Ivan Kuzminskyi was a leading researcher of Ukrainian early music. He had a Ph. D. in Musicology and was the author of dozens of scientific publications. His career developed rapidly, and he combined musicological research with being a director at the Malyatko TV children’s television channel. Despite his strong academic background and ambitions for further professional growth, on the first day of the full-scale war, Ivan Kuzminskyi did not hesitate to join the army to defend Ukraine’s independence with arms. He was a member of the 67th Combined Mechanized Brigade and participated in the battles near Bakhmut. Ivan Kuzminskyi died on the battlefield on May 17, 2023, in the Luhansk region.
In the memories of his friends and family, he appears as a man of many ideas and a man of action – honest, unwaveringly principled, and always smiling and open. A friend and colleague Vladyslav Bezpalko and a fellow combatant and historian Myron Hordiichuk told us about Ivan Kuzminskyi, the man, the scientist, and the warrior.
Vladyslav Bezpalko
Senior Researcher at the National Museum of History of Ukraine
If I had to describe Ivan in one word, it would be determination. He moved forward enthusiastically, inspired and motivated by ideas.
I met Ivan “by accident” (if we consider that all accidents are not accidental) in September 2018. He came to our museum to look at old musical instruments. Ivan and our conservators started talking, and it turned out that Ivan was researching medieval and early modern music of Ukraine.
As a historian, I had my own interests in the music of Ukraine of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. I discovered that this topic was not researched verymuch. I heard that Ivan was a musicologist and asked him my “control” question: “Are you interested inmentions of Turkish kobzas in the Volyn region in the sixteenth century?” Ivan’s jaw dropped and he said, “Of course I am!” That’s how we met.
Вже наступного дня ми зустрілися, обговорили ідеї і почали роботу над спільною науковою публікацією — об’ємною статтею «Музичне повсякдення Волині XVI – початку XVII століття». Ця робота поставила нам дуже високу планку. Далі ми ще багато працювали над різними дослідженнями, результатом яких ставали спільні наукові публікації. У нас був дуже плідний тандем: історик і музикознавець, все ж, по-різному дивляться на ті самі речі і в цій міждисциплінарній роботі народжувалися й реалізовувалися чудові ідеї. The very next day we met again, discussed ideas, and started working on a joint scientific publication, a voluminous article entitled Everyday Musical Life in the Volyn Region in the Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries. This research set a very high standard for us. Later, we worked a lot more on various studies, which also resulted in joint scientific publications. We had a very fruitful collaboration: a historian and a musicologist, looking at the same things from different prospectives. Wonderful ideas were born and implemented in this interdisciplinary work.
For example, we were able to research the history of liturgical music in the seventeenth century. The National Museum of History of Ukraine has a handwritten list of Mykola Dyletskyi’s Musical Grammar, which has not been put into scientific circulation. Ivan wrote his PhD thesis on Dyletsky’s music [Origins, Music Theory, and Performance Practice of Partes Polyphony – T. N.], so he was very happy to see this manuscript. We planned to publish it and write an introductory article to it.
This manuscript was hand copied in the cathedral monastery of the Pereyaslav diocese. We researchedthe historical context and dug into the archives. Eventually this work became so deep and productive in terms of sources and their interpretations that the historical part of our study developed into a separate monograph. All of this happened within a fairly short period of time: in two years, we developed the topic from scratch, and even worked on it during the Covid – 19 period.
In parallel with this research, we worked on other topics as well. For example, we studied the musical history of the Uniate (Greek Catholic) church, which stood out with its cultural and musical traditions. For example, sometimes during liturgies there was an entire orchestra involved. There is even a picture in one of the hirmologions [heirmologions – L.B.] of a priest leading a service with musicians standing around him. This is not practiced now, but it is important to understand these phenomena as part of our history, at least as speculative reconstructions.
Ivan and I also researched secular music (which prevailed in the everyday musical life of Volyn). For example, the tradition of the volochebnyi ritual, puppetshows with musical accompaniment that wereperformed during the week after Easter by groups of men called “kukolnyky.” All studies claimed that this tradition was typical only for Belarus, but we found and confirmed by sources that it was also widespread in Ukraine.
Our research cooperation with Ivan didn’t feel like work at all, but an exciting adventure, doing what we were good at together. My interaction with Ivan was much more than just a collaboration between two scientists – we became friends. We felt that we were like solving puzzles that were put together to create a complete picture of the universe.
Ivan was a very ambitious person. He liked to create his own content, to achieve results and success through his own work. He was on a path where he could become a leader in his research.
It should not be overlooked that Ivan got lucky with his teachers. His supervisor was Nina Herasymova-Persydska. She had vast scientific experiences and guided Ivan in his musicology discoveries.
Ivan as a scientist sought to move from music “in a vacuum,” for the sake of music itself, to music in people’s lives. Culture, in general, is the pinnacle of any research about humans. Musical culture is more than just music; it is a complex system united by the human factor. Ivan understood this during our communications, working together, and gaining new knowledge from previously unknown sources.
Another important and powerful idea of Ivan’s was a return of Ukraine to its true musical heritage. Long periods without Ukrainian statehood affected perceptions of our heritage and what is really ours and not an imposed heritage. Our best people were taken away from Ukraine and even some of our archives were not stored in Ukraine. Instead, someone else wrote for us “our” history that was favorable to others, and imposed on us their narratives that were not always true. Ivan felt this and wanted to change this situation.
These things need to be discussed honestly, without manipulation, concealment, or embellishment. We need to bring up historical sources and see things as they were. Someone may not consider such sources as strong evidence, like in a court proceeding and thetestimony of truthful witnesses, but we can’t ignore them. We have a rich cultural heritage to explore and should accept it.
Sometimes science offers a new approach, a new way of looking at things, phenomena, and processes. Society, used to think differently, may not yet be ready to accept these ideas. An “epiphany” can come later, an understanding of the value of a new discovery. It will take time for Ivan’s research and his bold ideas to be properly accepted.
Ivan and I had a lot of research plans, and very few of them were implemented. When the great war broke out, Ivan’s choice was clear. He wanted to go to war back in 2014, but, for some reason, changed his mind. Ivan could not now do otherwise. On February 24, at seven in the morning, he stood in line at the DarnytsiaTCC, and by the evening he was enrolled in a security unit. By the end of spring, he was promoted to the rank of senior soldier.
War turned out to be Ivan’s thing. He was always motivated, constantly training, mastering new equipment, new techniques or weapons. When the Russians retreated from Kyiv, Ivan began to seek a transfer to a combat unit. They didn’t let him go so quickly, but he really wanted to move forward, to be where he would fulfill himself and achieve success.
For me, there was nothing surprising in his aspirations, because he was Ivan Kuzminskyi. He was like that throughout his life. I recognized him as the same idea-driven scientist who moves towards his goal with great passion and does not tolerate inactivity and boredom. Now the scenery has changed, but the man remainedthe same.
Ivan consciously chose the path of a warrior, understanding that it would be a long journey. He was really interested in it, he tried to create his own world from scratch and develop himself and motivate people around him.
While still a senior soldier, Ivan informally led a reconnaissance platoon, one that he organized. Later, Ivan was to become an officer – showing that he was destined for a truly successful military career.
Hundreds of thousands of people are involved in the war. The feats and death of one person seem to dissolve in this vast sea. If we are talking about a national memory, and not those who knew Ivan intimately, his contribution to military affairs will have to be assessed later, when the war is over. Now is the time for pain, patience and reflection.
Many artists and scientists have already died in the current war. I know for sure that, along with their lives, their careers, creativities, and/or research were taken away. This is an enormous loss for science and culture,and it will take several decades for these fields to recover after the death of their most prominent representatives.
What can we do? We can publish Ivan’s scientific works in a separate book, collect his memoirs, and continue working on the research he has already begun. We can spread Ivan’s ideas and achievements so that his name continues to be heard in cultural, artistic, and scientific circles. Ivan Kuzminskyi did enough during his lifetime to add his name to the list of those worth remembering.
Myron Hordiychuk
Head of the Taras Shevchenko Literary and Memorial House-Museum, PhD in Historical Sciences, currently a soldier of the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade
I met Ivan in November 2021. He was giving a lecture at the Shevchenko House – Museum on the musical heritage of the Uman Basilian Monastery and School.
In August 2022, I found myself in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. One day one of the personnel officers of our unit told me that Ivan Kuzminskyi witha PhD in Musicology, wanted to transfer to us. Our unit was reorganized and in November 2022 became a part of the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Ivan again wanted to join our forces, and, at the end of December, he arrived at our military unit.
