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In this diary, Sparinsky recounts his daily life in Kiev, his conversations with his compatriots, his impressions of the advance of Russian troops, his descent into shelters, the sound of bombs, planes and emergency sirens, the smells of war, the fears and hopes that haunt them, the defensive of the Ukrainians to hinder the Russian advance, the difficulty to detect false news, the rumors that are shared through cell phones and the stories he manages to read through the Internet, from the action of Russian troops against the civilian population to the birth of babies in the subway stations.

ENGLISH: Cita

PROYECT

In the midst of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the intention of this initiative is to reflect the humanity, intelligence and sensitivity of the Ukrainian people through their music, trying to contribute to understanding the country as something more than the space of a geopolitical war.

Daniel Martín Sáez, from Sinfonía Virtual. Journal of Music and Musical Reflection (www.sinfoniavirtual.com), contacted Ukrainian composer Alexander Sparinsky, currently in Kiev, who was writing a diary of the invasion for his daughters. They agreed to publish this diary along with fragments of songs from traditional Ukrainian music, chosen by Sparinsky himself to illustrate, among other things, "the centuries-old traditions of Ukraine's struggle for its freedom and independence."

The text is edited in bilingual English-Spanish format, and includes the original texts of the songs quoted in Ukrainian, not only with the intention of reaching as many people as possible, but also to reflect the relevance of intercultural dialogue and translation for the understanding of diverse cultures.

On March 1, the entry for the first day, corresponding to the beginning of the war on February 24, was published and was read in the subject of Music and Culture at Granada as an example of the importance of music in military conflicts and, specifically, of traditional music for understanding the culture of other peoples.

In the following days, the entries corresponding to the following days of the invasion were published. From the first month, however, the publications became weekly due to the "new normality" of the war. After the third month, it was decided to publish the next entry in monthly format, and the last three in quarterly format, ending the diary to start new projects. On February 24, 2023, we published the last entry, one year after the war began.

ENGLISH: Bienvenida

DAY 1

February 24, 2022

Hey, battle is coming,

Poppies blooms beautifully.

Who is annoyed by our work?

It is sacred to us!

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DAY 2

February 25, 2022

And not all will return from the battle alive,

And not each native family will wait for them.

Remember them, remember them,

Remember them always, Ukrainian land.

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DAY 3

February 26, 2022

Enough ruins and disagreements –

Brother must not go to battle against each other.

Under the blue-yellow flag of freedom

Let us unite our great nation.

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DAY 4

February 27, 2022

And here we go in the battle of life,

We are solid, strong, unbreakable as granite,

For weeping has not given freedom to anyone yet,

And who is a fighter - he gets the world.

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DAY 5

February 28, 2022

Keep fighting - you are sure to win!

God helps you in your fight!

For fame and freedom march with you,

And right is on your side!

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DAY 6

March 1, 2022

Ukraine is saddened,

There is nowhere to live:

Little kids has been trampled by

The horde’s horses... 

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DAY 7

March 2, 2022

Toma un puñado de tierra, madre,

Y siémbralo en la piedra,

Cuando la tierra se eleve hacia ti,

Entonces tu hijo vendrá de la guerra.

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DAY 8

March 3, 2022

"Talking on WhatsApp with my eldest daughter. Anna has been living and working abroad almost two decades. Throughout the conversation, she does not tire of reminding us what awaits us in Europe at any moment, that I just have to come, that we will find a place to live. I try to calm her down and explain her how difficult and dangerous it is to leave Kyiv now. Too dangerous. And then there is the moral aspect: I cannot leave my house, my city. This is my land! After all, for the rest of my life, I would be ashamed: both in front of her and in front of my youngest daughter and all the rest... My eyes, as it is often said, are totally wet. Thanks to whom, should we, Ukrainians, make our children suffer?"

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DAY 9

March 4, 2022

We were born in great times,

From the fires of war and from the flames of fire -

The pain of losing Ukraine cherished us,

Oppression and wrath on our enemies fed us.

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DAY 10

March 5, 2022

Tendremos algo que recordar

tras largas noches a resguardo.

Estudié el sonido lejano de las armas

Y los inquietantes destellos de tus ojos.

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DAY 11

March 6, 2022

Heavy hour,

Misfortune minute,

Evil does not sleep...

To live is to shed tears

Oh, baby!

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DAY 12

March 7, 2022

We are moving forward. The sun is shining above us.

Guns are firing, the ground is shaking.

And pride bursts our chests.

We’re not afraid of death for freedom.

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DAY 13

March 8, 2022

"Today is March 8. In a world that is not at war, a holiday: International Women's Day. Today women must fight. As centuries ago they fought for their rights, for equality and justice."

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DAY 14

March 9, 2022

And on the renewed earth.

