Fourteen Composers in Today’s Ukraine
Gerald Gabel
A
Brief History
Ukrainian music has not been widely researched
in the West likely because Ukraine has traditionally been in the political and cultural
shadow of Russia. Prior to the middle of the twentieth century perhaps their
best known composer was Dmitry Bortniansky who thrived at the end of the 19th
century, yet studied and lived many years in Russia. And while most are familiar with the dynamic
“Great Gate at Kiev” from Mussorgsky’s Pictures
at an Exhibition the gate itself is Ukrainian in origin, and the music is
of a Russian composer and yields little insight into the music of this country!
Sacred
chant from Byzantia was evidently introduced into Ukraine in the late tenth
century when St. Vladimir converted to Christianity and adopted the sacred
music of the Orthodox Church. By the middle of the eleventh century, Ukrainian
melodies were being used in the liturgy and the sixteenth century witnessed a
great flourish of polyphony inspired by music imported from Poland. Music in
the church then became more diverse with the use of Bulgarian, Greek and
Ukrainian melodies. But, in 1654, Ukraine and Russia established a political
agreement causing many Ukrainian composers and performers to move to Moscow to
study Western music. The loss of talent to Russia produced a reduction in
Ukrainian musical activity for a great length of time.
There were some notable Ukrainian composers in the 19th century.
These included Mykola Ovsianiko-Kulikovsky, S. S. Gulak-Artemovsky (1813-73),
Petro Nistchynsky (1832-96), Pyotr Sokal'sky (1832-87). Volodymyr
Sokal’sky(1863-1920) (a nephew of Pyotr), Mykola Arkas (1852-1909) and Mykola
Kolachevsky (1851-97). They wrote in the standard genres of nineteenth century
Europe with emphasis upon symphonic works, operas and folksongs. Such progress
was facilitated by the establishment of the Kiev Philharmonic Society
and the Kiev Russian Music Society. Through the efforts of the Russian Music
Society, the Music College in Kiev was established in 1868.
Mykola
Lysenko (born in 1842) is sometimes called the “father of Ukrainian music”. He
was very interested in the folk songs of local peasants and composed many songs
to texts of his countryman Taras Shevchenko. His primary teachers were Karl
Reinecke at the Leipzig Conservatory and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov in Saint
Petersburg. In 1904, he founded a musical institute in Kiev and was active as a
composer, performer, ethnomusicologist, and teacher. Composers
influenced by Lysenko's music included Kyrylo Stetsenko (1882-1922), Yakiv
Stepovy (1883-1921), Mykola Leontovych (1887-1921), and Alexander Koshyts.
These composers were establishing a distinctly Ukrainian music. But the Soviet
regime did not allow Stetsenko, Stepovy and Leontovych to continue their work
and exiled F. S. Akimenko (1876-1945), Koshyts and Nestor Horodovenko. This
brought an end to what might have been a flowering of Ukrainian music.
After inactivity during the early years under Soviet control, a new generation of Ukrainian composers became known. Included in this group are Mykola Skorulsky (1887-1950), L. M. Revutsky (a leading figure at the Kiev Conservatory), and Boris Lyatoshyns'ky (1895-1969) who was a pupil of Rheinhold Glière. During this time, Lviv developed into an important center for Ukrainian musical activity. The Mykola Lysenko Music Institute was founded in Lviv in 1903.
The
most prominent Ukrainian composers of the mid-20th century include Andriy
Shtogarenko (born in 1902), Yuly Meytus (born in 1903), Konstantin Dankevych
(born in 1905), A. Koss-Anatolsky (born in 1909), A. D. Fylypenko (born in
1912), Herman Yukovsky (born in 1913), Hryhory Mayboroda (born in 1913), Piaton Mayboroda (born in 1918), Vadym
Gomoliaka (born in 1914), Viktor Kireyko (born in 1926) and Alexander
Znosko-Borovsky (born in 1908).
The State of Composition in Ukraine Today
In 2007, I was in Ukraine for a total of 26 days meeting
with and interviewing Ukrainian composers. The information contained in this
article is a synthesis of information from these interviews. Ludmila Yurina was the first person I approached nearly
two years ago with a proposal to meet and interview composers from Ukraine for
purposes of presenting them to the western world in this article. She worked
tirelessly to insure the success of this project. To her, I extend gracious thanks and
gratitude for her efforts.
