarusian people managed to create great and diverse cultural wealth.
Our land has always been rich in literary talent. Some of the well-known names have already been mentioned. Moreover, the literary masterpieces, created by the following talented poets and writers, made a great contribution to Belarusian culture: Yan Chachot, Yan Barshcheuski, Uladzislau Syrakomlya (Liudvik Kandratovich), Vintsent DuninMartsinkievich, Frantsishak Bahushevich, Alaiza Pashkievich (Tsiotka), Maksim Bahdanovich, Yanka Kupala, Yakub Kolas, Maksim Haretski, Kuzma Chorny, Mikhas Zaretski, Alies Harun, Larysa Hieniyush, Uladzimir Dubouka, Pimen Panchanka, Ivan Mielezh, Uladzimir Karatkievich, Alies Adamovich, and many, many more.
Throughout history the Belarusian people aspired to knowledge, education, and understanding of the laws of the world and nature. In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania linguistics, historical science, geography, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine were quite
developed. In 1512 our famous scholar Frantsishak Skaryna was appointed Doctor of Medicine at Padua (Padova) University (Italy). And our outstanding countryman Kazimir Semianovich was the inventor of a many-staged rocket. In 1650 his book The Great Art of Artillery, with the construction of a many-staged rocket described, was,published in Amsterdam. It was done 250 years earlier than Russian scientist K. Tsiolkovsky’s reinvention. In 1700 a Belarusian Ilya Kapiyevich improved Cyrillic print by making more perfect letters, which have been used by the Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians, Macedonians, Bulgarians, Serbs, and some other peoples ever since. The revolutionary Kazimir Charniauski, while exiled by the Tsar, was the first to invent a submarine. And it was not the famous Russian A. Popov, but a Belarusian named Yakub Narkievich-Iodka, who invented radio (wireless transmission of radio signals).
Belarusian science has been rich in talented researchers. In the XIXth century the brothers Tyshkievich, ethnographers and archeologists, gave birth to Belarusian archeological science. Physicists Ivan Yarkouski and Zhihimont Urublieuski also made their names widely known. The active members of the Institute of Belarusian Culture Usievalad Ihnatouski, Arkadz Smolich, Yazep Liosik, Stsiapan Nekrashevich, and others laid the foundations of the Soviet academic science. In 1921 the Belarusian State University was opened. The Belarusian Academy of Sciences gathered together a number of great scientists, like the famous geneticist Raman Zhebrak, a biologist Vasil Kuprevich, physicists Barys Stsiapanau and Fiodar Fiodarau, a geologist Hauryla Haretski. Our country has its cosmonauts as well. They are Piotr Klimuk and Uladzimir Kavalionak. The first woman cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova and Georgy Grechko also have Belarusian roots.
Belarus has been always admired for its music and theatre. Musical culture has been cultivated since the Xlth-XIIth centuries. Such early musical pieces as The Virgin (a prayer the troops sang before fighting in the Gruenwald battle) and The Hymn of Praise to the Honour of Euphrasinia Polatskaya are to be mentioned. The choirs of a kind that kings and counts of Western Europe would like to possess were formed by the Crand Dukes and magnates at their places in the XVIth-XVIIth centuries. A famous collection of ancient Belarusian musical pieces The Polatsk Note-Book, dated the XVIth-XVIIth century, became widely known. At the end of the XVlllth century in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania there were more than 50 choirs, some 26 theatres of opera and ballet, more than 30 symphony orchestras, about 10 ballet schools. The theatre in Slonim, possessed by the Ahinskis, had an orchestra of 108 instruments. The theatre, owned by Tyzenhauz, performed in Harodnya. In Niasvizh there was a theatre of the Radzivils famous even in Europe. Musicians and composers from Europe were invited to the GDL, such as composer Yan-David Holland from Hamburg, the author of famous opera Ahatka with a libretto by a Belarusian nobleman Matsei Radzivil. Polonaise Razvitanie z Radzimayu (Farewells to the Motherland) with its soft sad melody is another romantic piece left by Mikhal Kleafas Ahinski. Anton Abramovich, Napaleon Orda, Stanislau Maniuszka, Mechyslau Karlovich, Daminik Stafanovich, Kayatan Krasheuski are the very unique composers of the Rennaissaunce belonging to the Belarusian national musical school. A Belarusian dynasty of ballet-dancers and ballet-masters gave the world Vaclaw Nijinski, a name both well known and adored. One should recognize that today’s achievements of Belarusian ballet school are based on deep traditions.
It is worth mentioning that a Belarusian, Prince Anton Hienrik Radzivil composed the first version of music to an opera Faust on a libretto written by Goethe himself. Goethe evaluated the music as ‘a brilliant, impetuous composition’. The first performance took place in 1835. The year 1852, in Minsk city the first night of the opera Sialianka (A Peasant Girl) by Stanislau Maniuszka. And it was the first time that Belarusian was sung from the opera stage.