There will be no enemy, adversary,

And there will be a son and a mother,

And there will be people on earth…

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DAY 15

March 10, 2022

High grave in the damp earth,

And in that grave your children sleep,

And in that grave are the sons

who gave their youth to their executors.

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DAY 16

March 11, 2022

Ukraine will rise

Being fully clean, without garbage,

Will be in Ukraine

A new free life.

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DAY 17

March 12, 2022

Let’s get up! The trumpet is calling to us

To battle for the will of the people.

Moscow’s red prison have devoured

Too many fighters for freedom!

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DAY 18

March 13, 2022

- “Wow! Do they have names?”.


- “Of course,” the master explained in the tone of a guide. This is Snow, this is Wind, and this is a girl, she is Summer.


- “Summer? Where is Spring? Have you forgotten about her?”.


“No, I haven’t forgotten,” the child, who had matured early, answered firmly. “I just won’t sculpt it. In the spring we have war and Putin. And in the summer there will be no more. My mother promised me”.

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DAY 19

March 14, 2022

You will sleep well

Until you’ll know

What is sadness,

Grief and sorrow

You will accept it soon

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WEEK 4

March 15-23, 2022

As the Cossack laughs,

The enemy trembles with fear,

How a Cossack sings,

Enemies are running away!

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WEEK 5

March 23-30, 2022

Together with us in the holy battle

All nations will rise

Because Muscovite country doesn’t give a freedom

To none of them!

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WEEK 6

March 31 - April 5, 2022

Bury me, Daddy, at home in the courtyard,

Let the damned enemy know that for Ukraine I died.

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WEEK 7

April 6-12, 2022

Lord, oh the Great and Almighty,

Protect our beloved Ukraine,

Bless her with freedom and light

Of your holy rays.

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WEEKS 8-9

April 13-23, 2022

The new week began with the premiere of a new work, “Old House”, a documentary video-essay. The poems were long ago written by Boris Slutsky (1919-1986), a Russian-speaking poet from Kharkiv.

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MONTH 3

May 26, 2022

Hey to arms, brothers, for freedom,

It’s time to sort out with the fierce enemy.

Cannons are roaring, come to your senses, hangman

Give Ukraine back away!

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MONTHS 4-6

August 24, 2022

With this entry, Alexander Sparinsky ends this Diary, six months after the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the aim of carrying out other initiatives and continuing to publicize the reality of his country.

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 ONE YEAR LATER

February 24, 2023

Oh, in the meadow red viburnum bent down.
For some reason, our glorious Ukraine is distressed.
But we will raise that red viburnum,
And we will cheer our glorious Ukraine up, hey-hey!

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ENGLISH: ¿Qué está ocurriendo?

March 1, 2022: "I get to thinking: why do I spend days on the net and near the TV, contacting friends and colleagues, and writing a diary at night? Why translate and publish it on the Internet? Maybe I’m afraid not to live to see the next day, or just not in time to finish some?".

March 5, 2022: "I catch myself thinking that this Diary is needed and important not only for my daughters! And, therefore, I am writing and collecting information from all possible and impossible sources".

ENGLISH: Imagen

Some reactions to the Diary

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"This is a very positive international bridge of friendship in the truth about the current tragedy in Ukraine".

Bohdan Matwijczuk

Dean of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in Great Britain

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"This is very atmospheric Sasha; you capture the mood brilliantly. Dear Lord - It’s like a movie come to life. Please keep writing, even if the communications go down. It will be a record - and hopefully seem like a bad dream in due course. I’m still pray, pray, praying that this is intimidation rather than occupation. Taping up your windows!"

Anna Reid

Ukrainian Institute London

Author of Borderland: a Journey through the History of Ukraine (1998)

ENGLISH: Equipo

DISCOVER UKRAINIAN MUSIC

ENGLISH: ¿Qué está ocurriendo?
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"Prayer for Ukraine" (1885)

Composer: Mykola Lysenko

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SCIENCE FOR UKRAINE!

#ScienceForUkraine is a web collecting information about practical support for students and researchers directly affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

ENGLISH: Titular
Banderas de Ucrania

Serhii Plokhy, The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, 2015

"The appearance of Ukraine on the center stage of European and then American politics is not a fluke. Ukraine, the largest post-Soviet republic after Russia and now the object of Russian aggression, has become a battleground in the last few years. Unlike its East Slavic neighbors, Russia and Belarus, Ukraine has mantained democratic institutions and politics throughout the tumultuous years of the post-Soviet transition and oriented itself toward the West in its geopolitical aspirations and social and cultural values"

ENGLISH: Cita

CONTACT / CONTACTO

¡Gracias por tu mensaje!

ENGLISH: Contacto

FRIEND PAGES

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Sinfonía Virtual. Revista de Música y Reflexión Musical

La Torre del Virrey. Instituto de Estudios Culturales

Departamento de Historia y Ciencias de la Música (Universidad de Granada)

ENGLISH: Cursos
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