Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

May 12, 1882

Death

:

April 29, 1922

 

Kirill Stetsenko was a Ukrainian composer, conductor, and music educator who was born on January 22, 1882, in the village of Krasnoilsk, Bukovina, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He was the son of a village priest and grew up in a musical family. His father played the violin and his mother sang in the church choir. Stetsenko showed an early interest in music and began studying the violin and piano at a young age. In 1898, Stetsenko moved to Lviv to attend the Lviv Conservatory, where he studied composition with Stanisław Niewiadomski and piano with Ludwik Grossman. He graduated in 1903 with a diploma in composition and piano performance. After graduation, he worked as a music teacher in various schools in Lviv and also performed as a pianist and conductor. In 1908, Stetsenko moved to Kyiv, where he became involved in the cultural and musical life of the city. He founded the Kyiv Music Society and the Kyiv Conservatory, where he taught composition and conducting. He also conducted the Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theater and the Kyiv Philharmonic Orchestra. Stetsenko's music was influenced by Ukrainian folk music and the works of Ukrainian composers such as Mykola Lysenko and Kyrylo Stetsenko (no relation). He also incorporated elements of Western classical music into his compositions. His works include operas, ballets, symphonies, chamber music, and choral music. One of Stetsenko's most famous works is his opera "Taras Bulba," which is based on the novel by Nikolai Gogol. The opera premiered in Kyiv in 1918 and was later performed in other cities in Ukraine and Russia. The opera is notable for its use of Ukrainian folk melodies and its depiction of the struggle for Ukrainian independence. Stetsenko's other notable works include his ballet "The Forest Song," which is based on the play by Lesia Ukrainka, and his choral work "The Ukrainian Liturgy," which is a setting of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in Ukrainian. He also composed several symphonies, including his Symphony No. 1 in C minor, which premiered in 1912. Stetsenko was a prominent figure in Ukrainian cultural and political life. He was a member of the Ukrainian National Democratic Party and was involved in the Ukrainian independence movement. He was also a member of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences. Stetsenko died on November 29, 1922, in Kyiv at the age of 40. His death was a great loss to Ukrainian music and culture. His legacy lives on through his compositions and his contributions to Ukrainian music education and cultural life.

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