Music and Time Annotation << Back «Ya li v pole da ne travushka byla» by I. Surikov and P. Tchaikovsky I.D. Medrysh The article is devoted to the «Malorussian song» by the Russian poet I. Surikov, set to music by Tchaikovsky in his romance «Ya li v pole da ne travushka byla». The reasons why Surikov and Tchaikovsky got interested in the Ukrainian theme are being explored. Examined are the variants of the lyrics of the Ukrainian folk song freely interpreted in the poem by Surikov; their similarities and differences as well as the similarities and differences between the porofessional and folklore texts are being determined. As a result of this analysis, the author states what the «Malorussian song» is really based on, and this point of view is different from the one accepted among the researchers of Surikov’s works. The article reveals all the details of the folklore symbolism of the songs’ lyrics and Surikov’s text, whose poetic nature attracted Tchaikovsky. The theme of the tragic woman’s fate, which is typical of Tchaikovsky, is being stressed. Analysed are the pecularities of the romance, which combines the musical language of a folk song and professional arioso style. Compared is the music material of the romance coda and the theme of the swan maiden from the «Swan Lake». The analysis shows that in this romance Tchaikovsky creates the image of the people, which is full of real dramatism. Keywords: Surikov, Tchaikovsky, Shevchenko; Ukrainian and Russian folklore; symbolism of folklore, travushka, arrowwood, wheat. Contacts: E-mail: broyde@sacura.net Pp. 57-62.