«In Love with Folk Melody and Song» ˗ for the 115th anniversary of the birth of Gennady Ivanovich Tsitovich, Belarusian musicologist-folklorist, musical ethnographer and choral conductor, People’s Artist of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the USSR

Published: August 05, 2025

August 7, 2025 marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of the Belarusian musicologist-folklorist, musical ethnographer and choral conductor, People’s Artist of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the USSR Gennady Ivanovich Tsitovich.

G.I. Tsitovich is the creator of the State Folk Choir of the Byelorussian SSR, where he worked as artistic director until 1974.

On the YouTube channel of the Belarusian State Academy of Music and Film Arts (BSAF), to mark the 115th anniversary of the birth of Gennady Ivanovich Tsitovich ˗ Belarusian musicologist-folklorist, musical ethnographer and choral conductor, People’s Artist of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the USSR, a promotional video for the exhibition «In Love with Folk Melody and Song». has been posted.

At present, the funds of the Belarusian State Archive of Film, Photo, and Sound Documents contain more than 40 units of photo documents from 1936 to 1985, about 15 units of film documents from 1954 to 2001, 44 units of sound documents from 1958 to 2002, related to the life and work of G.I. Tsitovich.

Photo documents are represented by photocopies of certificates issued to a student G.I. Tsitovich at the Stefan Batory Vilnius University, newspaper articles dedicated to G.I. Tsitovich and the choir under his direction (received for storage in the BGAKFFD from the funds of the BGAMLI). In addition, the photo library contains portraits of G.I. Tsitovich, as well as photos taken during tours, meetings with colleagues, and much more.

The stories of the newsreels «Savetskaya Belarus» for 1961 and «Mastatstva Belarusi» for 1966, as well as the documentaries «Belarusian Tunes», 1963, «Belarusian Suite», 1967, «Chants of the Native Land», 1973, «Three Thousand Songs», 1980, «Song of the Wheat Field», 1982 are dedicated to the work of G.I. Tsitovich.

After the death of the People’s Artist of the BSSR and the USSR G.I. Tsitovich (died June 20, 1986) about him and the choir he created, a documentary film was made called «How I will go on my way…», 2001.

The archive’s sound library contains a story by the artistic director of the State Folk Choir of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the BSSR Gennady Ivanovich Tsitovich about the State Folk Choir of the BSSR, 1968, as well as radio broadcasts «How the song was born», 1958, «Musicians are talking», 1977, «Meetings at the radestudy», 1980, «The 50th year. State Academic Folk Choir of the Republic of Belarus named after G.I. Tsitovicha», 2002 and many others, dedicated to the work of G.I. Tsitovich and the choir he created. Over the years of his work, G.I. Tsitovich carried out many folklore expeditions. He recorded more than 3 thousand Belarusian (mainly), Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, Latvian folk songs, dances, instrumental tunes, included in folklore collections. G.I. Tsitovich also studied the musical creativity of the Slavic peoples and the influence of art on life in rural areas.

1. Archive №2-2858 Photocopy of the ID card of the student of the literary faculty of the Vilnius University G.I. Tsitovich,
November 10, 1936, Vilnius, TsGAMLI BSSR

2. Archive №0-003273 Members of the choir of the collective farm “Rodina Yakub Kolas” of the Stobtsovsky district and the honored artist of the BSSR G.I. Tsitovich at a rehearsal,
June 27, 1951, Minsk region, BelTA Photo Chronicle, G. Begun

3. Archive №0-118369 People’s Artist of the USSR, Honored Artist of the BSSR, artistic director of the State Choir of the BSSR G.R. Shirma with his student G.I. Tsitovich – Honored Artist of the BSSR, artistic director of the State Folk Choir of the BSSR,
1955, Minsk, TsGAKFD BSSR

4. Arch. №0-094994 Director of the State Folk Choir of the BSSR, Honored Artist of the BSSR G.I. Tsitovich talks with participants in amateur performances of the Bronnitsy House of Culture during the Decade of Belarusian Art and Literature in Moscow
February 13, 1955, Moscow Region, Photo Library of the Editorial Office of the Newspaper “Soviet Belarus”

