Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych (Ukrainian:Микола Дмитрович Леонтович,pronounced[mɪˈkɔlɐˈdmɪtrowɪtʃleonˈtɔwɪtʃ]ⓘ; 13 December [O.S. 1 December] 1877 – 23 January 1921) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor,ethnomusicologist, and teacher. His music was inspired by the Ukrainian composerMykola Lysenko and theUkrainian National Music School. Leontovych specialised ina cappellachoral music, ranging from original compositions tochurch music to elaborate arrangements offolk music.
Leontovych was born and raised inMonastyrok in thePodolia province of theRussian Empire (now inVinnytsia Oblast, Western Ukraine). He was educated as apriest in theKamianets-PodilskyiTheological Seminary. With the independence of theUkrainian State in the1917 revolution, he moved to Kyiv, where he worked at theKyiv Conservatory and theMykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama. He composed"Shchedryk" in 1914 (premiered in 1916), now known to the English-speaking world as "Carol of the Bells". He was murdered by aSoviet agent in 1921 and is known as amartyr in theEastern Orthodox Ukrainian Church, where he is also remembered for hisliturgy, the first composed in the vernacular, specifically in themodern Ukrainian language.
During his lifetime, Leontovych's compositions and arrangements became popular with musicians across the Ukrainian region of the Russian Empire. Performances of his works in Western Europe and North America earned him the nickname "the UkrainianBach". Apart from "Shchedryk", Leontovych's music is performed primarily in Ukraine and by theUkrainian diaspora.
Mykola Leontovych was born on 13 December [O.S. 1 December] 1877 inMonastyrok, near the village ofSelevyntsi [uk], in thePodolia province of Ukraine (then a part of theRussian Empire).[1] He was the eldest of five surviving children (Mykola, Oleksandr (born in 1879), Maria (born in 1885), Victoria (born in 1886), and Olena).[2] His father, grandfather, and great grandfather were village priests.[3] Both his mother, Mariya Yosypivna Leontovych, and his father, Dmytro Feofanovych Leontovych, were singers.[4]
Leontovych father, who directed a school choir, and was skilled at playing the cello, double bass,harmonium, violin, and guitar, gave Mykola his first musical lessons.[4][5] All his siblings grew up to have careers in music: Oleksandr was a professional singer, Mariya studied singing inOdesa, Olena studiedfortepiano at theKyiv Conservatory, and Victoriya could play several musical instruments.[4]
In 1879, Dmytro Leontovych was moved to serve as a priest in the village of Shershni [uk].[2] In 1887, Mykola was admitted to a school atNemyriv. Due to financial problems a year later, his father transferred him to the Sharhorod Spiritual Beginners School, whose pupils received full financial support. At the school, Leontovych mastered singing and was able to freely read difficult passages from religious choral texts.[5]
In 1892, Leontovych began his studies at thePodolia Theological Seminary [uk] inKamianets-Podilskyi, which both his father and grandfather had attended. His younger brother Oleksandr was enrolled as well,[6] graduating after his older brother.[7]
Whilst studying at the seminary, Leontovych continued to advance his skills on the violin, and learned to play other instruments, including the flute and theharmonium.[7] He sang in the seminary's choir, and when an orchestra was formed during the third year of his studies there, Leontovych joined it.[8] He studiedmusic theory under Y. Bogdanov and started writing choral arrangements, including "Oy z-za hory kamʺyanoyi ("Oh, from the stony mountain"),Oy pidu ya v lis po drova ("Oh, I’ll go to a forest for firewood"), and,Mala maty odnu dochku ("A mother has one daughter').[8]
Leontovych conducted the seminary's orchestra and choir.[8] Without his teachers knowing, he attended theopera in Kamianets-Podilskyi.[9] One of the last performances conducted at the seminary by Leontovych was a concert on 26 May 1899, when his friends wrote on a photograph: "To the future glorious composer".[10] After graduating in 1899, he decided to break the family tradition by becoming a school teacher instead of a priest.[8]
Leontovych's first teaching post, which commenced in September 1899, involved working as a teacher of singing andarithmetic at asecondary school in the village ofChukiv [uk] (present-dayVinnytsia Oblast). Later, when recalling his time at the school, he wrote: "I cannot complain that the students and villagers treated me unfavourably; due to my inexperience and youth, I was not a good school teacher. Certainly, my mistakes and errors in general educational activities were compensated to some extent by my musical teaching."[10] When he later became a professor at theKyiv Conservatory, he wrote a book about his early experiences,Yak ya orhanizuvav orkestr u silʹsʹkiy shkoli (How I Organised an Orchestra in a Village School).[11]
On 4 March 1901, after disagreements arose between Leontovych and the school's administrators, he obtained a teaching post at the Theological College inTyvriv, where he instructed students inchurch music andcalligraphy. He worked with the choir, and organised the college's amateur orchestra, including arrangements offolk songs among the usual religious works performed by the choristers, as well as original compositions. One such work was based on a poem byTaras Shevchenko,Zore moya vechirnyaya (Oh My Evening Star).[13] He organized a choir and a small orchestra at the school, which performed some of his works, as well as others by Russian and European composers. Whilst working at the school, he began to collect songs from Polissia. The first set was not published, butThe Second Collection of Songs from Polissia was published in Kyiv in 1903. Leontovych bought back all 300 copies after becoming dissatisfied with the publication, commenting as a joke, "Let me go to the Dnipro."[11]
Leontovych met aVolhynian girl named Claudia Feropontovna Zholtkevych, whom he married on 22 March 1902. The young couple's first daughter, Halyna, was born in 1903.[14] They later had a second daughter, Yevheniya.[15]
Financial hardship prompted Leontovych to accept an offer to move toVinnytsia to teach at the Church-Educators' College.[when?] He organised a choir and aconcert band at the college, which performed both secular andspiritual music.[16]
During 1903/04, Leontovych attended lectures held at theSt. Petersburg Court Capella, where he studied music theory,harmony,polyphony, and choral performance. On 22 April 1904, he earned his credentials as a choirmaster of church choruses.[11] In the autumn of 1904, he began working as a singing teacher inGrishino (now Pokrovsk, Ukraine), a railway town in theDonetsk region. Leontovych organised a choir of workers, who sang arrangements ofUkrainian,Jewish,Armenian,Russian, andPolish folk songs. He created a small orchestra to accompany the soloists, and prepared a repertoire of works by the Ukrainian composersMykola Lysenko andPetro Nishchynsky. Leontovych's activity caused a deterioration in his relationship with the authorities, and in the spring of 1908, he was forced to leave his post and move back toTulchyn.[11]
Leontovych's move to Tulchyn marked the beginning of a prolific period of composing. There, he taught vocal and instrumental music at the Tulchyn Eparchy Women's College to the daughters of village priests. He developed a lasting friendship with the composerKyrylo Stetsenko, who went on to influence his musical style.[17] Stetsenko praised his friend's compositions, saying, "Leontovych is a famous music expert from Podolia. He recorded many folk songs... These songs are harmonised for mixed choir. These harmonisations have revealed the author to be a great expert of both choral singing and theoretical studies".[15] Leontovych's choir performed works by Russian composersMikhail Glinka,Alexey Verstovsky, andPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, as well as music by Stetsenko, Lysenko, and Nishchynsky.[11]
From 1909, Leontovych studied under themusicologistBoleslav Yavorsky, whom he was to visit in Moscow and Kyiv over the next 12 years.[11] He became involved with the theatrical music scene in Tulchyn, and took charge of the local branch of theProsvita, a Ukrainian society dedicated to preserving and developing its culture and education.[17]
Leontovych wrote choral arrangements of Ukrainian folk songs, includingPiyutʹ pivni (The Roosters are Singing)[17] In 1914, Stetsenko convinced Leontovych to have his music performed by the student choir of theKyiv University under the leadership ofAlexander Koshetz. In December 1916, the performance of his arrangement of "Shchedryk" brought Leontovych great success amongst Kyiv's music lovers.[18]
