Alexander Koshetz
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Alexander Koshetz (12 September 1875 – 21 September 1944) was a Ukrainian choral conductor, arranger, composer,
ethnographer Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...
, writer,
musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...
, and lecturer. He helped popularize Ukrainian music around the world. His name is sometimes transliterated as Oleksandr Koshyts (). At one time, a performance of Koshetz's Ukrainian National Chorus held the world record for audience attendance, excluding sporting events. His performance also popularized
Mykola Leontovych Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych (, ; 23 January 1921) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor, ethnomusicologist, and teacher. His music was inspired by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko and the Ukrainian National Music School. Leontovych spec ...
's " Shchedryk" in his concert, which Peter Wilhousky later translated into the popular "
Carol of the Bells "Carol of the Bells" is a popular Christmas carol, which is based on the Ukrainian New Year's song " Shchedryk". The music for the carol comes from the song written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in or before 1916; the English-la ...
".


Biography


Early life and career

Koshetz was born in the village of Romashky in
Kiev Governorate Kiev Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire (1796–1917), Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–18; 1918–1921), Ukrainian State (1918), and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1919–19 ...
,
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
(now
Obukhiv Raion Obukhiv Raion () is a raion (district) in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Obukhiv. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Kyiv Oblast was reduced to seven, and ...
,
Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast (, ), also called Kyivshchyna (, ), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, which is administered as a city with special sta ...
,
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
). He graduated from the
Kiev Theological Academy The Kiev Theological Academy (1819—1919) was one of the oldest higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, situated in Kiev, then in the Russian Empire (now Kyiv, Ukraine). It was considered as the most senior one among simila ...
in 1901, then studied in the Lysenko School of Music and Drama, 1908–1910. He taught choral music at Kiev's Imperial Conservatory of Music, conducted the Sadovsky Theatre Orchestra, served as conductor and choirmaster of the Kiev Opera.Koshyts, Oleksandr
article in the ''
Encyclopedia of Ukraine The ''Encyclopedia of Ukraine'' (), published from 1984 to 2001, is a fundamental work of Ukrainian Studies. Development The work was created under the auspices of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Europe (Sarcelles, near Paris). As the ...
''. Last updated 2009.
He also collected Ukrainian folk songs from central Ukrainian areas (notably around Kiev itself) as well as from the modern Russian area of
Kuban Kuban ( Russian and Ukrainian: Кубань; ) is a historical and geographical region in the North Caucasus region of southern Russia surrounding the Kuban River, on the Black Sea between the Don Steppe, the Volga Delta and separated fr ...
, where he specially set out to see whether musical traditions of the
Dnieper Cossacks The Zaporozhian Cossacks (in Latin ''Cossacorum Zaporoviensis''), also known as the Zaporozhian Cossack Army or the Zaporozhian Host (), were Cossacks who lived beyond (that is, downstream from) the Dnieper Rapids. Along with Registered Cossack ...
are still present in their descendants, the
Kuban Cossacks Kuban Cossacks (; ), or Kubanians (, ''kubantsy''; , ''kubantsi''), are Cossacks who live in the Kuban region of Russia. Most of the Kuban Cossacks are descendants of different major groups of Cossacks who were re-settled to the western Norther ...
, who resettled there following the dissolution of the
Zaporozhian Sich The Zaporozhian Sich (, , ; also ) was a semi-autonomous polity and proto-state of Zaporozhian Cossacks that existed between the 16th to 18th centuries, for the latter part of that period as an autonomous stratocratic state within the Cossa ...
. In the latter case, he too managed to collect a number of songs.Олександр Антонович Кошиць
Article about Oleksandr Koshyts by Roman Koval
From 1911 the directorate of the Imperial Music School invited him to lead a choral singing class at the school and later at the conservatory. In 1912, Mykola Sadovsky invited Oleksandr Koshyts to be the conductor of his theater, where he staged operas by Mykola Lysenko, Denis Sichynsky, Pietro Mascagni, and others. The Tale of the Old Mill” by Spiridon Cherkasenko and others. From 1916 to 1917 he was choirmaster and conductor of the Kyiv Opera.