5. Arch. №0-044895 Performance of the dance group of the State People’s Choir of the BSSR under the direction of G.I. Tsitovich on the stage of the P.I. Tchaikovsky Concert Hall during the Decade of Belarusian Art and Literature in Moscow,
February 15, 1955, Moscow, BelTA Photo Chronicle, V. Lupeiko

6. Archive. №0-044890 Moscow art figures greet the director of the State People’s Choir of the BSSR, Honored Artist of the BSSR G.I. Tsitovich during the Decade of Belarusian Art and Literature,
February 17, 1955, Moscow, BelTA Photo Chronicle, V. Lupeiko

7. Archive. No. 2-2878 Photocopy of the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the BSSR “On awarding arts workers the honorary title of People’s Artist of the Belarusian USSR” (N.I. Aladov, S.S. Birillo, V.F. Volchenetskaya, S.Yu. Druker, I.I. Zhinovich, E.A. Karnaukhov, V.V. Korsh-Sablin, K.K. Kudryashova, L.V. Lyubimov, T.N. Nizhnikova, B.A. Pokrovsky, I.M. Raevsky, L.M. Ryazhenova, I.P. Saikov, N.N. Serdobov, A.M. Trus, V.F. Fedorov, G.I. Tsitovich,
February 26, 1955, Minsk, TsGAMLI BSSR

8. Archive №0-083824 G.I.Tsitovich – Honored Artist of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the BSSR, Director of the State Folk Choir of the BSSR
1957, Minsk, collector I.Soloveichik

9. Archive №0-038246 Director of the State Folk Choir of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the BSSR G.I.Tsitovich and artists of the collective with participants of amateur art activities of the Smorgon district during the choir’s tour in the Mogilev region,
March 15, 1957, Mogilev region, BelTA Photo Chronicle, A.Gorelchik

10. Archive №1-001024 Performance of the State Folk Choir of the BSSR under the direction of G.I.Tsitovich in the Palace of Culture of Trade Unions of Minsk,
May 17, 1958, Minsk, Photo library of the editorial office of the newspaper “Minskaya Pravda”, V. Marcionko

11. Arch. №1-001453 Artistic director of the State Folk Choir of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the BSSR G.I. Tsitovich hands over notes to a member of the children’s choir of the State Philharmonic of Poznan at a gala evening dedicated to the opening of the Days of Polish Culture in the BSSR,
June 14, 1958, Minsk, Photo library of BelOKS, S. Vasilnitsky

12. Arch. №0-060463 Director of the State Folk Choir of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the BSSR G.I. Tsitovich among the children of the Minsk Palace of Pioneers and schoolchildren after the final concert-review of children’s amateur art,
1967, Minsk Photo library of the editorial staff of the newspaper “Pioneer of Belarus”, L. Kamenko

13. Arch. №0-098542 Artistic director of the State Folk Choir of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the USSR G.I. Tsitovich among the participants of the Republican Conference of Cultural Workers,
1972, Minsk, Photo library of the editorial staff of the newspaper “Litaratura i mastatstva”, V. Kryuk

14. Arch. №0-160970 Speech by the artistic director of the State Academic Folk Choir of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the USSR G.I. Tsitovich in the studio of Belarusian television; on the left is announcer Z.A. Bondarenko,
January 28, 1972, Minsk, Photo library of the Belteleradiocompany, E. Alkhimovich

15. Arch. №0-115005 G.I. Tsitovich, Belarusian musicologist-folklorist, musical ethnographer and choral conductor, director of the State People’s Choir of the BSSR, Honored Artist of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the USSR /portrait/,
1979, Minsk, Photo library of the editorial office of the newspaper “Litaratura i mastatstva”, V. Kruk

16. Archive №E040263 Choral conductor, musicologist-folklorist, laureate of the State Prize of the BSSR, laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize of the BSSR, People’s Artist of the USSR G.I. Tsitovich (right) and restorer of ancient musical instruments V.Ya. Puzynia,
1985, Minsk Photo chronicle BelTA, E. Kozyulya