Mikola Ravienski (; 5 December 1886 - 9 March 1953) was a Belarusian composer, conductor and music critic who authored music for the famous hymn
Mahutny Boža (Almighty God).
Early life
Ravienski was born on 5 December 1886 into the family of a gardener working at the Kaplancy estate in Ihumien district, Minsk Province of the Russian Empire (nowadays the village of Kaplancy in
Bierazino District,
Minsk Region
Minsk Region or Minsk Oblast or Minsk Voblasts ( be, Мі́нская во́бласць, ''Minskaja voblasć'' ; russian: Минская о́бласть, ''Minskaya oblast'') is one of the regions of Belarus. Its administrative center is Minsk ...
,
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
).
From the age of five he sang in a local church choir and was later invited to a church choir in
Minsk
Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
where he received his primary musical education. In 1903 he was posted as a choir conductor to a Minsk monastery and then to
Navahrudak
Novogrudok ( be, Навагрудак, Navahrudak; lt, Naugardukas; pl, Nowogródek; russian: Новогрудок, Novogrudok; yi, נאַוואַראַדאָק, Novhardok, Navaradok) is a town in the Grodno Region, Belarus.
In the Middle ...
where he collected over 500 folk songs.
Later life
From 1919 Ravienski worked in Minsk as a choir conductor and a school teacher. At this time his first compositions appeared - songs based on poems by
Maksim Bahdanovič
Maksim Adamavich Bahdanovich ( be, Максім Адамавіч Багдановіч, ; russian: Максим Адамович Богданович, translit=Maksim Adamovich Bogdanovich; 9 December 1891 – 25 May 1917) was a Belarusian poet, ...
,
Kanstancyja Bujło, an introduction to the poem "Hapon" by
Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievič, the song "Oh you,
Neman River" based on poetry of
Źmicier Žyłunovič. In 1922 a compilation of his music was published.
In 1923 he went to Moscow to continue his musical education, where he lived for seven years, graduating from the Moscow conservatory. At the same time he was a corresponding member of the
Belarusian Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) ( be, Нацыянальная акадэмія навук Беларусі, russian: Национальная академия наук Беларуси, НАН Беларуси, НАНБ) is ...
. He wrote songs based on the poetry of
Uladzimir Dubouka and
Yanka Kupala
Yanka Kupala, also spelled Janka Kupała ( be, Янка Купала; – 28 June 1942), was the pen name of Ivan Daminikavič Lutsevič (), a Belarusian poet and writer.
Biography Early life
Kupala was born on July 7, 1882, in Viazynka, ...
and also turned to music criticism writing for (), a literary journal which was published between 1927 and 1931 in
Soviet Belarus
The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор ...
.
In the 1930s Ravienski taught at the
Belarusian Conservatory but in 1938 was expelled from the
Union of Composers
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
because his brother Anton was executed during
Stalin's Purges of 1937–38.
All of Ravienski's manuscripts and print-outs were destroyed in a fire caused by German bombing of Minsk in 1941.
From 1943 he worked in a church choir and after World War 2 emigrated to Western Europe. He ultimately settled in
Leuven in Belgium where he created an ensemble of Belarusian music at the local university.
![Mikola_Ravienski_Grave](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Mikola_Ravienski_Grave.jpg)
He was a member of the
Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic
The Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic ( be, Рада Беларускай Народнай Рэспублікі, Рада БНР, Rada BNR) was the governing body of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. Since 1919, the Rada BNR has bee ...
in exile.
Death and memory
Ravienski died on 9 March 1953 in
Leuven and is buried in a local cemetery.
In November 2017, on
Dziady
Dziady ( Belarusian: , Russian: , Ukrainian: , pl, Dziady; lit. "grandfathers, eldfathers", sometimes translated as Forefathers' Eve) is a term in Slavic folklore for the spirits of the ancestors and a collection of pre-Christian rites, ritual ...
(Grandfathers' Eve), the Belarusian community in Belgium and France installed a new tombstone on his grave. His resting place is used by the Belarusian community as a meeting place for commemorative events.
However, there is no place of his commemoration in present-day
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
.
Works
Ravienski's works include:
* adaptations of Belarusian folk songs;
* songs based on poems by
Maksim Bahdanovič
Maksim Adamavich Bahdanovich ( be, Максім Адамавіч Багдановіч, ; russian: Максим Адамович Богданович, translit=Maksim Adamovich Bogdanovich; 9 December 1891 – 25 May 1917) was a Belarusian poet, ...
("
Pahonia
The coat of arms of Lithuania consists of a mounted armoured knight holding a sword and shield, known as (). Since the early 15th century, it has been Lithuania's official coat of arms and is one of the oldest European coats of arms. It is als ...
" and “Slutsk weavers", etc.),
Yanka Kupala
Yanka Kupala, also spelled Janka Kupała ( be, Янка Купала; – 28 June 1942), was the pen name of Ivan Daminikavič Lutsevič (), a Belarusian poet and writer.
Biography Early life
Kupala was born on July 7, 1882, in Viazynka, ...
,
Yakub Kolas
Yakub Kolas (also Jakub Kołas, be, Яку́б Ко́лас, – August 13, 1956), real name Kanstantsin Mikhailovich Mitskievich (Канстанці́н Міха́йлавіч Міцке́віч, ) was a Belarusian writer, dramatist, poet a ...
("My native corner", "Our poor land", etc.),
Kanstancyja Bujło ("I love our land", "Mound"),
Źmicier Žyłunovič,
Źmitrok Biadulia,
Uladzimir Dubouka (“Oh Belarus, my Wild Rose ”);
* opera "Branislava”;
* operetta "Zalioty"(Сourtship) (based on the vaudeville with the same by
Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievič);
* music on the texts of church prayers.
In 1947 he wrote music for the poem “Prayer” by
Natallia Arsiennieva which became the famous hymn
Mahutny Boža (Almighty God).
He was also engaged in music research producing "Characteristic features of the Belarusian folk song".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ravienski, Mikola
1886 births
1953 deaths
Belarusian composers
Belarusian diaspora
Members of the Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic