Vasily Barvinsky is a Ukrainian composer, musician, teacher, public figure. This is one of the brightest representatives of Ukrainian culture of the 20th century.
He was a pioneer in many areas: he was the first in Ukrainian music to create a cycle of piano preludes, wrote the first Ukrainian sextet, started working on a piano concerto and wrote a Ukrainian rhapsody.
Vasily Barvinsky: Childhood and youth
Vasily Barvinsky's date of birth is February 20, 1888. He was born in Ternopil (then Austria-Hungary). Very little is known about Vasily's childhood years.
Barvinsky's parents were directly related to creativity. The head of the family worked as a gymnasium and seminary teacher, my mother was a music teacher, head of the choir of the Ternopil community "Boyan".
Since childhood, he was surrounded by music and proper education. Intelligent parents did everything to ensure that their son grew up as an educated child. For musical education, Vasily went to the Lviv Conservatory. He came under the guidance of talented teachers - Karol Mikuli and Wilem Kurz.
In 1906, he applied to Lviv University, choosing the Faculty of Law for himself, but a year later, Vasily moved to Prague, where he continued to receive a musical education. Vasily studied at the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University. He was lucky to listen to lectures by talented musicians and composers under the guidance of Vitezslav Nowak.
In the same period of time, his composing abilities were discovered. A year later, the repertoire was replenished with the debut musical composition "Ukrainian Rhapsody". Around the same period of time, he was working on a piano sextet. The maestro dedicated the work to the talented Ukrainian musician and composer N. Lysenko. At the same time, he also presented a number of piano pieces.
In 1915 he decided to return to the territory of Lvov. Vasily took the position of the head of the "Boyan" community. He continued to write compositions and tour the country.
More than 14 years he devoted to the development of the Higher Musical Institute. Lysenko in Lvov. In an educational institution, Vasily took the position of director and professor. Later he worked in the same positions, but already at the Lviv Conservatory.
Vasily throughout his life was an active public figure. At the end of the 30s of the last century, he took the post of the People's Assembly of Western Ukraine.
During the same period of time, he compiled a collection of works for piano performance. At the same time, another collection appeared - carols and generous songs. In the mid-30s, he published the cantata Our Song, Our Longing.
Arrest of Vasily Barvinsky
From 1941 to 1944 he was in evacuation. It was not the easiest time for Barvinsky. He practically did not compose new musical works.
After the war and until the sunset of the 40s, he produced a number of compositions, predominantly in the vocal genre. For Vasily, as a creative person, it was important to convey the truth to people. Some understood his works ambiguously.
In the 48th year of the last century, Vasily Barvinsky and his wife were arrested. While in prison, he is under psychological pressure. The special cynicism of mockery of the maestro lies also in the fact that in the Gulag he “voluntarily” signs an agreement for his musical works to be destroyed.
He was taken into custody "for high treason" as "German agents". He spent 10 years in the Mordovian camps. Musical works by the maestro were burned by the Enkavedists in the courtyard of the Lviv Conservatory. When, after his release, Vasily found out what exactly happened to his work, he said that now he is a composer without notes.
Vasily tried to restore at least some of the compositions in his memory. Fortunately, a copy of his works was kept by students who managed to escape abroad.
In the mid-60s, the Supreme Court overturned Barvinsky's sentence. However, it was too late, as the composer died before he knew that he had been acquitted.
Details of the composer's personal life
Vasily has always been attracted to creative girls. He gave the choice to the modest pianist Natalya Pulyuy (Barvinskaya). She supported her husband in everything. Natalia, with an even posture, accepted the verdict on the conclusion of their family in custody. She remained faithful to her husband to the end.
Vasily Barvinsky: The last years of his life
After Vasily and Natalia Barvinsky have served time, they return home. The Barvinsky family gladly welcomes old friends and musicians. Vasily continues to give music lessons. Although officially he cannot teach and compose musical works.
The composer's wife Natalia Ivanovna receives numerous guests. One day she had a stroke. The woman is paralyzed. After some time, Vasily himself has a microstroke. He stopped hearing in his left ear. Despite this, Barvinsky continues to reproduce the destroyed composers from memory.
Doctors are watching him. Doctors say that he started having problems with the liver. At the beginning of June 1963, the disintegration of the organ begins. Vasily practically did not feel pain, but every day his strength became less and less. He did not know that he had a fatal diagnosis, so he sincerely wondered why so many people visit his modest home.
On June 9, 1963, he died. Against the backdrop of stress and worries, the wife had a second stroke. Soon she was gone. His body is buried at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lvov.
Until now, the composer's musical heritage continues to be restored, while at the same time re-acquainting admirers of classical music with the great composer, whose name in Soviet times they tried to erase from history.
