Honcharenko brothers

The Honcharenko Brothers—Alexander (1913–2005) and Peter (11 December 1910 – 19 September 2000)—became the dominant bandura-makers (bandura luthiers) and designers in the Ukrainian diaspora.

Peter was born in the village of Olshanytsia near Kiev, in the Russian Empire. His interest, enthusiasm and aptitude towards music were demonstrated at an early age. When he first saw and heard the bandura at the age of 12, he set forth to build his own. With diligence and persistence, Honcharenko mastered playing his wonderful instrument without formal training. Unknowingly, he had dedicated himself to a lifetime of perpetuation of the bandura art.

They first set up a workshop in Germany at the end of World War II. They were not just bandura makers, but innovative constructors who developed new types of instruments. In the workshop of the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus and the Leontovych Bandurist Capella they designed and developed a new type of instrument which combined the best aspects of both the Kiev and Kharkiv style banduras. In the worshops they made over 50 instruments.

Initially they spent their time repairing instruments, and then began making new instruments for chorus members whose instruments were no longer salvageable. After making a few Kiev style instruments and a copy of a Hryhory Paliyivetz instrument for Josyp Panasenko a conflicting question arose - "What type of instrument was the best to make?" The Kiev style players insisted on Kiev style instruments which had a longer and louder sound because of their longer strings and larger body and had chromatic strings. The players who had been members of the Poltava Capella insisted on Kharkiv-style banduras - diatonic instruments with a mechanism which allowed the players to play in different keys easily. The Kharkiv instruments had a shorter sound and both hands could play over the full range of the instrument. The retuning mechanisms however buzzed and were not reliable.

With this information the Honcharenko brothers designed an instrument which suited both playing styles. It allowed the players to play Kharkiv-style and have access to chromatic strings. They also designed a number of different mechanisms which were more reliable and did not buzz. These new instruments became very popular and were more sophisticated than the previous instruments. In time the whole Chorus received a full complement of new instruments.

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