During theOctober Revolution and the establishment of theUkrainian People's Republic in 1918, Leontovych relocated without his family to Kyiv, where he was active as both a conductor and composer. Several of his pieces gained popularity among professional and amateurs groups alike, who added them to their repertoire.[5] At one of the concerts, the "Legend" ofMykola Voronyi in Leontovych's arrangement was a great success. After the arrival of theBolsheviks, Leontovych worked in the music committee of thePeople's Commissariat of Education, and taught at theMusic and Drama Institute, and, together with the composer and conductorHryhoriy Veryovka, was employed to produce preschool education courses, and organise choir groups.[5]
During this period, he taught choral conducting at the Kyiv Conservatory, and also taught at theMykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama.[1] He participated in the founding of theUkrainian Republic Capella of which he was the commissioner.[19] WhenKyiv was captured by the White Army on 31 August 1919, the authorities began to persecute the city's Ukrainian intelligentsia. To avoid being arrested, Leontovych was forced to flee to Tulchyn.[5]
Upon his return toTulchyn with his family, Leontovych started the city's first music school, since the college where he had worked was closed down by theBolsheviks, and began to work on an opera,Na Rusalchyn Velykden ("The Mermaid's Easter"), based on the fairy tale byBorys Hrinchenko.[5][11]
Early in the morning of 23 January 1921, Leontovych was shot by achekist (Soviet state security agent) Afanasy Hrishchenko. Leontovych was staying at the home of his parents, whom he was visiting for theEastern OrthodoxFeast of the Nativity.[3][11] The undercover chekist had asked to stay the night at the house, and shared a room with Leontovych. At 7.30 in the morning he shot the composer, and robbed the family. By the time a doctor had arrived, Leontovych had died ofblood loss.[11][20]
Leontovych specialised ina cappella choral music, and composed over 150 choral compositions, generally inspired by Ukrainian folk songs. These range from artistic arrangements offolk songs, religious works (including his liturgy),cantatas, and compositions set to the words of Ukrainian poets.[1] His most famous works is theshchedrivka [uk] (New Year's song) "Schedryk" and "Dudaryk [uk]" (the bagpipe player).[21][22] His choral compositions feature rich harmony, vocal polyphony, andimitation. His earlier choral arrangements of folk songs were primarilystrophic arrangements of the melody. As the composer gained more experience, the structure of his choral compositions and arrangements of folk songs became strongly connected with the text.[1]
As a person with a professional theological education, Leontovych kept up with the movement of the establishment and recognition of theUkrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which was reestablished in 1918. The composer's output during this period became rich in new sacred music, following the examples of Stetsenko (a close friend of Leontovych's, also an orthodox priest and composer) and Koshetz.[citation needed] Leontovych's works form this time includedНа воскресіння Христа (On the Resurrection of Christ),Хваліте ім’я Господнє (Praise ye the Name of the Lord), andСвіте тихий (Oh Quiet Light), among others. A milestone in the development of Ukrainian spiritual music was the composition of hisliturgy, which was first performed in theSt. Nicholas Military Cathedral at the Kyiv,Pechersk on 22 May 1919.[11]
Mykola Leontovych was highly critical of himself. According to his first biographer Oles' Chapkivskyi, a contemporary of the composer, Leontovych would sometimes work on one choral setting without letting anyone else see it for up to four years.[4] Leontovych compiled his "First collection of songs from Polissia", which remained unpublished His "The Second Collection of Songs from Polissia" (Kyiv, 1903) was dedicated to Lysenko. Leontovych was dissatisfied with the work, bought up all 300 published copies, and had them destroyed.[11]
Leontovych commenced work on an operaNa rusalchyn velykden (On the Water Nymph's Easter), based on Ukrainian myths and the works of Hrinchenko. By the end of 1920, he had finished the first of three acts, but he was murdered before he could complete the opera. Attempts to complete and edit the opera were made by Ukrainian composerMykhailo Verykivsky.[23] The Ukrainian composerMyroslav Skoryk and the poet Diodor Bobyr collaborated to turn the unfinished opera into a one-actoperetta, which premiered in 1977 at theKyiv State Opera and Ballet Theatre, 100 years after Leontovych's birth. The North American premiere was held inToronto on 11 April 2003.[24]
Lysenko was one of Leontovych's largest influences.[25] Leontovych, who had admired his music since his student days, would perform it in concerts wherever he worked.[26]