At first, we were in Starychi (Lviv region – T. N.), and then in Volyn. From there we traveled to the Kharkiv region, and then to Oskil. Afterwards our battalion participated in the battles near Bakhmut.
There was an incident near Bakhmut. Ivan’s unit fought for a day and was forced to withdraw. He stayed in position with the rest of the adjacent units. After spending the night under massive artillery fire from the enemy, he managed to survive and return to the unit’s location. It was in early March 2023.
After that, Ivan became a kind of white crow in the unit, albeit with great authority and the reputation of a fearless man. In my opinion, Ivan’s act of courage deserved a lifetime Order for Courage, III class.
Later, Ivan became the acting commander of a reconnaissance platoon, one that he initiated. He was respected by other commanders and was a star at the beginning of his military career. He started the platoonwhen there were perturbations in the battalion but there was not enough time to finish it.
In May 2023, the battalion began performing missions near the village of Dibrova in the Luhansk region. This is where one of the fiercest battles of this war is still taking place, the battle for the Serebrianka forestry, which is often covered in the media. Back then, the forest was not yet burned, but now it is virtually a burned-out area. In the first days of his deployment, Ivan was killed by a sniper’s bullet. His comrades were able to take his body from the battlefield a few days later.
A person with such a strong academic background could easily just do paperwork, but Ivan was eager to fight, and wanted to join a combat unit. There is a difference whether you serve in a mechanized unit or in a reconnaissance platoon, where the level of tasks is usually much more dangerous. Sometimes some soldiers catch a moment of fearlessness. It seems that Ivan caught this moment at one point. He was a loner – a “bandit”, ready to go to the hottest spots, and to fight for life and death. He was fighting, not serving in another capacity.
I saw Ivan when he was insanely happy to be a member of a combat unit. From time to time, he would say: “That’s enough ranting, I’m off to do my job!”. He was a warrior focused on killing enemies.
The Ukrainian national idea was extremely important to Ivan. Due to his education, scientific achievements, and life experiences he became convinced that the Russians’ goal was to destroy the Ukrainian nation. Ivan’s scientific research could not have been continued under a Russian occupation and his life’s dedication would have lost its meaning.
Ivan kindly boasted that he was in the prime of his scientific life. He was a man who was in a hurry to live. I watched several of his interviews on YouTube. He had an ability to explain his research topics in an accessible way. Ivan just had to find a broader audience and he would have gained real popularity.
Our academic researchers are often unable to turn what they do into a popular product. Ivan could. He knew how to talk about complex things in simple words and turn boring terminology into lively stories. Ivan wanted to educate students who would continue his work. He was a super leader in life.
Our state should remove people like Ivan from the frontlines. There are number of famous Ukrainian intellectuals on the frontlines who have already fought for two years and could be more important elsewherein civilian life. However, even if there had been such an initiative, Ivan would have fought anyway. He was an uncompromising man. Such people burn very brightly.
Recently we have been discussing the fate of the generation of The Executed Renaissance [ Rozstrilyanevidrodzennya – L. B.] in Ukraine in the 1930s. Nowadays Ukrainian scholars, artists, poets and writers are being killed again. This is no longer The Executed Renaissance. In the present environment, enlisted Ukrainian intellectuals die in battles with arms in their hands.
Yaryna Chornohuz defined it as a “defense of presence” [in a book of poems Defense of Presence ([Dasein: Defense of Presence [ in Ukrainian – Oborona Prysutnosti] by Yaryna Chornohuz, a Ukrainian poet and soldier, for which she received the Shevchenko Prize in 2024 – T. N.]. These intellectuals realized that they can only defend their presence by taking up arms.
The news of the deaths of Roman Ratushnyi (“Seneca”), Dmytro Kotsiubailo (“Da Vinci”), and Maksym Kryvtsov (“Dali”) was resonant, but the memory of many fallen soldiers remains insufficiently honored.
The story of a musicologist who voluntarily went to war, fought well, and died on the battlefield is a powerful story. Nations have their own narratives and heroes. Against the backdrop of the current Russian-Ukrainian war, the names of heroes must stand out and become cornerstones for us. It is very important that Ivan’s name be there, among the cohort of the great generation that we have lost or are losing in the struggle for freedom and independence of Ukraine.