Hryhory Alchevsky
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Gregory Alchevsky ( Ukrainian: Алчевський Григорій Олексійович; 1866–1920) was a Ukrainian composer. Alchevsky was born in
Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.
, Ukraine, then in the
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 ...
, the son of the wealthy industrialist and banker
Aleksey Alchevsky Oleksiy Kyrylovych Alchevskyiy Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Олексій Кирилович Алчевський, Romanization of Ukrainian, romanized: ''Oleksii Kyrylovych Alchevskyi''; 1835, Sumy, Russian Empire – 1901, St. Petersburg, Ru ...
, and his wife
Khrystyna Alchevska Khrystyna Danylivna Alchevska (née , Zhuravlyova; ) (1841–1920) was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian teacher and a prominent activist for national education in Russian Empire, Imperial Russia. She created a methodical training system which was implement ...
, a teacher who was a prominent activist for national education in
Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...
. Their six children were all musically gifted. Alchevsky graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of
Kharkiv University The V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (), also known as Kharkiv National University or Karazin University, is a public university in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It was founded in 1804 through the efforts of Vasily Karazin, becoming the second old ...
in 1887 and went on to study at the Moscow Imperial Conservatory. He was the friend of several Russian composers, including
Sergei Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...
,
Alexander Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin, scientific transliteration: ''Aleksandr Nikolaevič Skrjabin''; also transliterated variously as Skriabin, Skryabin, and (in French) Scriabine. The composer himselused the French spelling "Scriabine" which was a ...
and Alexander Goldenweiser. Alchevsky was a late
Romantic movement Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
composer. His most popular works were romances and settings of folk songs, which perpetuated the use of
Ukrainian folk music Ukrainian may refer or relate to: * Ukraine, a country in Eastern Europe * Ukrainians, an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine * Demographics of Ukraine * Ukrainian culture, composed of the material and spiritual values of the Ukrainian peopl ...
into the 20th century. He worked as a music teacher and a singer, activities which acted to limit his output as a composer. He wrote a
symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...
, , while his work ''Breathing Tables for Singers and their Application to the Development of the Basic Qualities of the Voice'', first published in 1908, remains in print.


Biography


Family

Gregory Oleksiiovych Alchevsky was born in 1866 in
Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.
(then in
Sloboda Ukraine Sloboda Ukraine, also known locally as ''Slobozhanshchyna'' or ''Slobozhanshchina'', is a historical region in northeastern Ukraine and southwestern Russia. It developed from Belgorod Razriad and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries on the ...
in the
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 in modern Ukraine). He was the son of a mining engineer, industrialist and banker
Aleksey Alchevsky Oleksiy Kyrylovych Alchevskyiy Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Олексій Кирилович Алчевський, Romanization of Ukrainian, romanized: ''Oleksii Kyrylovych Alchevskyi''; 1835, Sumy, Russian Empire – 1901, St. Petersburg, Ru ...
. Gregory's mother
Khrystyna Alchevska Khrystyna Danylivna Alchevska (née , Zhuravlyova; ) (1841–1920) was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian teacher and a prominent activist for national education in Russian Empire, Imperial Russia. She created a methodical training system which was implement ...
(née Zhuravleva), was the daughter of a teacher, and was herself a teacher. There was an artistic atmosphere within the Alchevsky house. , son of the Ukrainian composer
Mykola Lysenko Mykola Vitaliiovych Lysenko (; 22 March 1842 – 6 November 1912) was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist of the late Romantic period. In his time he was the central figure of Ukrainian music, with an ''oeuvre'' tha ...
, once said: "to visit the salon of the Alchevskys is the same as a visit to the theatre" and observed that "the cream of the Russian Empire's
intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...
gathered there", including pianist and composer
Sergei Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...
during his visits to Kharkiv. Gregory Alchevsky had five siblings—all six children were musically gifted. Their first music teacher was Lyubov Karpova, whom the family respected highly. Gregory's younger brother became an
opera singer Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...
, an
orchestral conductor Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duties o ...
, and a pianist. In later life, the two brothers remained strong friends, and Ivan sang a
tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...
solo at his brother's wedding. Alchevsky spent summers with his family at their
dacha A dacha (Belarusian, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and rus, дача, p=ˈdatɕə, a=ru-dacha.ogg) is a seasonal or year-round second home, often located in the exurbs of former Soviet Union, post-Soviet countries, including Russia. A cottage (, ...
at Kekeneiz on the southern coast of the
Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
.