Ukrainian Republic Capella and emigration

After
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Koshetz was the co-founder and conductor of the Ukrainian Republic Capella (later renamed Ukrainian National Chorus). The choir toured Europe and the Americas in 1919–1924 and 1926–27, in support of the international Ukrainian community. In 1917 Koshetz married a former student and singer in his choirs Tetyana Koshetz (1892–1966) who was later to become a vocalist in the
Ukrainian National Chorus The Ukrainian Republic Capella (; later known as the Ukrainian National Chorus) was a musical company during and after World War I which toured Europe and North America with the intent to promote Ukrainian culture abroad. The main sponsor of the ...
, voice teacher, and after 1944 curator of the
Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre The Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre (, )—also known as Oseredok (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian for 'centre')—is a museum, Art gallery, gallery, and library in Winnipeg, Manitoba, celebrating the Ukrainian Canadians, Ukrainian Canad ...
in Winnipeg. It was Koshetz who introduced the song " Shchedryk" by
Mykola Leontovych Mykola Dmytrovych Leontovych (, ; 23 January 1921) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor, ethnomusicologist, and teacher. His music was inspired by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko and the Ukrainian National Music School. Leontovych spec ...
, at a concert in Kyiv in 1919. Eventually the song became a Christmas classic under the name "
Carol of the Bells "Carol of the Bells" is a popular Christmas carol, which is based on the Ukrainian New Year's song " Shchedryk". The music for the carol comes from the song written by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych in or before 1916; the English-la ...
". He moved to New York City in 1922 where he collected liturgical music, arranged and popularized Ukrainian
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
. Koshetz also documented the choir's travels in the memoir ''With Song, Around the World'' (''З піснею через світ''). In 1926, he settled in New York and worked in the United States and Canada to educate new conductors: he conducted music courses for conductors, etc. He composed church music (5 liturgies, some chants), and arranged folk songs. In New York, he continued to popularize Ukrainian music with his compositions, arrangements, and gramophone recordings, and the music publishing house Witmark & Son published massive editions of forty-two Ukrainian folk songs arranged by Oleksandr Koshyts in English. From 1941 Koshetz spent the summer months teaching in
Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
, Canada, where he died in 1944 at age 69. His body is buried at Glen Eden Cemetery, West St. Paul, Manitoba.


Commemoration

The O. Koshetz Choir in Winnipeg is named in his memory. A unique concert titled the ''Unknown Koshetz'' was produced at the
University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...
on 26 March 2006. The concert featured the Olexander Koshetz Choir of Winnipeg performing Koshetz "choral orchestrations" of music of Hawaii, Scotland, Afro-Americana, and First Nations, sung in both English and Ukrainian translations. On his 130th birthday, a commemorative concert was held in Uspenskyi Cathedral of
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra or Kyievo-Pecherska Lavra (), also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, is a historic lavra or large monastery of Eastern Christianity that gave its name to the Pecherskyi District where it is located in Kyiv. Sin ...
by the best graduates of the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy under patronage of
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Yuschenko and under blessing of Ukrainian Orthodox Church.КИЕВ. Украинская Православная Церковь почтила память выдающегося духовного композитора с мировым именем Александра Кошица
at arhiv.orthodoxy.org.ua The personal archives of Alexander and Tetyana Koshetz remain at the
Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre The Ukrainian Cultural and Educational Centre (, )—also known as Oseredok (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian for 'centre')—is a museum, Art gallery, gallery, and library in Winnipeg, Manitoba, celebrating the Ukrainian Canadians, Ukrainian Canad ...
in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.


Music

Although Koshetz was mostly known as a conductor, he also did his share of composing and arranging music. In the 1920s, after the creation of the
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC; (UAPTs)) was one of the three major Eastern Orthodox churches in Ukraine in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, together with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) ...
, Koshetz composed his
liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...
, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, as well as ten Ukrainian religious chants. Later in emigration, he composed much more religious music.Олександр Кошиць
Article on Koshyts by Mstyslav Yurchenko


Notes


References

*Koshetz, Oleksander (1952–1974) ''З піснею через світ: подорож української республиканської капелі'' (''Z pisneiu cherez svit: podorozh ukrains’koi respublikans’koi kapeli''), 3 volumes. Winnipeg, Культура і освіта (Kul’tura i osvita). *Кошиць О. Спогади. — Част. 1. — Вінніпег, 1947. *Кошиць О. Спогади. — Част. 2. — Вінніпег, 1948.


External links


O. Koshetz Choir
*
O. Koshetz – information and his works performed by the best Ukrainian choirs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koshetz, Alexander 1875 births 1944 deaths 19th-century classical composers 19th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Ukrainian classical composers 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century male musicians Kiev Theological Academy alumni Ukrainian male classical composers Ukrainian conductors (music) Ukrainian male conductors (music) Ukrainian ethnographers Ukrainian music educators Ukrainian musicologists