Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) used themes from Ukraine for two of his Ten National Airs with Variations, Op. 107 for piano with flute ad libitum.
The next variation, No. 7 of the set, is based on, arguably, the most famous Ukrainian song “Їхав козак за Дунай” (The Kozak rode beyond the Danube) written by the philosopher Semen Klymovskyj. This variation set by Beethoven has seven variations. The song came to Western Europe under the title “Schöne Minka,” under which title Weber, Hummel, and others wrote their own variation sets. During the Soviet times, the song was popularized under the title “Ти ж мене підманула” (You tricked me), which is a humorous days-of-the-week song where the guy gets stood up at different venues. This version was covered by artists from all over the world and from different genres.
As can be see, the name ‘Ukraine’ had existed long before Lenin. Ukrainian culture inspired people even before Beethoven. Read what Voltaire wrote about Ukraine >
