Ukrainian Composers of the 19th Century

[eschiss1]

http://imslp.org/wiki/Nocturne_in_D_major_%28Akimenko,_Theodore%29 is a correct link to the Akimenko nocturne @ IMSLP without the composer-tag dropping into the pits of parenthetics...

[Christopher]

There is a guy called Iosyp Sozansky and he is the conductor of the Chernivtsy Regional Philharmonia (http://www.filarmoniya.cv.ua/en/ - Chernivtsy is a rather picturesque city in western Ukraine and something of a cultural centre).  He appears to be leading (since 2015) a project called The Revival of Forgotten Manuscripts which focuses on Ukraine's composers from the 19th century and putting the resulting performances online.

A large part of the output so far consists of the music of Mykhailo Verbytsky (1815-1870). He is known in Ukraine today as the composer of the country's stirring national anthem "Ukraine has not yet perished / Shche ne vmerla Ukraina".  But his output was significant - as can be seen from his wikipedia entry which I copy in below.

I have put in the downloads section 12 of his works which I found on youtube, all recordings of live concerts.  His symphonies are very short and (according to his wikipedia entry) "are more like overtures".  Personally I think they are quite "Schubert-esque" and would love to hear if others think so too.  Highly melodic.

I have put in the downloads section:

Overture
Cantata - The Gathering of My Countrymen in Ukraine (this track includes the National Anthem at the end) (cantata arranged for orchestra by Frantsishok Fridrikh)
Testament ("Zapovit"), after Taras Shevchenko
Orchestral suite (Kolomiyka + mazurka)
Polonaise No.1 in D major
Symphony No.1 (arranged by Stanyslav Lyudkevych)
Symphony No.2 in C major
Symphony No.4 in G major (from 1864)
Symphony No.5
Symphony No.6 (version for solo piano)
Symphony No.7 in A major (my favourite - urgent opening theme, as in Schubert's Unfinished 8th)
Symphony No.10 in D major (dedicated to Orest Sinkevich) ( - I know that the wikipedia says he wrote 9 symphonies so I can't explain this one....)


Mykhailo Mykhailovych Verbytsky (Ukrainian: Михайло Михайлович Вербицький) (born March 4, 1815 in Jawornik Ruski, Austria-Hungary (now Poland) - died December 7, 1870 in Młyny) was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest and composer. He is considered to be one of the first professional Ukrainian composers of Halychyna.[1] Verbytsky is known for composing an alternate melody to the song Shche ne vmerla Ukrainy (Ukraine's glory has not perished), which later became the national anthem of Ukraine. His first name is sometimes translated to the English version of Michael, Polish Michal, Russian and other languages (see Michael for more).

Mykhailo Verbytsky was born in the Nadsyannya. Sources often differ as to the exact location of his birth. He was however born in Jawornik Ruski[1] and christened 8 km away in Ulucz[2] (the site of the oldest wooden church in Poland where his father was the local priest. Both are now in Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland.)

Verbytsky as born into the family of a priest. He left an orphan at the age of 10, and was raised by his father's brother, bishop Ivan Snihurskiy, from then on. Snihurskiy took Mykhailo to live with him in Peremysl, where his uncle was very active: founding the city's first Ukrainian language printing press, published compilations of folkore and textbooks about the Ukrainian language. In 1818, Snihurskiy even founded a dyak-teaching institute in the city, and ten years later, a cathedral choir and music school.[1] Verbystky was therefore placed in a very active and creative environment.

In 1833, Verbytsky entered the Theological Seminary in Lviv. Here he became seriously engaged in music, learning to play the guitar, which became his favorite musical instrument. He eventually wrote a textbook teaching how to play the guitar and wrote pieces for the instrument. Because of financial problems, he twice had to leave the Seminary, but he eventually graduated and became a priest.[2]


The church in the village of Mlyny, where Verbystky spent much of his life.
In 1852 Verbytsky received a parish in the village of Mlyny, Yavorskiy county, where he would live and work for the rest of his life. As a priest he wrote may liturgical compositions, which are still sund throughout the Halychyna region. Some of these include "Єдинородний Сине" (Oh Only Beggoten Son), "Святий Боже" (Oh Holy God), "Алилуя" (Alleluia), "Отче наш" (The Lord's Prayer), and "Хваліте Господа з небес" (Praise the Lord from the heavens)

As a composer he helped lay the foundations for the development of modern Ukrainian music. His works are formally unsophisticated, often strophic, and usually in the minor mode; but his stage works (notably Prostachka ('The Simpleton'), 1870) are representative of a popular folk genre that was melodically fluid, singable, pictorial and emotionally evocative. His instrumental writing does not extend far beyond the simple development of folktunes. Nevertheless, he composed 12 so-called symphonies (really overtures), the sixth of which Stanislav Lyudkevich based an orchestral piece and a piano trio. He also composed Zapovit ('Testament', 1868), a setting of Shevchenko's poem for bass solo, double choir and orchestra, the operetta Podgoryane which was staged in Lemberg (now L′viv, 1864), and numerous sacred and secular choral works and songs. He is best known as the composer of the Ukrainian national anthem Shche ne vmerla Ukrayiny ('The Ukraine has not Perished'), which in 1917 was adopted by the new Ukrainian republican government.