Education

Gregory had outstanding musical abilities from a young age. In 1887, he completed his studies at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of
Kharkiv University The V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (), also known as Kharkiv National University or Karazin University, is a public university in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It was founded in 1804 through the efforts of Vasily Karazin, becoming the second old ...
but went on to study at the Moscow Imperial Conservatory, where he studied
counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...
and composition with
Sergei Taneyev Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev (, ; – ) was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of musical composition, composition, music theorist and author. Life Taneyev was born in Vladimir, Russia, Vladimir, Vladimir Governorate, Russian Empire, to a cultur ...
. He was taught
instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...
by the composer
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (; born Mikhail Mikhailovich Ivanov; 28 January 1935) was a Russia, Russian and Soviet Union, Soviet composer, conductor and teacher. His music ranged from the late-Romantic era into the 20th century era. ...
. He studied in Rachmaninov's composition and singing classes at the Conservatory; they became good friends. He studied harmony under
Anton Arensky Anton Stepanovich Arensky (; – ) was a Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music. Biography Arensky was born into an affluent, music-loving family in Novgorod, Russia. He was musically precocious and ha ...
. Even when at the Conservatory, Alchevsky's compositions were noticed by the musical community. His friend Goldenweiser wrote of his fellow student as being "three heads above everyone else in terms of talent and instinct". According to Goldenweiser, his friend left the conservatory a month before graduating.


Career

Alchevsky became increasingly well known in Russian musical circles. He was on friendly terms with Russian cultural figures such as the composer pianists
Alexander Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin, scientific transliteration: ''Aleksandr Nikolaevič Skrjabin''; also transliterated variously as Skriabin, Skryabin, and (in French) Scriabine. The composer himselused the French spelling "Scriabine" which was a ...
and Alexander Goldenweiser. His connections helped to popularise Ukrainian music. In Kharkiv, Alchevsky organized a
balalaika The balalaika (, ) is a Russian string instrument, stringed musical instrument with a characteristic triangular wooden, hollow body, fretted neck, and three strings. Two strings are usually tuned to the same note and the third string is a perf ...
orchestra and several amateur
string orchestra A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first a ...
s. Alchevsky's students included the singers Dmitry Aspelund, , and Sergei Yudin. He was also his younger brother Ivan's first vocal teacher. Alchevsky's late
Romantic movement Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...
compositions have a tendency towards Slavic-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 ...
. His most popular works were his settings of folk songs and his two cycles of romances, which were published privately in Moscow by the Kharkiv-born singer . In 1910, Grigory and Ivan Alchevsky created the Ukrainian musical and dramatic society "Kobzar" in Moscow. They and other artists wrote about and performed Russian and Ukrainian works. That year, Alchevsky was living in Moscow with his wife Maria Mykolaivna. They occupied a first-floor apartment in (between
Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street is a street located in Tverskoy District of Moscow. It runs from Okhotny Ryad (street), Okhotny Ryad to Strastnoy Boulevard. The numbering of houses is carried out from Okhotny Ryad. Etymology The name has been known si ...
and
Petrovka Street Petrovka Street () is a street in Moscow, Russia, that runs north from Kuznetsky Most and Theatre Square (Moscow), Theatral Square up past Strastnoy Boulevard and Petrovsky Boulevard. The street takes its name from the Vysokopetrovsky Monast ...
), and his brother Ivan at one time lived on the third floor of the same building. Alchevsky died in Moscow in 1920.


Compositions

Alchevsky's
musical composition Musical composition can refer to an Originality, original piece or work of music, either Human voice, vocal or Musical instrument, instrumental, the musical form, structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new pie ...
s include a
symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...
, his
folk song 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 ...
arrangements, and his music set to the words of
Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...
,
Ivan Franko Ivan Yakovych Franko (, ; 27 August 1856 – 28 May 1916) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, translator, economist, political activist, doctor of philosophy, ethnographer, and the author of the first d ...
,
Lesya Ukrainka Lesya Ukrainka (, ; born Larysa Petrivna Kosach, ; – ) was one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, best known for her poems and plays. She was also an active political, civil, and feminist activist. Among her best-known works are ...
,
Apollon Maykov Apollon Nikolayevich Maykov (, , Moscow – , Saint Petersburg) was a Russian poet, best known for his lyric verse showcasing images of Russian villages, nature, and history. His love for ancient Greece and Rome, which he studied for much of his ...
and
Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov ( , ; rus, Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, , mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲerməntəf, links=yes; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called ...
. His work as a teacher reduced his output as a composer. Alchevsky made a notable contribution to Ukrainian music. His romances perpetuated the use of traditional Ukrainian folk songs in classical music, although his settings of Russian texts, such as "Sosna" by Lermontov, "I long stood motionless" by
Afanasy Fet Afanasy Afanasyevich Fet ( rus, Афана́сий Афана́сьевич Фет, p=ɐfɐˈnasʲɪj ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈfʲɛt, a=Ru-Afanasiy Afanas'yevich Fyet.oga), later known as Shenshin ( rus, Шенши́н, p=ʂɨnˈʂɨn, a=Ru-Afa ...
, and "I know what father has on these shores" by Maykov, more noticeably show the influence of Russian composers, in particular
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...
and Taneyev.


In 1904, conducted the premiere of Alchevsky's symphonic poem in Kharkiv. The composition shows the influence of Rachmaninoff. Western European romanticism influenced the classical music produced by Ukrainian composers, who similarly adopted historical, oriental, and fairy-tale themes. Ukrainians were attracted to the heroic tales of
Kyivan Rus Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of Russ ...
, as with the Ukrainian composer Vladimir Sokalsky's overture ''Red Sun'', the ''Russian-Varangian Overture'' by the Ukrainian composer , as well Alchevsky's . According to one review written not long after the piece was performed, it displayed "bold, original talent, melodic gift, a lot of imagination, clarity of musical speech and brilliant instrumentation technique".


