Levko "Lev" Mykolajovych Revutskyi (, russian: Лев Николаевич Ревуцкий; – 30 March 1977) was a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, teacher, and activist. Amongst his students at the Lysenko Music Institute were the composers

Arkady Filippenko Arkady Dmitriyevich Filippenko ( uk, Аркадій Дми́трович Филипенко, Arkadii Dmytrovych Fylypenko) (8 January 1912 – 24 August 1983) was a Soviet Ukrainian composer. Biography He was born in the small village of Pushc ...

and

Valentin Silvestrov Valentyn Vasylyovych Sylvestrov ( uk, Валенти́н Васи́льович Сильве́стров; born 30 September 1937) is a Ukrainian composer and pianist, who plays and writes contemporary classical music. Biography Valentyn Vasylyo ...

Biography

Early life and education

Levko Mykolayevych Revutsky was born on in Irzhavets, Priluksky Uyezd of the

Poltava Governorate The Poltava Governorate (russian: Полтавская губерния, Poltavskaya guberniya; ua, Полтавська Губернія, translit=Poltavska huberniia) or Poltavshchyna was a Governorate (Russia), gubernia (also called a provin ...

(presently in the

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast ( uk, Черні́гівська о́бласть, translit=Chernihivska oblast; also referred to as Chernihivshchyna, uk, Черні́гівщина, translit=Chernihivshchyna) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. T ...

) in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

) to a family of a trustee of a rural school. The parents of the future composer were well-educated. His music talent showed up very early and his mother began to teach young Revutsky to play the piano when he hardly was five years old. By age ten, he showed skill at improvisation and had

perfect pitch Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection, completeness, excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film * ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * ''Perfect'' (2018 film), a science ...

, earning him the nickname "

Tuning fork A tuning fork is an acoustic resonator in the form of a two-pronged fork with the prongs (tines) formed from a U-shaped bar of elastic metal (usually steel). It resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it against ...

". In 1903 his parents transferred Revutsky to

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

's Val'ker gymnasium and simultaneously the music school of Mykola Tumanovsky where he studied

fortepiano A fortepiano , sometimes referred to as a pianoforte, is an early piano. In principle, the word "fortepiano" can designate any piano dating from the invention of the instrument by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1698 up to the early 19th century. Mo ...

with

Mykola Lysenko Mykola Vitaliyovych Lysenko ( uk, Мико́ла Віта́лійович Ли́сенко; 22 March 1842 – 6 November 1912) was a List of Ukrainian composers, Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist of the late Romantic mus ...

. Revutsky later recalled, "Lysenko became for me the first example of artistic ideals." Graduating from the gymnasium in 1907, he entered the physic-mathematics faculty of

Kiev University Kyiv University or Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv ( uk, Київський національний університет імені Тараса Шевченка), colloquially known as KNU ...

. In 1908, Revutsky also entered law school and at the same time renewed piano classes at the Kiev music college run by the

Russian Music Society The Russian Musical Society (RMS) (russian: Русское музыкальное общество) was the first music school in Russia open to the general public. It was launched in 1859 by the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna and Anton Rubinstei ...

. He was greatly impressed by visits to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

where he attended the theatre and concerts. In three years of studies in the premiere course of the school Revutsky had considerable successes. In 1911 he graduated to the higher level in the class of G. Hodorovsky. Revutsky's studies in the class of this master lasted a few years: from 1911 to 1913 year in musical school, and afterwards in the newly opened Kiev conservatory. In the conservatory, Revutsky simultaneously with his piano studies begins to visit Gliere's composition classes. He continued his university studies. The first part of piano sonata (in C minor), sketches for the first symphony, and the prelude of opus four were created at this time. Revutsky graduated from both the university and conservatory in 1916, and went to fight in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Post graduate work

Demobilized in 1918, Revutsky moved to

Pryluky Pryluky ( uk, Прилу́ки ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality located on the Udai River in Chernihiv Oblast, north-central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Pryluky Raion (Ra ...

. In 1924 Revutsky was invited to Kiev to work as a teacher at the

Lysenko Music-Drama Institute Lysenko ( uk, Лисенко; russian: Лысенко; be, Лысенка Lysienka) or Lisenko is a Ukrainian surname. It most often refers to: * Mykola Lysenko (1842–1912), Ukrainian composer, after whom the Lysenko music school and Lysenko S ...