Musicologist Uliana Petrus' has put together a list of 133 known compositions by M. Verbytsky. These include:

Large scale secular choral works - 30
Sacred choral works - 37
Vocal ensembles
Art songs -10
Arrangements of folk songs - 10
Orchestral works - 18 works including 9 symphonies
Chamber works
15 works for various instruments
Music to 12 stage works

In 2005 the chapel-pantheon over the tomb of Mykhailo Verbytsky was opened to mark the 140th anniversary of Ukrainian national anthem and 190th anniversary of its composer.

[Christopher]

Kryzhanivsky, Bohdan Volodymyrovych (1894-1955)

Iosyp Sozansky and the Chernivtsi Regional Philharmonia have recorded a work by a composer who, as far as I can tell, has no other works recorded.

Danilo of Galicia is a rather large-scale work in the form of a cantata or oratorio - written for narrator, soloists, chorus and orchestra after a poem by Mykola Bazhan - it runs to approx 55 minutes. Don't be put off by the narrator (speaking in Ukrainian) - he does speak quite a bit at the beginning (with the music) but then for the most part he shuts up! The piece was written in 1942 but is definitely in a late-romantic style. You can hear it here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U05V1TrL0Ss

Danilo of Galicia was, according to wikipedia, a King of Rus', Prince of Galicia (Halych) (1205–1255), Peremyshl (1211), and Volodymyr (1212–1231). He was crowned by a papal archbishop in Dorohochyn 1253 as the first King of Rus' (1253–1264). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_of_Galicia

Bohdan Kryzhanivsky's Ukrainian wikipdia is as follows (translated roughly from google):

Kryzhanivsky Bogdan Vladimirovich (August 24, 1894, Lviv - April 20, 1955, Chernivtsi) - Ukrainian conductor and composer.

Born August 24, 1894 in Lviv, a family lawyer. Lviv past childhood. Here he studied in high school, in his youth expressed a great enthusiasm for musical instruments (violin, cello, piano).

After graduating from the Lysenko Higher Music Institute in piano in 1916 he went to Vienna to continue training in music theory and composition at the Metropolitan Kaiser Academy of Music and Performing Arts. After the unexpected death of his father returned to his native city.

During the First World War (1916) joined the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen - joined the 1st Sich orchestras organized by Michael Gayvoronsky. I

In 1918, along with Leo and Basil Getsom Bobynsky signed a "Small Anthology of Creativity", the original of which was created on the model of handwritten old books, decorated with lots of illustrations and pictures. To introduce the Ukrainian edition to the broader public, they made a photo-reproduction. He participated in the activities of the new Ukrainian theater in Lviv, at this time, he met with Les Kurbas, Ambrose Buchma, Marian Krushelnytska and other prominent actors.

In 1920, as a result of the February pact concluded between the Ukrainian Galician Army and the Red Army, entered the ranks of the Red Ukrainian Galician Army. In the same year, he bacame one of the organizers of the Franko Ukrainian Drama Theater (in Vinnitsa, 1926, in Kyiv). He was in charge of the musical part of the Lviv Theater. Zankovetska was head and conductor of the Metropolitan Theater "Berezil." Later he worked in the Drama Kharkiv. In 1929 he became a founding member and principal conductor of the First Ukrainian State Musical Comedy Performances "Orpheus in Hell", "Queen of the unknown island", "Geisha," "self-styled Prince", "Chocolate Soldier or Man and weapons." Tashkent (1931-1932 chief conductor of the Opera theatre local), and finally - in Chernivtsi (since 1945).

The beginning of the 50's for the composer was a time of hardship. In World War II his only son Igor was killed. After writing the music to Mykola Bazhan's poem "Danilo of Galicia" in 1942, Kryzhanivsky was strongly persecuted. He was branded a nationalist and Petlurite. He was showered with anonymous denunciations, and betrayed by friends. But despite the circumstances and state of his health (tuberculosis) Kryzhanivsky launched extensive and fruitful activity as organizer of various art groups as director of music schools and teacher.

Bogdan Vladimirovich died April 20, 1955, and was buried at the central cemetery in Chernivtsi.

He wrote operettas, music for plays, vocal-symphonic poems and plays, songs and Sich propulsion arrangements. He wrote an opera, music to operetta "The Mikado" (co-author A. Cherry), several musical comedies ( "Because of the mountain of rock" and others), symphonies, songs, suite for piano and orchestra, dance tunes.