Symphony (first movement)

Alchevsky began to write a symphony, but it was never completed. He and Goldenweiser visited Rachmaninoff, who had a professional interest in the young composers. When Alchevsky showed Rachmaninoff the sketches of the first
movement Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger co ...
of his symphony, Rachmaninoff played it through and praised it. Over a year later, Rachmaninoff remembered the music and asked about it. When Alchevsky told him that only the first part was done, Rachmaninoff played an
exposition Exposition (also the French for exhibition) may refer to: *Universal exposition or World's Fair *Expository writing *Exposition (narrative), background information in a story * Exposition (music) *Trade fair * ''Exposition'' (album), the debut alb ...
of the piece without the use of a score.


Romances

Alchevsky's romances were written for solo voice with piano: :* Opus 3. Romances for voice with piano with words by Maria Alchevska and others: ::* No. 1. "Любовь – это сон упоительный", Романс Рюделя из "Принцессы Грёзы" Ростана ("Love is an intoxicating dream", Rudel's romance from «La Princesse Lointaine» by Rostand), words by Tatyana Shchepkina-Kupernik; ::* No. 2."" ("Slave"), words by Olga Chyumina; ::* No. 3. "" ("Song of the Moonbeam"), words by Konstantin Sluchevsky; ::* No. 4. "" ("I know why"), words by
Apollon Maykov Apollon Nikolayevich Maykov (, , Moscow – , Saint Petersburg) was a Russian poet, best known for his lyric verse showcasing images of Russian villages, nature, and history. His love for ancient Greece and Rome, which he studied for much of his ...
; ::* No. 5: "" ("Pine"), words by
Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov ( , ; rus, Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, , mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲerməntəf, links=yes; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called ...
; ::* No. 6. "" ("Oh, how nice it is on our balcony"), words by
Yakov Polonsky Yakov Petrovich Polonsky (; ) was a leading Pushkinist poet who wrote poems faithful to the traditions of Russian Romantic poetry during the heyday of realistic prose. Of noble birth, Polonsky attended the Moscow University, where he befriended ...
. :* Opus 4. Romances for voice with piano with words by Khrystyna Alchevska and others: ::* No. 1. "" ("Why is it hard for me"), words by
Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...
::* No. 2. "" ("Summer night"), words by T. Shevchenko; ::* No. 3. "" ("Don't look at the moon in spring"), words by Khrystia Alchevska; ::* No. 4. "" ("The soul is a gentle lily of the valley"), words by K. Alchevska; ::* No. 5. "" ("I stood and listened to the spring"), words by
Lesya Ukrainka Lesya Ukrainka (, ; born Larysa Petrivna Kosach, ; – ) was one of Ukrainian literature's foremost writers, best known for her poems and plays. She was also an active political, civil, and feminist activist. Among her best-known works are ...
; ::* No. 6. "" ("Boundless Field"), words by
Ivan Franko Ivan Yakovych Franko (, ; 27 August 1856 – 28 May 1916) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, translator, economist, political activist, doctor of philosophy, ethnographer, and the author of the first d ...
.


Other works

* "Sanctus Dominus" for 5-voice choir and organ; * Two fugues for strings.


Publications

Alchevsky's
methodological In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for bri ...
teaching aids ''Vocal Technique in Daily Exercises'' (1907, Moscow) and ''Breathing Tables for Singers and their Application to the Development of the Basic Qualities of the Voice'' (1908, 1928, 1930, Moscow) have been used by musicians for over a hundred years. Another work by Alchevsky, ''The most important wishes regarding voice education and conclusions from them'', has not been studied. * ' (''Vocal Technique in Daily Exercises'') (1907); * ' (''Breathing Tables for Singers and their Application to the Development of the Basic Qualities of the Voice'') (1908, republished in 1928 and 1930).


Commemoration

The 2015 HUP International Festival ("S. Rachmaninov and Ukrainian Culture") in
Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.
commemorated Alchevsky's 150th anniversary as part of its celebrations.


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * *


Published works

*


External links


Alphabetical catalog of music publications (1518- )
held in the
Russian National Library The National Library of Russia (NLR, , ''РНБ''), located in Saint Petersburg, is the first, and one of three national public libraries in Russia. The NLR is currently ranked among the world's major libraries. It has the second biggest libr ...
. The index cards 1 to 8 relate to works by Alchevsky.
Scores of Alchevsky's Romances: Op. 3. Nos. 1–6
kept at the
Russian State Library The Russian State Library () is one of the three national libraries of Russia, located in Moscow. It is the largest library in the country, second largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Its holdings crossed over 47 million ...
(from the National Electronic Library project) {{DEFAULTSORT:Alchevsky 1866 births 1920 deaths Musicians from Kharkiv People from Kharkovsky Uyezd Composers from the Russian Empire Ukrainian classical composers National University of Kharkiv alumni Moscow Conservatory alumni