Viktor Stepanovych Kosenko (; – 3 October 1938) was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, and educator. He was regarded by his contemporaries as a master of lyricism. Kosenko's life is conclusively divided into three distinct phases, in Warsaw, where he studied with renowned teacher

Aleksander Michałowski Aleksander Michałowski (17 October 1938) was a Polish pianist, pedagogue, and composer. Early life and education Michałowski was born in 1851 in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, which was a part of the Russian Empire. In 1867, at age 16, he stu ...

, in

Zhytomyr Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...

, where he began teaching piano and music theory at the Music Technicum, later becoming director of the Zhytomyr Music School, and finally 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, ...

, where he devoted more time to symphonic compositions such as his ''Heroic Overture'', which brought him due recognition in the world of Soviet music. Kosenko's music combines a

post-romantic Post-romanticism or Postromanticism refers to a range of cultural endeavors and attitudes emerging in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, after the period of Romanticism. In literature The period of post-romanticism in poetry is ...

idiom with intonations of Slavic folk songs and Western-European influences. His vocal, chamber and symphonic works are among the most important pieces of that time in USSR.

Life and career

Early life and education

Viktor Stepanovych Kosenko was born on 23 November 1896 in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, into the large family of a major general, Stepan Kosenko. Viktor's family moved from Saint Petersburg to

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

in 1898, where later he would encounter the best of world musical classics while listening to the performance of musicians such as

Fritz Kreisler Friedrich "Fritz" Kreisler (February 2, 1875 – January 29, 1962) was an Austrian-born American violinist and composer. One of the most noted violin masters of his day, he was known for his sweet tone and expressive phrasing, with marked por ...

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

, and

Pablo Casals Pau Casals i Defilló (Catalan: ; 29 December 187622 October 1973), known in English as Pablo Casals, His mother Leopolda played the piano, sang, and composed, and the boy grew hearing Ukrainian and

Russian folk songs Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, and

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 by

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

, and

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

Viktor Kosenko as a schoolboy at the Warsaw Gymnasium

When Kosenko was about five or six, he began to pick out familiar melodies on the piano, as he had

absolute pitch Absolute pitch (AP), often called perfect pitch, is the ability to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of a reference tone. AP may be demonstrated using linguistic labelling ("naming" a note), associating mental image ...

and a good musical memory. He attempted to improvise, showing signs of his musical potential. At nine, he could play

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Pathétique Sonata Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13, commonly known as ', was written in 1798 in music, 1798 when the composer was 27 years old and was published in 1799 in music, 1799. It has remained one of his most celebrated compositi ...

from memory, as he heard his older sister Maria practicing it. She gave her brother his first piano lessons. His formal music education began in 1905, with private piano lessons from a professor Yudytskiy, with whom he studied for two years. From 1908, he studied under

, a professor at the

Warsaw Conservatory The Chopin University of Music (, UMFC) is a musical conservatorium and academy located in central Warsaw, Poland. It is the oldest and largest music school in Poland, and one of the largest in Europe. In the summer of 1914, Kosenko was preparing to enter the Warsaw Conservatory to study piano. However, the outbreak of World War I forced his family to move to Saint Petersburg. In 1915, he was admitted to the upper-division piano class at the

Saint Petersburg Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory () (formerly known as the Petrograd Conservatory and Leningrad Conservatory) is a school of music in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty member ...

, where he amazed the committee members by his ability to read a score, put it aside, and then play from memory. He also demonstrated a natural aptitude for musical transposition. Kosenko continued studying composition and music theory under the composer Mikhail Sokolovsky,Sokolovsky was himself a pupil of

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov. At the time, his name was spelled , which he romanized as Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakow; the BGN/PCGN transliteration of Russian is used for his name here; ALA-LC system: , ISO 9 system: .. (18 March 1844 – 2 ...

. piano with Iryna Miklashovskaya, and playing as

concertmaster The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...

at the

Mariinsky Theatre The Mariinsky Theatre (, also transcribed as Maryinsky or Mariyinsky) is a historic opera house in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Opened in 1860, it became the preeminent music theatre of late 19th-century Russia, where many of the stage masterpieces ...

.Russian composer

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov ( – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 and was instrumental i ...