Selected works:

Music to plays:-
"Death Squadron" (play O.Korniychuka 1933)
"Bohdan Khmelnytsky" (play O.Korniychuka - premiered 10
March 1939 in Kiev Theater. Franko)

"Oleksa Dovbush" (1941)
"Danilo of Galicia" (1942)
"Nazar Stodolya"
"Bukovina kolomyiky"
"At the steppes of Ukraine" (O.Korniychuka play for the film which was shot in 1952)
"Lukyan mare" (G. historical drama Mizyuna 1954)


Birthday: August 24, 1894
Place of birth: Lviv
Date of death: April 20, 1955 (60 years old)
Place of death: Chernivtsi
Years active: 1916-1955
Country:  West Ukrainian People's Republic; Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Nationality: Ukrainian
Job: Conductor, composer
Higher education: (music)
Instruments: piano, violin, cello
Genre: symphonic music, marches
Organisations: Lviv Theatre. Zankovetska "Berezil" Kharkiv Academic Theatre of Musical Comedy and other

[semloh]

I've enjoyed some of these works for a while now, but especially those by Yakimenko. Both pieces are beautiful, and the fact that he was a student of Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov comes through in his orchestration and inventiveness. I hope friends on UC enjoy them, too.

[eschiss1]

Apologies if I missed a statement of this, but was conductor Vladimir Verbitzky (approximate Russian transliteration, poss. misremembered, from Melodiya-Olympia CD; I have a recording or two) a descendant of his?

[eschiss1]

Re the Akimenko nocturne by the way, there's also a (2001) (3-minute) recording of it on Claves with Misha Rachlevsky conducting the Chamber Orchestra of the Kremlin. (Also has string-orchestra arrangements of Rachmaninoff's string quartet no.2, it seems (Romance & Scherzo), among other works.)

[Christopher]

Apologies if I missed a statement of this, but was conductor Vladimir Verbitzky (approximate Russian transliteration, poss. misremembered, from Melodiya-Olympia CD; I have a recording or two) a descendant of his?

I don't know I'm afraid.  It's not a particularly unusual name in the Slavic world.

[chill319]

Not quite off topic: Charles Martin Loeffler, the "Alsatian-American" composer, spent a good stretch of his younger years in the Ukraine. The second movement of his 1891 composition "Evenings in the Ukraine," entitled "A Night in May," is IMHO unquestionably the finest work for violin and orchestra to emanate from North America during that era.

[Alan Howe]

Oh dear, I'm sorry to have to post this, but I really couldn't find much of interest in the Verbytsky 'symphonies'. They really are pretty small beer.

[jimsemadeni]

Agree with Alan on Verbitsky, nice overtures if you haven't heard a really good one before. J

[Alan Howe]

Trouble is, we have!

[semloh]

Hmm... agree about Verbytsky. It reminds me of when I was at school and my attempt to make a wooden 'nail box' in the woodwork exam; as I presented the finished item on the teacher's desk, it fell apart. "Oh dear! But, well done for trying!" 

Still, many thanks to Christopher for prompting us to 'check him out'.

[Christopher]

I've posted up a complete recording of Viktor Kosenko's piano concerto, which he wrote in 1928.  A recording of the first movement of this piece was posted up here a few years ago I think (with Arthur Nikulin, and the Academic Symphonic Orchestra of Lviv Philharmonic Society under Dmytro Logvin) and quite a few people liked it as I recall, possibly as it's very Rachmaninovian. 

I have also posted up a concert recording of Kosenko's Dawn Poem (orchestrated by Levko Kolodub, a twentieth century Ukrainian composer).

[MHBallan]

I just wanted to express my sincere thanks to Christopher for sharing the full Kosenko piano concerto on UC.  I had only ever heard the 1st movement (which I really liked and surprised it has not yet received a modern recording) and wanted to hear the remaining two movements to gain a full perspective of the whole work.  So very grateful to you for uploading this work.  I also was very pleased to see you have uploaded some works by Stepovy, Akimenko and Barvinsky (I have a fair collection of piano scores by these composers) so shall be eager to listen to these through the week.  It is by only hearing these works that we can gain a fuller understanding of these composers, and whether they weave their magic into our souls.

The Akimenko was a revelation - ravishing beautiful music.  I know his piano music well, but beyond the short Nocturne mentioned had never heard any of his major orchestral works, and the two pieces posted are simply stunning.  I have not stopped playing them since I downloaded them, so my grateful thanks for posting these.  Akimenko wrote extensively for orchestra so I can only hope that more may get recorded in time, as I am amazed, from what I have heard, that he has remained in obscurity for so long.   

One question - the Dawn Poem by Kosenko.........I had never heard of this piece and was curious if anyone had any information on this work ?  Of his orchestral works - beyond the two concertos - I was only aware of the Heroic Overture and Moldavian Rhapsody, plus some works / sketches for film and theatre.  Any information would be much appreciated.

Malcolm

[Alan Howe]

The Kosenko PC is a very attractive piece indeed - downstream, as it were, from Rachmaninov and none the worse for that. A lovely surprise - thanks, Christopher.