The
greatest obstacle in realizing this project was my poor understanding and
abilities with either the Russian or Ukrainian languages despite my crash
course in Russian. The American Embassy
in Kiev suggested a person to serve as translator for all meetings with
composers and also with administrators at the National Academy of Music. Alexander Krivyts is fluent in Russian,
Ukrainian and English. He proved to be a
wonderful asset in all meetings. His attention to detail, cordial and gracious
manner and magnanimous sense of humor were a great asset. To Alex, I also
extend gracious thanks and gratitude.
Ukraine, in essence, is a very young country. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in
1991, it was once again free to establish its own governance without control of
Soviet leaders. This change has created economic difficulties. The government
is taking steps to broaden its economic base to become more industrial and to
welcome foreign investment. If such plans are successful, the future of Ukraine
is bright. Its people are highly educated, resourceful and hard working.
.
Conditions
for composers in Ukraine are not very different from those of composers in the
United States and other Western countries. Many composers earn their living
teaching in the four state universities and numerous musical institutes
throughout the country. Others work for composers’ unions in the larger cities
even though there are limited job opportunities with these organizations. The
unions are funded by the government through the Ministry of Culture which must
support all arts on a limited budget. Igor Shcherbakov, director of the Kiev
Composers Union, described conditions for composers in Kiev:
There are 196 composer and musicologist members. According to rules, a ratio of composers to
musicologists must be maintained (this was inherited from the time of Soviet
control). They organize an annual
festival with 30 concerts for orchestra, choir and other ensembles. It also organizes concerts of music of
different composers. There is not a lot
of funding for this. It is accomplished
with money from the City of Kiev and the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Culture provides most of the
money to rent office space and pay the salaries of five employees per
year. There is little money for other
things. The festival is financed 80% by
the Ministry and 20% by the City of Kiev.
When asked whether they actively seek donations from
individuals, foundations or corporations, Shcherbakov responded:
Only 2 or 3 times in the past have private foundations
donated funds for our activities. Some
embassies have helped. They support
composers from their countries. A couple
of foundations in Poland and Italy have helped by supporting composers from
their countries.
Sergey Zazhytko, also an officer of the Composer’s Union,
offered his perspective:
There are laws in the West which encourage private and
corporate donations for the arts. These
laws don’t exist in Ukraine. There are
two areas of government support. It
supports composer organizations and individuals to partake in festivals. Sometimes composer groups ask corporations to
make donations but this is usually not successful.
Besides the festival in Kiev, there are major festivals in other cities, most notably Lviv and Odessa, which support new music. When asked if there were many performance opportunities with the festivals and with other performance organizations, Alexander Shymko replied:
There are not many.
My pieces are played more in Poland than in Ukraine. Progress has been made and more opportunities
might be available in the future. An
emphasis upon our culture is needed in Ukraine and composers are receiving more
state awards. It helps that tickets are
not required to attend our festivals because the concerts are free to the
public. This doesn’t help greatly
because new directions in classical music are not as accepted by the public as
developments in pop music.
Sergey
Zazhytko gave an interesting perspective on why some performing musicians are
reticent to perform the music of living composers:
During Soviet times, people did not know Western styles and
musicians did not play Western music. It
is difficult for performers of traditional music to learn new techniques and
styles. Therefore, I mostly work with
young musicians. They are more flexible
and are willing to use new techniques.
One
composer, Olena Leonova, who has traveled to western Europe and spent several
months teaching in Jamaica, noted: “I have the same opportunities as composers in other
countries. The same problems exist here
as in other countries.”
I asked,
specifically, if there were sufficient opportunities for young and emerging
composers. Sergey Zazhytko laughed and
replied:
The Ministry of Culture has plans for cultural
activities. Within their budget and
plan, they support new music in Ukraine.
In general, the support is low.
They don’t differentiate on the basis of style. Support is low for all styles.
I
asked all composers if their life is different now than it was before the
downfall of the Soviet Union in 1991. Only one composer, Volodymyr Zahortsev, emphatically and enthusiastically
stated that his life was better. For him, having the freedom to write the music
he desires, without censorship, is more important than other considerations.
The youngest composers were mostly still engaged in studies at the
Conservatories during this time and offered no opinion since they were not
active during the time of Soviet rule. Gennady Lyaschenko, who lived his entire life
under the Soviet regime responded:
Composers were better supported under the Soviets and the
government took care of them. There was
a publishing company. It still exists
but it is private now and they charge composers to publish a work. In Soviet
times, the economy was planned and they knew what they would publish in
advance. I had one work published each
year and they paid me! I worked most of
my life for the Soviets. No one created
obstacles for me and I continue to write in the same way.
