Monday, September 2, 2013

New Book on the Russian Empire in Colour

Front cover of Nostalgia. The Russian Empire of Czar Nicholas II
 One of the restored photos by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, 
showing Georgian tea workers near Chavka, ca. 1910

Starting in 1909 until 1915, chemist and pioneer photographer, Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii, photographed the various peoples and places that comprised the vast Russian Empire. Using a method involving colour-sensitive glass plates and 3-coloured filters (blue, green and red), Prokudiin-Gorskii was able to capture the diverse nations, folklore and landscapes in colour. With the support of Tsar Nicholas II, the Transportation Ministry provided him with a specially equipped railway car, in order to accomplish this unique project.

Of the nearly 2000 photographs taken, 300 of them were meticulously restored by the Library of Congress, which had purchased the collection back in 1948 (Four years after the death of Prokudin-Gorskii). The restored images are showcased in the book, Nostalgia. The Russian Empire of Czar Nicholas II (by the German Publishing House, Gestalten). It is available in the Slavic Collection's Reference area, under the call number,  Slav Ref DK 262 P76 2012, -- with a circulating copy, held in St. Paul's Library (Fort Garry Campus,University of Manitoba).

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Hallama Family fonds

The Hallama Family of Grande Point, MB., ca. 1925
Photograph courtesy of the U of M Archives & Special Collections,
Hallama Family fonds (PC 123).
 
The Hallama Family fonds  [Mss Sc 128, Pc 123 (A96-21, A12-08 )] consists of photographs, farm account books and a history of the Hallama family and farm in Grande Point, Manitoba. Wenceslaus Hallama, a Czech inmmigrant, who arrived in Canada in 1891, settled on his uncle, Joseph Schwab's farm, near Grande Point. Wenceslaus Hallama later purchased the farm from his uncle, where Wenceslaus' bride, Barabara Blahnik, from Bohemia, soon joined him. The couple then raised a family, from which the farm was passed on to their son, Joseph, and then later, to Joseph's son, Edward.

a fascinating collection that recollects the early years of the Hallama family, one of earliest Czech families in Western Canada. Of special note, Wenceslaus  Hallama was the first farmer in the area to own a seed drill and a gasoline tractor.  The Hallama Family Fonds is available to view in the U of M Archives & Special Collections.





Thursday, July 4, 2013

Walter Klymkiw Musical Scores Collection



Cover of Hryhorii Ver'ovka's Ukrains'ki narodni pisni dlia khoru
 (Ukrainian folk songs for choirs)



The Walter Klymkiw Musical Scores Collection consists of several hundred musical scores and arrangements of Ukrainian folk, liturgical, classical and contemporary music. This unique collection was donated to the Elizabeth Dafoe Library’s Slavic Collection by the Walter Klymkiw Family in 2001.

 The late Walter Klymkiw served as the choral director of the renowned Winnipeg-based Olexander Koshetz Choir. During his nearly fifty years with the choir, Klymkiw and his choir toured throughout Canada, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Western Europe, and South America. The choir went on to record two CDs, nine cassettes, and six records. For nearly half a century he maintained and developed contacts with Ukraine's composers and artists -- fostering a special relationship with Anatolii Avdievs'kyi (Avdievsky), director of the world famous Ver'ovka (Veriovka) Ukrainian State Folk Choir. Through his many travels, and the many contacts and friendships he established during his lifetime, Dr. Klymkiw was able to purchase and collect hundreds of musical scores, many of which he would utilize in his choir’s countless performances.  Included in the collection are the works and arrangements of such well-known Ukrainian composers, musicologists and conductors as Dmytro Bortnians’kyi (Bortniansky),  Mykola Lysenko, Filiaret Kolessa, Olexander Koshetz (Koshets’), Mykola Leontovych, Hryhorii Ver’ovka, Ihor Shamo, and Oleksandr Bilash.

This unique collection is available in the closed stacks of the Slavic Collection, and complements the Klymkiw Family Fonds held in the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections. Please ask the Slavic staff for assistance.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Natsyianal'nyi Atlas Belarusi = The National Atlas of Belarus



Natsyianal'nyi Atlas Belarusi = The National Atlas of Belarus


Many of the post-Soviet countries have published national atlas's since becoming independent in 1991, including, Belarus. The National Atlas of Belarus (2002) is divided into 19 sections, and focuses on such areas as: territory; population; climate; ecology; agriculture; culture; science; and industry, In addition, there is a section devoted to the history of Belarus, for example,  several maps cover the period of the Grand Duchy of Litva.  The atlas was created under the auspices of the Council of Minister of the Republic of Belarus, whose committee oversees land resources, geodesy and cartography.

The  National Atlas of  Belarus is held in the Atlas Section in the Elizabeth Dafoe Library's Reference Room, under the call number G 2145 R4 2002





Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Natsional'nyi Atlas Rossii = The National Atlas of Russia

National Atlas of Russia = Natsional'nyi Atlas Rossii


The new National Atlas of Russia = Natsional'nyi Atlas Rossii is published by the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, and the Federal Agency of Geodesy and Cartography, This is the first major such work since the breakup of the Soviet Union. It consist of 4 volumes: Volume 1: The National Atlas; Volume 2: Nature and Ecology; Volume 3: Populations an Economics; and Volume 4:  History and Culture.  Volume 1 provides information on the general geographic characteristics of the Russian Federation and its regions. --, focusing on the individual political and administrative units of the country. Although Volume 1 provides a historical overview of Russia, Volume 4 provides a more detailed historical account of various periods, with accompanying maps.


 The  National Atlas of  Russia is held in the Atlas Section in the Elizabeth Dafoe Library's Reference Room, under the call number G 2140 F44 2004 t. 1-4.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Polonistyka


 The  cover of the August/ September 2012 issue of Polonistyka

One of the Polish language journals that the University of Manitoba Libraries subscribes to, in the area of Polish philology is, Polonistyka. This monthly journal discusses Polish language pedagogy, including instructional teaching at various levels of language comprehension.

The most recent issues are displayed on the Slavic Collection’s Current Periodical Shelf, while the older issues are available in the Slavic Collection's main stacks, under the call # Slav Per 491.8 P767