Mykola Leontovych's song "Shchedryk" is his best-known piece.[1] "Shchedryk" is generally said to have been first performed on 25 December 1916, at St. Volodymyr's Kyiv University. However, it was first performed on 29 December 1916[which calendar?] in the Kyiv Merchants' Assembly Hall, now part of theNational Philharmonic of Ukraine.[27]
The Ukrainian National Choir's performance of "Shchedryk" during a tour of Europe in 1920/21. caused the song to become popular worldwide. The first recording was made in New York in October 1922 byBrunswick Records.[28]
"Shchedryk" was performed during a concert inCarnegie Hall, where the American composer and conductorPeter J Wilhousky heard it. In 1936, he published the song to Leontovych's music as aChristmas carol, with his own text in English that bears no resemblance to the original Ukrainian words of the song. The English version, known as "Carol of the Bells", has been arranged over 150 times since 2004.[28][1]
The carol is one of the 25 most frequently performed Christmas songs of the 20th century. As listed by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), it ranked number 15.[29]
Leontovych's best critic was his friend, and fellow priest and composer Stetsenko, who described him as "a great expert of both choral singing and theoretical studies".[15] He convinced Leontovych to publish his music and have it performed by Kyiv University students.[26]
"Shchedryk"'s success led to Leontovych becoming popular in Kyiv with music specialists and fans of choral music alike.[26] At the Kyiv Conservatory, Yavorsky reacted positively to his new works.[26] During a concert, Leontovych'sLehenda, set tolyrics by the Ukrainian poetMykola Voronyi, gained great popularity.[5] After reviewing the composer'sSecond Compilation of Songs from Podolia, Lysenko wrote:[citation needed]
Leontovych has an original, illustrious gift. In his arrangements I found separate passages, movement of voices, which later developed in an ingeniously weaved musical network.
The increase in popularity of Leontovych's music was aided by the head of theUkrainian National Republic,Symon Petliura, who created and sponsored two choirs to promote awareness of theculture of Ukraine.[30] Stetsenko's choir toured across Ukraine, while the Koshetz's Ukrainian Republic Capella toured Europe and the Americas.[31] Performances by the Ukrainian Republic Capella made Leontovych known throughout the western world—in France, Leontovych earned the nickname, "UkrainianBach".[15][4][26] On 5 October 1921, the Capella performed "Shchedryk" in the Carnegie Hall.[citation needed]
Leontovych's music is currently performed mostly in Ukraine, and few recordings are dedicated exclusively to him.[citation needed]
TheUkrainian diaspora remember him and perform his works. The CanadianOleksandr Koshyts Choir, based inWinnipeg, performs music by Leontovych and other Ukrainian composers, and has made a recording of his works.[citation needed]
On 1 February 1921, nine days after Leontovych's death, artists, academics, and students of the Mykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama in Kyiv gathered to commemorate him. They established the Committee for the Memory of Mykola Leontovych, which later became theLeontovych Music Society, and which promoted Ukrainian music until 1928.[11]
A number of musical groups are named in honour of the composer. TheLeontovych Bandurist Capella was a male choir whose members accompanied themselves using a Ukrainianbandura. The choir was established in adisplaced persons camps in Germany in 1946, and continued until 1949.[32] TheVinnytsia College of Arts and Culture [uk] is named after him.[33] There is a memorial museum dedicated to him in the city of Tulchyn,[34] and another was established in 1977 in the village ofMarkivka [uk], where he was buried. The museum was rebuilt after the premises became dilapidated, and reopened in 2016.[35] In 2018, a statue of the composer was unveiled in Pokrovsk.[36]
In 2002, to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the composer's birth, Kamianets-Podilskyi held an all-Ukrainian scientific conference entitled "Mykola Leontovych and Modern Education and Science," with guests from the Ukrainian ministry of education and science, the Ukrainian composers' Union, and many local authorities. During this event, the city held a ceremonial opening of a memorial plaque to the composer, placed next to the old building formerly used by the Podollia Theological Seminary.[4]
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