For
composers whose styles and ideas were acceptable to the government, there were
few problems. Others were subjected to censorship and, sometimes,
imprisonment. Igor Shcherbakov provided
additional insight:
Maybe it is better in the sense that it is more open and
composers can interact with composers and musicians of other countries. Ukrainian people can’t listen to the world’s
great orchestras because the state can’t finance tours for such concerts. During Soviet times, composers were better
supported. On the other hand, one cannot
replace freedom with money! I started
composing during the last years of Soviet control. All music was ordered via the Ministry of
Culture. A sonata might take six months
to compose and the Ministry gave 250 rubles.
But if I write a song about Lenin, I might receive 300 rubles – and a
song takes a lot less time to compose than a sonata! I changed my political views and refused to
write the song about Lenin. But now I would
write the song to get the money!
Gabel - “Might you write a song for your current President?”
Shcherbakov – “No! He
is alive! For Lenin, maybe – he is
history!
My family supports the idea that Ukraine should be free and
independent. I even took part in some
demonstrations in 1991. On the other hand, countries should maintain friendly
relationships. Freedom is great but
composers were better supported by the Soviets.
I would prefer the support.”
Yehven Stankovych
Yehven Stankovych (born 1942, in
Svalyava) studied composition with Adam Soltys at the Lviv Conservatory from
1962-63, and with Borys Lyatoshynsky (1965-68) and Myroslav Skoryk (1968-70) at
the Kiev Conservatory. From 1970-76, he
worked as an editor for Muzychna Ukraina, the lone music publisher in
the Soviet Ukraine. Since then, he has been Professor of Composition at the
Ukrainian Music Academy (formerly the Kiev Conservatory). Stankovych has
composed several large works for the stage including the folk opera When the Fern Blooms for soloists, folk
chorus, and small orchestra. His works
for dance include a ballet legend entitled Olha
and full ballets entitled Spark, Prometheus, and the Vikings, and he has
composed numerous film scores.
His orchestral output is quite large with eight symphonies, seven
chamber symphonies, a sinfonietta,
concertos for cello, violin, viola and violin with piano, as well as
miscellaneous orchestral works. His chamber works include several recent
compositions for mixed chamber ensembles as well as three sonatas for cello,
two for violin and one for clarinet, two string quartets, a Concertino for
flute and violin and two pieces for violin and cello. Since 1991, he has produced several choral
works on religious themes. There are also many secular choral works and works
for solo piano and organ.
The Chamber Symphony No. 5 is
in one movement and is scored for clarinet, six violins, two violas, two
violoncelli, and one contrabass. The chamber ensemble is treated in a decidedly
symphonic manner at times while, at other moments, it is a chamber work. In measures 1-13, the major thematic units
for the work are presented. The clarinet presents an initial opening line which
is repeated in variations with extensions for the duration of the passage
emphasizing the primary pitch focus on “f”, “a” and “c”. The strings present
three gestures which will be important through the work: a 16th and
32nd note passage in measure two in the violin 1 part, a triplet
sixteenth figure in measure 5 in violin 2, and a 32nd note passage
in measure 8 in violin 3 (Example 1).
Example
1:
Stankovych, Chamber Symphony No. 5
mm. 1-8
In measures 34-35, all three of the violin
figures comprise the entire accompaniment creating a complex texture before the
clarinet entrance. The clarinetist’s focus is, once again, on f natural (Example 2).
Example
2:
Stankovych, Chamber Symphony No. 5
mm. 34-35
Beginning with the Piu Mosso
in measure 71, the same string figures are found but now in their original form
as well as in augmentation. The clarinet
retains a contour similar to the beginning but now featuring sextuplet
sixteenth notes with an emphasis of f natural which moves to f# passing to g in
measure 75 (Example 3).
Example
3:
Stankovych, Chamber Symphony No. 5
mm. 71-72
The climax of this
section appears in measures 130 through 134. At this point, the clarinet solo
has adopted some aspects of the original string figures. After displaying the
same rhythms in measure 130, the strings progress in ascending eighth notes to
the climactic chord at measure 134. This
sonority ranges from D#5 in the cello part up to E6 in the violin 1 part. Except for the minor third between the first
and second violins, the remainder of the ensemble is packed in half and whole
steps created a tightly packed sonority of considerable tension. The clarinet
figure in measure 134 outlines the same intervallic range as the strings but a
perfect fourth higher (Example 4).
