Pyotr Grigorievich Goncharov (; 18 October 1888 – 20 March 1970,
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
) was a Russian/soviet composer, conductor and choirmaster.
Biography
Born to a poor family in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
in 1888, in what was then 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 ...
, Goncharov was a choral singer in his youth. In 1907,
he graduated from the Baltic Fleet Musical College, where he studied clarinet. During his time at the college, he received lessons in conducting, harmony, composition and orchestral score reading from the famed Russian composer
Reinhold Glière
Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (23 June 1956), born Reinhold Ernest Glier, was a Russian and Soviet composer of German and Polish descent. He was awarded the title of People's Artist of RSFSR (1935) and People's Artist of USSR (1938).
Biography ...
. He was later mentored by
Alexander Koshetz
Alexander Koshetz (12 September 1875 – 21 September 1944) was a Ukrainian choral conductor, arranger, composer, ethnographer, writer, musicologist, and lecturer. He helped popularize Ukrainian music around the world. His name is sometim ...
. From 1907, he conducted the choirs of
St Volodymyr's Cathedral
St Volodymyr's Cathedral ( ) is a cathedral in the centre of Kyiv, and one of the city's major landmarks. Since the unification council of the Eastern Orthodox churches of Ukraine in December 2018, it has been under the ecclesiastical jurisdictio ...
and, later,
Saint Sophia's Cathedral, Kyiv
The Saint Sophia Cathedral (, або Софія Київська) in Kyiv, Ukraine, is an architectural monument of Kievan Rus'. The former cathedral is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribe ...
.
Goncharov lost his sight due to illness in 1921, but remained active as a conductor and composer. He founded the Southwestern Railway Chorus, and also worked for the Kiev State Opera and the Ukrainian State Choir (DUMKA).
In 1940, he moved to
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 ...
. There he became the conductor of the newly-founded and now famous Ukrainian Trembita Chorus, while simultaneously working for the
Lviv Opera
The Solomiya Krushelnytska Lviv State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet () or Lviv Opera (, ) is an opera house located in Lviv, Ukraine's largest western city and one of its cultural centres. Originally built on former marshland of the sub ...
, conducting its choir and orchestra.
In 1942, after the Nazi occupation of Kyiv, he returned there to again conduct the choir of St Volodymyr's Cathedral.
Goncharov died in Kyiv in 1970, and was buried in
Baikove Cemetery
Baikove Cemetery () is a historic cemetery memorial in Holosiivskyi District of Kyiv, Ukraine. It is a National Historic Monument of Ukraine and is known as a necropolis of distinguished people.
History
The cemetery was established in 1833 a ...
.
Works
Goncharov's two best known works are the liturgical works ("Liberation Service") and , known variously in English as "To Your Cross" and "Thy Cross We Worship", among other names. This latter is noteworthy in that it includes one of the lowest notes in the
basso profondo
Basso profondo (, "deep bass"), sometimes basso profundo or contrabass, is the lowest bass voice type.
While '' The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' defines a typical bass as having a range that extends downward to the second E below middle C ( ...
range (C
2). "To Your Cross" was used in the soundtracks of
Chris Marker
Chris Marker (; 29 July 1921 – 29 July 2012) (born ''Christian-François Bouche-Villeneuve'') was a French writer, photographer, documentary film director, multimedia artist and Essay#Film, film essayist. His best known films are ''La Jetée' ...
's 1962 film,
La Jetée
''La Jetée'' () is a 1962 French science fiction featurette directed by Chris Marker and associated with the Left Bank artistic movement. Constructed almost entirely from still photos, it tells the stable time loop story of a post-nuclear war ...
.
See also
*
List of Ukrainian composers
This is a list of Ukrainian composers of European classical music, classical music who were either born on the territory of modern-day Ukraine or were ethnically Ukrainian.
List by century of birth 15th century
16th century
17th century
...
References
External links
* (uk
"Awarded Oblivion"Dzerkalo Tyzhnia 26 March 1995 (archived September 2006)
*
* (uk
All Ukrainian Expert Network: This day in History (People and events) 18 October* (uk
Virtual International Authority File: Гончаров, Пётр ГригорьевичMusicBrainz catalogue: Pyotr Gontcharov* (uk
To Your Cross (sheet music)(web archive)
* (uk
Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine: Pyotr Grigorievich Goncharov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goncharov, Pyotr
1888 births
1970 deaths
Musicians from Kyiv
20th-century Ukrainian classical composers
Ukrainian conductors (music)
20th-century conductors (music)
20th-century male composers