Work in progress...
I was born in 1550 to Havrylo Yaroslavovych and Paraskeva Onufriyivna in the city of Kaniv. Growing up I heard many stories of Kaniv's former starosta Prince Dmytro Bajda-Vyshnyvets'kyj and his kozaks. I also remembered seeing the Kozaks coming through town taking their ill and wounded to the Trakhtemyriv Monastery. I dreamed about joining them, but my father would never permit it. He came from a long line of priests and other church people and was the cantor of the Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral here Kaniv. I was to continue the family tradition. I spent most of my teen years around the cathedral, but at the age of 17 my father decided I needed a different environment. I was sent to live, work, and learn at Trakhtemyriv Monastery. I was not to become a monk, but to learn to sing all the church services and to toughen myself up helping the monks work the fields.
As the years went by my father's plan worked, to a limited extent. He had hoped that I would opt for the religious life after a prolonged exposure to the monks. But he forgot the other people I dealt with. There were always Kozaks at the Monastery, and even a kobzar or two outside the gates. I developed a longing to join the Kozaks, and also a love of music, especially the music and instruments of the kobzari.
[more to come]