Example
4:
Stankovych, Chamber Symphony No. 5
mm. 130-134
The Piu Mosso in measure 135
presents a decidedly different texture than the frenzied declamation of the
previous measures. This middle section of the work provides the greatest
contrast and relief in the entire work.
Again, similar rhythmic figures may be found in the clarinet although
greatly augmented. The strings sustain another tense sonority but with greater
range for the ensemble from E flat2 to G6 (Example 5).
Example
5:
Stankovych, Chamber Symphony No. 5
mm. 135-140
In measure 235, Stankovych increases
the tempo to allegro. At measure 247, he re-introduces materials
heard earlier in the work in variation with the violoncello temporarily
assuming the melodic line (Example 6).
Example
6:
Stankovych, Chamber Symphony No. 5
mm. 247-248
This final section of the work recalls
virtually all materials heard earlier in the work. The final measures recall the climax of the
first section with the rapid ascending runs in the clarinet followed by a final
passage in which the instrument repeats a series of notes though here the
passage is more varied and melodic in nature than earlier. The strings exhibit
a similar ascent to a chord but this time the chord is sustained to the final
two chords in the composition (Example 7).
Example
7:
Stankovych, Chamber Symphony No. 5
mm. Measures 333 – end
The Mass “In Time of Famine”
is an imposing work for orchestra, chorus, soloists and narrator which
commemorates a very tragic time in Ukrainian history. During the late 1920s and
early 1930s, the Stalinist regime was attempting to move all farmers onto
collectives fulfilling one of the tenets of Stalinist philosophy. The Ukrainian farmers resisted Stalin’s
dictates preferring to maintain the land they owned and, in instances, had been
a family heritage for centuries. Frustrated by this resistance, the Soviets
instituted a famine upon Ukraine. For
decades the Soviet government denied that such a decision had been made. With the downfall of the Soviets in 1991,
documents were discovered which verified the fact that the famine was not a
natural phenomenon. In the years 1932 and 1933, approximately one-third of the
population of Ukraine died of starvation.
Hungry and with many citizens dying, the farmers’ resistance gradually
weakened and they reported to the collectives. Assured of victory in the
standoff, the government food supply lines were re-established.
With the establishment of the new
Ukrainian government in 1991, a commemoration of this event was designated for
a day in November each year. The citizens of Ukraine gather in a plaza in each
city carrying candles for the souls of the people who died. The candles are sometimes arranged in
patterns with a huge cross at the center.
In Kiev, the Mass “In Time of Famine” of Stankovych is performed each
year as part of this solemn ritual.
Volodymyr Zahortsev (born 1944, in Kiev) began private piano lessons at
15 with F. Kalikhman, a pupil of Rachmaninov, and music theory with O.
Guberman. From 1962, he studied composition with Professors B. Lyatoshyns'ky
and A. Shtoharenko at the former Kiev State Peter Tchaikovsky Conservatoire
from which he graduated in 1968. In the
60’s, he, together with his friends Valentin Silvestrov, Leonid Hrabovsky and
Vitali Hodzyatsky, formed the informal group, known in Western countries as
"Kiev Avant-Guarde". A performance of his Gradations (January
1980) by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Meta was an important
event in his life. In 1968, he joined the Ukrainian Composers' Union. Since 1968, his music has been performed in
many cities of the world: New York, Boston, Berlin, Las Vegas, London, Zagreb
and Bratislava. He was a permanent
participant in such festivals of new music as "Season's Premieres,"
and "Kiev Music Fest".
Zahortsev’s output includes works in all genres including sonatas for
many instruments, four string quartets, a piano concerto and seven chamber
concertos, four symphonies and numerous other orchestral works, an opera and
works for chorus and orchestra. In
addition to the numerous sonatas, he has also written many works for solo
piano, mixed chamber ensembles, and a chamber cantata.
Zahortsev’s early style was similar to
the European avant-garde of the 1960’s.
His Gradations for Orchestra, composed in 1962, exemplifies this
style with angular melodies, quasi-serial pitch organization, use of a large
percussion section, and new notation symbols for improvisational sections and
moments. The work commences with a lively interchange between various
instruments and sections of the orchestra.
In measure two, the vibraphone presents a notation for
improvisation. This returns many times
in the work. After articulating the tense sonority (d4, e4, c#5 and f5), the
performer improvises according to the shape of the following irregular,
undulating line (Example 8).