. From this time he gave himself to pedagogical work, initially as teacher, and then as professor of music-theory and performance and composition . In the 1930s Revutsky had considerable achievements as a composer. In addition, he created his music-pedagogical systems. For hismerits in the field of culture Revutsky received the title of

People's Artist of Ukraine People's Artist of Ukraine is an honorary and the highest title awarding to outstanding performing artists whose merits are exceptional in the sphere of the development of the performing arts (theatre, music, dance, circus, cinema, etc.). Establ ...

in 1942, and in 1944

People's Artist of USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significan ...

. In the post-war period he participated in a renewal of artistic-cultural life of the Republic. From 1944 to 1948 he headed the

Composers Union of Ukraine A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

. Revutsky was also elected by the deputy of

Supreme Soviet of Ukraine The Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR (Ukrainian: Верховна Рада Української РСР, tr. ''Verkhovna Rada Ukrayins'koyi RSR''; Russian: Верховный Совет Украинской ССР, tr. ''Verkhovnyy Sovet Uk ...

to a number of convocations. In 1950 he undertook the enormous task of editing and preparing

's works for publication. In February, 1969 in connection with his 80th birthday and for creative merit Levko Revutsky was awarded the title of

Hero of Socialist Labor The Hero of Socialist Labour (russian: links=no, Герой Социалистического Труда, Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It repre ...

. He died on 30 March 1977 in Kiev, and is buried in

Baikove Cemetery Baikove Cemetery ( uk, Байкове кладовище) is a historic cemetery memorial in Holosiiv Raion of Kyiv, Ukraine. It is a National Historic Landmark of Ukraine and is known as a necropolis of distinguished people. It was established in ...

Legacy

The creative legacy of Levko Revutsky is celebrated in his native Ukraine, where his contributions to vocal and orchestral music are considered a crucial part of its musical heritage. According to Irene Rima Makaryk and Virlana Tkacz, Revutsky continued and developed the aesthetic principles of Lysenko and

Mykola Leontovych Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych (23 January 1921; ua, Микола Дмитрович Леонтович, link=no (); also Leontovich) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor, ethnomusicologist and teacher. His music was inspired by the Ukrainian ...

. Many of his works—including the Symphony No. 2 and Piano Concerto—are considered to be the first mature exemplars of Ukrainian compositions in various genres. Revutsky also made important contribution to the development in Ukraine of folk song arrangements; he composed approximately 120 altogether. Outside of Ukraine, Revutsky's reception has been more muted.

Marina Frolova-Walker Marina Frolova-Walker FBA (russian: link=no, Марина Фролова-Уокер; born 1966) is a Russian-born British musicologist and music historian, who specialises in German Romanticism, Russian and Soviet music, and nationalism in mu ...

described his Symphony No. 2 as being "post- Kuchka" stylistically:

t is T, or t, is the twentieth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''. It is deri ...
quite accomplished and attractive, if lacking in originality. It had largely been composed in the mid-1920s, but it was revised for performance in 1940 (and sounded as if it had been written in the 1890s).

In the deliberations preceding the nominations for the 1941

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

, the original nomination of

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

's ''

Alexander Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (russian: Александр Ярославич Невский; ; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) served as Prince of Novgorod (1236–40, 1241–56 and 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1236–52) and Grand P ...

'' was dropped in favor of Revutsky's Symphony No. 2. According to surviving documentation from , the chairman of the Committee on Arts Affairs, the switch was made in order to make up for a lack of representation from non-Russian

Soviet republics The Republics of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or the Union Republics ( rus, Сою́зные Респу́блики, r=Soyúznye Respúbliki) were national-based administrative units of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( ...

. Sonechko regional child creative activity holiday is sited at Revutsky homestead in Irzhavets of Ichnia district.

Quotes

* "I attach serious significance to the ethics-moral face of an artist… I do not separate aesthetics from ethics." — Revutsky * "Levko Mykolaevich Revutsky is for sure one of the most prominent figures at the musical front of Soviet Ukraine… The creative prosecution of the richest song material of Ukraine exposed Revutsky as a large master, whose taste provided him into treatments of high artistic level and mass fully deserved popularity, which goes out far outside Ukraine…" —

Borys Lyatoshynsky Borys Mykolayovych Lyatoshynsky ( uk, Бори́с Миколáйович Лятоши́нський ()), also known as Boris Nikolayevich Lyatoshinsky (russian: Бори́с Николаевич Лятоши́нский), (3 January 189515 Apr ...