, director of the conservatory at the time Kosenko was a student, freed him from paying tuition fees after finding out that he was working as accompanist at the Mariinsky Theater for financial reasons. During this time, he received positive evaluations from

, director of the institution, who wrote that Kosenko had "great pianistic and compositional abilities, and perfect pitch".Original Russian translated text: "Прекрасные пианистические и композиторские способности, абсолютный слух." Miklashovskaya described him as a "talented musician, very modest and well-behaved."Original Russian translated text: "талантливый музыкант, очень скромний и хорошо воспитанный." During his studies, Kosenko wrote

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 ( ...

s, and preludes and mazurkas for the piano. His music during this period is characterized with stylistic musical characteristics of Romantic and

directions, which features a combination of the European tradition with a national Ukrainian element.

Zhytomyr

After graduating from the conservatory in 1918 Kosenko joined his family in

, at that time the cultural center of the Volyn province. The following year he began teaching piano classes and

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

at the Music Technicum,The Music Technicum is a musical institution that would be named after him from 1938. later becoming director of the Zhytomyr Music School. In February 1920, Kosenko married Angelina Kanepp.Angelina was older than Kosenko and already had two children, named Raisa and Iryna, from her first marriage. His love and deep admiration for her was such that he used to write to her almost every day and was disappointed if for any reason she could not reply to him as fast as he wished. The pieces created between 1919 and 1924 convey deep lyrical feelings, hence the reason he dedicated almost all of his output to her. In September 1922, Kosenko gave his first concert, attended by his family and close friends, traveling to Moscow the following year to meet with composers and musicians. By this time he was allowed by the Russian Association of Proletarian Musicians to have his first piano compositions published. This period that Kosenko spend in Zhytomyr was one of the richest in his musical career for he perfected his own artistic style in instrumental, vocal and chamber music; genres in which he was very active at that time. There, he authored a large number of piano pieces, over twenty romances, violin and cello sonatas, works for children, and music for plays. He was also heavily involved in a myriad of musical activities such as the creation of a music society, concert appearances, the organization of his piano chamber trio, vocal quartets and even a symphony orchestra, besides serving as accompanist player for different ensembles in the musical life of the city.

Compositional debut

In 1921, Kosenko and his fellow musicians founded the '' Leontovych Musical Society.''According to the memoirs of opera singer

Zoia Gaidai Zoia Mykhailivna Gaidai (April 21, 1965) was a Soviet and Ukrainian opera soprano. She was an artist of wide creativity, with a bright vocal range and talent who staged more than 50 musicals of the works of Ukrainian and Russian composers, as ...

, this group of artists, which primarily consisted of peasants, workers and soldiers, helped popularize Russian piano music. In September 1922, he gave his debut in Zhytomyr, performing his own compositions. Two years later, he was invited to Moscow for a recital at the

Association for Contemporary Music Association for Contemporary Music (ACM) (, ''ASM - Assotsiatsiya Sovremennoy Muzyki'') was an alternative organization of Russian composers interested in avant-garde music. It was founded by Nikolai Roslavets in 1923. ACM ran concert series and p ...

, where he met with composers and musicians. During this period, Kosenko's piano works were published for the first time. He then performed as a

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'', or ; Late Latin ''virtuosus''; Latin ''virtus''; 'virtue', 'excellence' or 'skill') is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as fine arts, ...

pianist in recitals and formed a piano trio along with violinist Volodymyr Skorokhod and cellist Vasyly Kolomyitsev, giving over one hundred free concerts throughout

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

between 1923 and 1929. In 1927, Kosenko was invited by the Association of the Proletarian Musicians of Ukrainian SSR to give a concert in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

, the capital of the Ukrainian SSR at the time. This same association invited him again in 1928 and 1929. Kosenko began giving concerts in Kharkiv, Kyiv,

Dnipro Dnipro is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper River, Dnipro River, from which it takes its name. Dnipro is t ...

petrovsk,

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

, and nearby cities. The programme of the concerts included compositions by

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 ...

Borys Lyatoshynsky Borys Mykolaiovych Lyatoshynsky, also known as Boris Nikolayevich Lyatoshinsky, (3 January 189515 April 1968) was a List of Ukrainian composers, Ukrainian composer, conductor, and teacher. A leading member of the new generation of 20th century ...

