Kobzar

Kobzar (Ukrainian: kobzar) refers to a traditional Ukrainian bard who performed epic songs and historical poems, often called dumy, accompanied by a plucked string instrument such as the kobza or bandura. Kobzars were typically itinerant singers, and a significant number were blind; they served as living archives of community memory, history, and myth.

The repertoire combined long dumy with lyric songs, proverbs, and historical narratives. Performing style emphasized melodic storytelling and oral transmission, with variations from performer to performer. The instruments, notably the kobza and bandura, determine the sound and technique of accompaniment.

The tradition emerged in Ukrainian lands during the late medieval and early modern periods and persisted into the 18th and 19th centuries, influencing national culture and identity. It experienced suppression and transformation under various political authorities, but survived in folklore, manuscript collections, and later scholarly study. The figure of the kobzar has been celebrated as a symbol of Ukrainian cultural resilience.

Kobzar is also the title of Taras Shevchenko’s landmark collection of Ukrainian poetry, first published in the 1840s. The book helped establish modern Ukrainian literary language and contributed to the 19th-century national revival; its title has become emblematic of Ukrainian poetry and cultural heritage.

In modern times, the kobzar tradition continues in revival projects, folk ensembles, and academic study. The word kobzar can still denote a performer of kobza or bandura and the associated repertoire, as well as the poet-author of the dumy-inspired songs.