Honours and awards

* Honoured Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1941) *

Hero of Socialist Labour The Hero of Socialist Labour (russian: links=no, Герой Социалистического Труда, Geroy Sotsialisticheskogo Truda) was an honorific title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries from 1938 to 1991. It repre ...

(24 February 1969) * Four

Orders of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

(20 February 1949, 1953, 27 October 1967, 24 February 1969) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

, four times (17 April 1938, 23 January 1948, 30 June 1951, 24 November 1960) *

, second class (1941) - for symphony number 2 *

Shevchenko National Prize Shevchenko National Prize ( uk, Націона́льна пре́мія Украї́ни і́мені Тараса́ Шевче́нка; also ''Shevchenko Award'') is the highest state prize of Ukraine for works of culture and arts awarded since ...

(1966) *

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significan ...

(1944)

Works

Orchestral

*Symphony No. 1 in A major opus 3 (1916–1921, revised 1957) *Symphony No. 2 in E major opus 12 (1926–1927, revised 1940 and 1970) *Kozachok (Ukrainian folk dance) for orchestra (1929) *Piano Concerto in F major (1929) *Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 18 (1934)

Piano

*Piano Sonata Allegro in B minor opus 1 (1912) *Three Preludes for piano opus 4 (1914) *Seven Preludes for piano opus 7 *Seven Preludes for piano opus 11 (1924) *Two Pieces for piano opus 17 (1929)

Vocal works

*"The Whole Year" for soloists, chorus and piano (lyrics by

Oleksandr Oles Oleksandr Oles (real name Oleksandr Ivanovych Kandyba) ( uk, Олександр Іванович Олесь) (1878–1944) was a prominent Ukrainian writer and poet. He is the father of another Ukrainian poet and political activist, Oleh Olzhych, ...

) opus 5 (1923) *Khustyna, cantata (lyrics T. Shevchenko) for soloists, chorus and piano (1923) *Sonechko, folksong-arrangements for voice and piano (1925) *Cossack-Songs, folksong-arrangements for voice and piano (1926) *Galician Songs, folksong-arrangements for voice and piano opus 14 (1926–1927) *Monologue of Taras Bulba for bass and orchestra (lyrics by

Maksym Rylsky Maksym Tadeyovych Rylsky ( uk, Максим Тадейович Рильський; russian: Максим Фадеевич Рыльский; in Kyiv – 24 July 1964 ''id.'') was a Ukrainian poet, translator, academician, Doctor of Philologi ...

) (1936) *Festive Song for chorus and orchestra (Lyrics M. Rylsky) (1949) *Song-Ode, vocal-symphonic poem (1957)

Orchestrations

*Orchestration (re-arrangement and editing of opera and additional composition of overture) of

's opera ''

Taras Bulba ''Taras Bulba'' (russian: «Тарас Бульба»; ) is a romanticized historical novella set in the first half of the 17th century, written by Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852). It features elderly Zaporozhian Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons And ...

'' (with Borys Liatoshynsky) *Piano concerto by

Viktor Kosenko Viktor Stepanovych Kosenko ( uk, Віктор Степанович Косенко; – 3 October 1938) was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, and educator. He was regarded by his contemporaries as a master of lyricism. His first compositions were mar ...

Chamber music

*Intermezzo for violin and piano *Sonata for cello *ballade for cello and piano (1933) *incidental music *film music

Notes

References

*Dytyniak Maria Ukrainian Composers - A Bio-bibliographic Guide - Research report No. 14, 1896, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta, Canada. * Collected works in 11 volumes K. 1981-1988 {{DEFAULTSORT:Revutsky, Levko Revutsky,Levko Revutsky,Levko People from Chernihiv Oblast People from Priluksky Uyezd Russian military personnel of World War I Ukrainian people of World War I Second convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Third convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Fourth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Fifth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic Ukrainian classical composers Ukrainian music educators Academic staff of Kyiv Conservatory Members of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Heroes of Socialist Labour Recipients of the Order of Lenin Stalin Prize winners Recipients of the Shevchenko National Prize People's Artists of the USSR Burials at Baikove Cemetery