Ostap Yosypovych Nyzhankivsky ( and ; 24 January 1863 – 22 May 1919) was a Ukrainian writer and cleric, a priest of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is a Major archiepiscopal church, major archiepiscopal ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic church that is based in Ukraine. As a particular church of the Cathol ...

, composer, conductor, and public figure.

Life

Ostap Nyzhankivsky was born in the village of Mali Didushychi (today Stryi district of

Lviv region Lviv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna (, ), is an oblast in western Ukraine. The capital of the oblast is the city of Lviv. The current population is History Name The region is named after the city of Lviv which was founded by Daniel ...

) on 24 January 1863. He came from a large family of Greek Catholic priest of Joseph Nyzhankivsky (1836–1911), who headed the Greek Catholic parish in the village Mali Didushychi. Later the family moved to the village of Zavadiv. Ostap studied in the nearby village of Duliby and later in

Drohobych Drohobych ( ; ; ) is a city in the south of Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. In 1939–1941 and 1944–1959 it w ...

and

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

gymnasiums A gym, short for gymnasium (: gymnasiums or gymnasia), is an indoor venue for exercise and sports. The word is derived from the ancient Greek term " gymnasion". They are commonly found in athletic and fitness centres, and as activity and learn ...

. Nyzhankivsky was expelled from the sixth grade of the gymnasium and had to enter military service in the Austrian army in Lviv (1882–1885). He participated in the "", where he met

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 ...

and composer, conductor and public figure

Anatole Vakhnianyn Anatole Vakhnianyn (; 19 September 184111 February 1908), was a List of Ukrainian composers, Ukrainian composer, political and cultural figure, teacher, and journalist. Biography Family Vakhnianyn was born in Sieniawa, Przeworsk County, today a ...

. Nyzhankivsky graduated from Lviv gymnasium in 1888. Later he studied and finished the Greek Catholic Theological Seminary in Lviv (1888–1892).Before his ordination in 1892 Nyzhankivsky married Olena Bachynska, the daughter of Galician composer Hilary Bachynsky. He received his first parish in

Berezhany Berezhany ( ; ; ; , ''Bzhezhani''/''Bzhizhani'') is a small List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It lies about from the administrative center of the oblast, Ternopil. Berezhany hosts the administr ...

. In 1900 – the family moved to

Stryi Stryi (, ; ) is a city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in the left bank of the Stryi (river), Stryi River, approximately south of Lviv in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. It serves as the administrative center of Stryi R ...

where Ostap served in the parish of Duliby and later in the village of Zavadiv. In 1907 Nyzhankivskyi founded the first cooperative dairy (in Zavadiv) and the Provincial Home and Dairy Union in

(later renamed

Maslosojuz Maslosojuz or Maslosoiuz (real name: Association of Dairy Cooperatives) was a Ukrainian dairy cooperation, founded in Stryj in 1904/05. At the beginning it was a branch of Prosvita, and in 1907 it was renamed into ''National Dairy Union Maslosoju ...

Provincial Dairy Union). On 21 May 1919, during the

Polish–Ukrainian War The Polish–Ukrainian War, from November 1918 to July 1919, was a conflict between the Second Polish Republic and Ukrainian forces (both the West Ukrainian People's Republic and the Ukrainian People's Republic). The conflict had its roots in ...

, Nyzhankivskyi was arrested by Polish authorities and shot without trial on the outskirts of Stryi the next day. After his execution, Poles came to the house of Nyzhankivsky in the village of Zavadiv and took all the cattle, poultry and grains. Polish soldiers also took off the shoes of the murdered priest, his gold wedding ring and the watch. Ostap Nyzhankivskyi was buried at the cemetery in the city

in the family tomb together with his wife Olena Nyzhankivska (née Bachynska).

Composer and musical activities

Ostap Nyzhankivsky graduated with honors from the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates c ...

in 1896. He dedicated much of his energy to the development of musical life in Galicia. He founded the music publishing house Muzykalna Biblioteka (1885) and compiled the ( Ukrainian-Ruthenian Songbook, 1907). Ostap helped popularise the piano in Western Ukraine, particularly as a solo instrument, but also as an accompaniment to Ukrainian songs. His choir compositions ‘''Hulialy''’ (, They Danced) and ‘Z Okrushkiv’ (, From Crumbs, text by

Yuriy Fedkovych Osyp-Yuriy Adalbertovych Fedkovych (, 8 August 1834, Putyla - 11 January 1888, Chernivtsi) was a Ukrainian writer, poet, folklorist and translator. Biography Fedkovych lived in Chernivtsi, where he was a closed associate of Rudolf Neubauer, th ...

) became very popular. He also wrote solo art songs with piano accompaniment, including ‘’ (, The Years of Youth Have Passed By); arrangements of folk songs for solo voice or choir; and Vitrohony, a cycle of

kolomyika The kolomyika (, ; also spelled kolomeyka or kolomeike) is a Hutsul ( Ukrainian) music genre that combines a fast-paced folk dance and comedic rhymed verses (танець-приспівка). It includes a type of performance dance developed by ...

melodies for piano. Ostap Nyzhankivskyi wrote the

carols A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with Christian church worship, and sometimes accompanied by a dance. A caroller (or caroler) is someone who sings carols, and is said to be carolling (or caroling). ...

"God Is Born" (''Boh sya rozhdaye'', ), "Heaven and earth" (''Nebo i zemlya'', ), "News in Bethlehem" (, ) and others...

Political activism

Ostap Nyzhankovsky was elected to the Galician Diet in 1908–13. He was also an elected member of the

Ukrainian National Council Ukrainian National Council of West Ukrainian People's Republic (UNRada, , until 13 November 1918 Ukrainian National Council – the representative body of Ukrainians of the former Austro-Hungarian empire) – was the supreme legislative body of t ...

and district commissioner of the

West Ukrainian People's Republic The West Ukrainian People's Republic (; West Ukrainian People's Republic#Name, see other names) was a short-lived state that controlled most of Eastern Galicia from November 1918 to July 1919. It included major cities of Lviv, Ternopil, Kolom ...

. Мусимо мати Україну! Заклик Остапа Нижанківського.
When the football team

Sich A sich (), was an administrative and military centre of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. The word ''sich'' derives from the Ukrainian verb , "to chop" – with the implication of clearing a forest for an encampment or of building a fortification with t ...

was created in Stryi in 1911, Nyzhankivskyi became its president.

References

External links

GENi, About Rev. Ostap Nizhankowsky

До 150-річчя від дня народження Остапа Нижанківського

Славетна Стрийщина, Нижанківський Остап

Mali Didushychi village: street map, description
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nyzhankivsky, Ostap 1863 births 1919 deaths Ukrainian Austro-Hungarians Eastern Catholic priests from Austria-Hungary People from Lviv Oblast Classical composers of church music Eastern Catholic hymnwriters Hymnwriters from Austria-Hungary Musicians of the Ukrainian diaspora 19th-century Eastern Catholic clergy 20th-century Eastern Catholic clergy 19th-century Austrian clergy Austrian male classical composers Ethnic Ukrainian composers 19th-century classical composers 20th-century Ukrainian classical composers 19th-century hymnwriters Prague Conservatory alumni