, Levko Revutsky, and

Pylyp Kozytskiy Pylyp Omelyanovych Kozytskiy (; 23 October 1893 – 27 April 1960) was a Soviet and Ukrainian composer, musicologist, professor, head of the department of history of music at the Kyiv Conservatory, and Honored Art Worker of the Ukrainian SSR ( ...

Kyiv

Creative conflicts with the new Stalin regime prompted his move to Kyiv, where he was offered a position at the Mykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama as a chamber musician and musical analyst in 1929, followed by a promotion to music professor in 1932. Kosenko originally taught piano and chamber ensemble classes, and a year later, he also began teaching a specialized course on analysis of form in both the historical-theoretical and compositional departments.Some of Kosenko's students included Nikolai Chaikin, Alexander Mihailovich Sandler and

Hryhory Kytasty Hryhoriy Trokhymovych Kytasty () (January 17, 1907 – April 6, 1984) was a Ukraine, Ukrainian émigré composer and conducting, conductor. In 2008, he was honored with the Hero of Ukraine state decoration. Biography Early years Hryhory Kyt ...

. The school was later reorganized, the music classes being transferred to the

Kyiv Conservatory The Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music (), formerly Kyiv Conservatory, is a national music tertiary academy in Kyiv, Ukraine. Its courses include postgraduate education. History The Kyiv Conservatory was founded on 3 November 1913 at ...

, where he taught from 1934 to 1937, while the rest of the school became the National University of Theatre, Film and TV. However, during this time, he did not abandon his performing and composing activity, which he loved so much. He was often invited to be in the juries of musical performance competitions as a well-known performer and respected pedagogue. This included a trip to Moscow in 1931, Kharkiv in 1933, and Leningrad in 1934. This period became a time of mature work for Kosenko, who had established himself in the world of Soviet music. His output began to include new genres, particularly his ''Heroic Overture'' for

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

. Kosenko also arranged Ukrainian folk songs and in 1936, the first compilation of Soviet folk songs was arranged with his participation. Stamp of Ukraine s129

Kosenko spent most of his life in Zhytomyr, living in poverty, to which he seemed largely indifferent. After being persuaded by the

Soviet government The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the executive and administrative organ of the highest body of state authority, the All-Union Supreme Soviet. It was formed on 30 December 1922 and abolished on 26 December 199 ...

of the time to share his living quarters with members of other families, and frequently bringing in people from the streets to whom he gave food and money, he was given a small three-room apartment on the second floor of an old building at Mikhaila street in Kyiv, to where they all moved thanks to his wife's insistent requests to the Soviet Ukrainian Government in order to recognize Kosenko's efforts in popularizing genuine Ukrainian national music. Finally in 1938, the sick Kosenko was personally awarded the

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

by the first secretary of the

Communist Party of Ukraine The Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU or KPU) is a banned political party in Ukraine. It was founded in 1993 and claimed to be the successor to the Soviet-era Communist Party of Ukraine, which had been banned in 1991. In 2002 it held a "unifi ...

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

. Despite the medical treatment that he was receiving at the time, Kosenko lived for only 42 years, dying on 3 October 1938 of

kidney cancer Kidney cancer, also known as renal cancer, is a group of cancers that starts in the kidney. Symptoms may include blood in the urine, a lump in the abdomen, or back pain. Fever, weight loss, and tiredness may also occur. Complications can include ...

, a condition apparently linked to the unsanitary conditions in which he and his family had lived for so long. His wife Angelina continued to promote his music long after his death. Kosenko left for posterity his unfinished opera ''Marina,'' and dozens of works such as his '' Twenty-four Pieces for Children,'' Op. 25, composed in 1936, a treasury of teaching which made Kosenko one of the first successful Soviet Ukrainian composers in children's music.

Music

Kosenko's vocal compositions include a large number of ballads, choral and folk arrangements as well. He composed over 100 compositions for piano among

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

es, preludes,

nocturne A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...

sonata In music a sonata (; pl. ''sonate'') literally means a piece ''played'' as opposed to a cantata (Latin and Italian ''cantare'', "to sing"), a piece ''sung''. The term evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms until th ...

s and

mazurka The Mazurka ( Polish: ''mazurek'') is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character defined mostly by the prominent mazur's "strong accents unsystematically placed on the seco ...

s, in a total of about 250 musical works such as his symphonic ''Moldavian poem'', violin and piano concertos, trios and string quartets during his short musical career.