The XXth century is famous for a number of great composers such as Kanstantsin Halkouski, Yakau Prokharau, Albin Stepovich, Uladzimir Terauski, Mikola Ravienski, Yauhien Tsikotski, Mikalai Aladau, Aliaksei Turankou, etc. And the names of Ryhor
Shyrma, Henadz Tsitovich should never be forgotten as they are those who did much to restore the Belarusian musical heritage.
In the XVIIIth-earlyXIX centuries the cultural life of Niasvizh, Shklou, Slutsk, Slonim, Mahiliou, Pruzhany, Hlusk, Dubrouna, and Chachersk was vivid because of their drama theatres. The theatrical traditions were kept up by the theatres of Ihnat Buynitski and Uladzislau Halubok.
The national drama theatres, now the Yanka Kupala National Drama theatre in Miensk and the Yakub Kolas National Drama theatre in Vitsebsk, were opened in the 20s. Since 1933 the National Opera and Ballet theatre has been giving performances. Besides, our culture was greatly enriched by the art of Flaryian Zhdanovich, Eustsihnei Mirovich, Barys Platonau, Lidziya Rzhetskaya, Uladzimir Uladamirski, Leanid Rakhlienka, Hlieb Hliebau, Zdzislau Stoma, and a lot of others.
While speaking about the art of painting, it should be mentioned that its rich traditions go back to frescoes of the ancient Belarusian temples. There already was a separate Belarusian school of icon-painting in the days of Euphrasinia Polatskaya, and the unique frescoes of the Xllth century, kept in the Survivor temple in Polatsk, can prove that. Moreover, our masters on wood-carving were both well-known and appreciated. The portraits, paited by the Belarusain artists in the XVIth-XVIIth centuries, were of the European level. One cannot help wondering at art masterpieces from the Niasvizh and other picture collections.
The ancient traditions of Belarusian painting were further maintained by Valient Vankovich, Iosif Aliashkievich, Ivan Khrutski, Mikhal Andriolli, Napaleon Orda, Vitold Bialynitski-Birulya, Yazep Drazdovich, Ferdynand Rushchyts, Anatol Tychyna, Piotra Sierhiyevich, Ivan Akhremchyk, and dozens of others. And such painters of Vitsebsk art school as Marc Chagall and Kazimir Malevich have merited universal acknowledgement.
The same is worth saying about Belarusian sportsmen. The glorious sport achievements of Aliaksandr Miadzviedz, Tatsiana Samusienka, Volha Korbut, Larysa Pietryk, Natalya Zvierava, Vital Shcherba, Ivan Ivankou, Ihar Zhaliazouski, Yanina Karolchyk are recognized all over the world.
It should be recognized that the Belarusians did much for cultural development of other nations as well.
The reasons why a lot of Belarusians were forced to leave their home country, are diverse. Waves of emigration were mainly caused by unbearable situation in Belarus as a province of the Russian Empire. A series of political persecutions, the horrors of numerous wars, as well as economic hardship also did a lot. And now, as the result of numerous waves of mass emigration, some 3.5 million of our countymen are living abroad. Belarusian talent has considerably enriched the culture and science of other countries. Thus, Belarus has been a donor of great talent to other nations.
Among the Belarusians who found fame and glory abroad are the pioneer of English printing Yan Litvin; the National Hero of Chile, an explorer of its natural resourses, and a founder of the university in Santiago Ihnat Dameika; a revolutionary and scientist, the Chairman of the Senate of the Hawaii Republic Mikola Sudzilouski; the National Hero of Greece Zyhmund Mineika, whose descendant was a famous social leader of Greece Andreas Papadreu; a famous French poet Guillaume Appolinaire, a descendant of the Belarusian insurgent of 1863 Apalinary Kastravitski; the general of the Paris Commune Valier Urublieuski; a Polish and French writer Oskar Milash; an opera singer, an artist of Czech musical culture Mikhas Zabeida-Sumitski; a leading artist of American Disneyland Aliya Kliech (the former Pashkievich); a famous North American hockey player Wayne Gretsky. And it is even hard to name all the famous state leaders of Israel originally from Belarus, the only fact, that the first president of Israel was a native Belarusian, says enough.
The Belarusian impact into the world of science was made by a mathematician Sophia Kovalevskaya (Korvin-Krukouskaya); an outstanding scientist in the field of thermonuclear
synthesis Leu Arlsymovich; a chemist, the President of the Belgian Royal Academy of Sciences, Literature, and Fine Arts, the Nobelist of 1977 Ilia Pryhozhyn; a pioneer of solar biology Aliaksandr Chyzheuski; a father of the modern science of cybernetics Aliaksandr Malinouski; a designer of jet fighter aircrafts SU Pavel Sukhi; a famous German physicist and mathematician Herman Minkouski; an American scientist in the field of rocket technology, the Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics Barys Kit; a great aircraft designer Ihar Sikorski, and others.
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