Nikolai Leontovich, world famous composer. He is called none other than the Ukrainian Bach. It is thanks to the musician's creativity that even in the most remote corners of the planet, the melody "Shchedryk" sounds every Christmas. Leontovich was engaged not only in composing brilliant musical compositions. He is also known as a choir director, teacher, and an active public figure, whose opinion was often heeded.
The childhood of the composer Nikolai Leontovich
The birthplace of Nikolai Leontovich is the small village of Monastyrok in central Ukraine (Vinnitsa region). There he was born in the winter of 1877. His father was a village priest. Having a musical education, it was Dmitry Feofanovich Leontovich who taught his son to play the guitar, cello and violin. Leontovich's mother, Maria Iosifovna, was also a creative person. Her voice was admired throughout the neighborhood. She excellently performed romances and folk songs. It was his mother's songs, which he listened to from birth, that determined the fate of the composer in the future.
Studies
In 1887, Nikolai was sent to the gymnasium in the city of Nemirov. But, since the studies were paid, a year later the parents had to take their son away from the educational institution due to a marriage of funds. His father placed him in an elementary church school. Here Nikolai was fully supported. The young man completely plunged into the study of musical notation. Friends and entertainment were of little interest to the future composer. For several months already, he amazed his teachers, easily reading the most complex choral musical parts.
After graduating from a church school in 1892, Leontovich sent documents for entry into the theological seminary of the city of Kamenets-Podolsky. Here he thoroughly studied the piano and the theoretical foundations of choral singing. And in the last courses, Nikolai Leontovich already wrote arrangements for Ukrainian folk melodies. For a sample, he took the work of his idol Nikolai Lysenko.
Nikolai Leontovich: the first steps in creativity
Nikolai Leontovich graduated from the seminary in 1899. Then he worked in rural schools. He knew firsthand how difficult it is for poor families to educate their children. Therefore, he did everything possible so that the rural children had the opportunity to study. In addition to teaching, Leontovich constantly improved his musical education.
They formed a symphony orchestra. The band members performed melodies by Russian and Ukrainian composers. Work in the orchestra inspired the young composer and conductor to create the first collection of songs "From Podolia" (1901). The work was a huge success. Therefore, after 2 years, in 1903, the second volume of songs was released, which was dedicated to Nikolay Lysenko.
Leontovich's move to Donbas
In 1904, the composer decided to move to Eastern Ukraine. There he finds the revolution of 1905. During the uprisings, Leontovich does not stand aside. He gathers creative personalities around him, organizes a choir of workers whose task is to sing during rallies. Such activities of the composer attracted the attention of the authorities and, in order not to go to jail, Leontovich returned back to his native land. Begins to teach music at the diocesan school. But he does not stop developing as a composer.
He goes to the well-known at that time musical theorist Boleslav Yavorsky. After listening to the work of Leontovich, the luminary of music takes Nikolai to study. Nikolai often travels to Kyiv and Moscow to see his teacher. It was in Kyiv in 1916 that Yavorsky helped Leontovich organize a big concert, where “Shchedryk” was first performed in the arrangement of the young composer. Other works were also performed, such as “Pivni sing”, “Mother had one daughter”, “Dudaryk”, “A star has risen”, etc. The Kiev public highly appreciated the works of Leontovich. This inspired the composer to compose even more melodies.
Nikolai Leontovich: life in Kyiv
When the power of the Ukrainian People's Republic was established, Leontovich managed to get to the capital of Ukraine. In Kyiv, he was invited to work as a conductor, and also to teach at the Nikolai Lysenko Music and Drama Institute. At the same time, the musician works at the conservatory, where he organizes circles where everyone could study. At this time, he actively composes musical works. Some of them were included in the repertoire of folk and amateur groups.
In 1919 Kyiv was captured by Denikin's troops. Since Leontovich considered himself a Ukrainian intellectual, he had to flee the capital in order to avoid repression. He returns to the Vinnitsa region. There you found the first music school in the city. In parallel with teaching, he writes music. From under his pen in 1920 comes the folk-fiction opera "On the Mermaid Easter".
The mystery of the murder of Nikolai Leontovich
Thousands of publications were devoted to the death of a talented composer. On January 23, 1921, Nikolai Leontovich was shot dead in his parents' house in the village of Markovka, Vinnitsa region. He was killed by an agent of the Cheka on the instructions of the authorities. The well-known musician and active public figure, who promoted Ukrainian culture and gathered intelligentsia around his work, was objectionable to the Bolsheviks. Only after the declaration of independence of Ukraine in the 90s of the last century, the investigation into the murder was resumed. A lot of new facts and information classified during the communist regime about the fact of the murder surfaced.
Composer's legacy
Nikolai Leontovich was a master of choral miniatures. Songs in his arrangement are performed not only in Ukraine. They are sung by the Ukrainian diaspora around the world. The composer literally changed the soul of each song, gave it a new sound - it came to life, breathed, radiated a sea of energy. The use of timbre variation in his arrangements is another feature of the composer. It allowed the choir to reveal all the harmony and polyphony of the melody during the performance of the song.
As for the subject, it is more than diverse - ritual, church, historical, everyday, humorous, dance, play, etc. The composer also touched on such a topic as the melody of folk lamentation. It can be traced in the works “They carry the Cossack”, “Snow is flying from behind the mountain” and many others.