Style

During his time as professor of the Kyiv Conservatory and the composition of his symphonic ''Moldavian poem,'' which he never heard performed, Kosenko was already deeply interested in learning and gathering information on Moldavian folk-music. Being a cross between the late-Romantic period and the national musical style of his country, his music shows no direct indication that any specific folk song was used in his compositions. Kosenko used then melodies, harmonies, dorian, lydian and phrygian modes, so linking his work with Ukrainian folk tunes. Some of these elements involved doubling melodies in thirds, sixths and tenths, using "open" fifths, and

pedal point In music, a pedal point (also pedal note, organ point, pedal tone, or pedal) is a sustained Musical note, tone, typically in the bass note, bass, during which at least one foreign (i.e. consonance and dissonance, dissonant) harmony is sounded in ...

Children's music

Kosenko dedicated much of his attention to children. During the 1930s, part of his output was focused on the most demanding and impartial audience. His first compositions for children, entitled ''Four Pieces for Children'' for piano (1930), were written specifically for the Ukrainian Soviet piano repertoire, demonstrating his understanding of child psychology and deep knowledge of the main objectives of a teacher. Next was his ''Collection of Children's Pieces'' for piano (1930). His ''Twenty-four Pieces for Children'' for piano (1936) followed, becoming one of the most popular collections for children.

Reception

Kosenko's compositional talent was recognized early on. As a student of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, the young composer's main focus was to become a performing pianist, only composing music when he was required to do so in theory classes. However, this changed when professor Mikhail Sokolovsky singled out Kosenko's romance "Careless wind" set to text of

Konstantin Balmont Konstantin Dmitriyevich Balmont ( rus, Константи́н Дми́триевич Ба́льмо́нт, p=, a=Konstantin Dmitriyevich Bal'mont.ru.vorb.oga; – 23 December 1942) was a Russian symbolist poet and translator who became one of ...

as an example of his students' work. Glazunov also noted the talent of the composition. This situation inspired Kosenko to study theory of composition, analysis of musical form, and instrumentation in more depth. He consequently began to spend more time composing. Kosenko debuted his music in Zhytomyr in 1922. To expand his horizons, he travelled to Moscow in 1924, where he met

Nikolai Myaskovsky Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky (; ; 20 April 18818 August 1950), was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the Soviet Symphony". Myaskovsky was awarded the Stalin Prize five times. Early years Myaskovsky ...

Alexander Goedicke Alexander Fyodorovich Goedicke (; 9 July 1957) was a Russian and Soviet composer and pianist. Goedicke was a professor at Moscow Conservatory. With no formal training in composition, he studied piano at the Moscow Conservatory with Galli, Pave ...

, and

Felix Blumenfeld Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld (; – 21 January 1931) was a Russian and Soviet composer and conductor of the Imperial Opera St-Petersburg, pianist, and teacher. He was born in Elisavetgrad, which was in 2016 renamed to Kropyvnytskyi (in pr ...

, who supported the young composer. There his works were published for the first time. In Kyiv, the composer's circle of artistic acquaintances grew. He became closer to artists such as composers Borys Lyatoshynsky and Levko Revutskiy, and singers Ivan Patrozhynskiy and Maria Litvinenko-Volhemut who all highly evaluated both his musical and pedagogical activity. Levko Revutskiy wrote, "Kosenko is a true master of high culture. He belongs to artists, around whom is created an artistic atmosphere, which is a living, momentous and active stimulus for creative work."Original Ukrainian quote: "Косенко — справжній майстер високої культури. Він належить до художників, навколо яких створюється та мистецька атмосфера, яка є живим, важливим і дійовим стимулом для творчої роботи." Ukrainian Soviet writer

Pavlo Tychyna Pavlo Hryhorovych Tychyna (; – September 16, 1967) was a major Ukrainians, Ukrainian poet, translator, publicist, public activist, academician, and statesman. He composed the lyrics to the Anthem of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Lif ...

, whose work Kosenko also set to music, highly valued the artistic contributions of the composer, saying of him: "The reflection of his creative soul has permanently left sunny illuminations on my biography."Original Ukrainian quote: "Відсвіт від його творчої душі, — говорив П. Тичина, — назавжди сонячними освітленнями лишився й на моїй біографії". The government of Soviet Ukraine valued Kosenko. In 1935, he gave a radio concert of his compositions live from his apartment. Following his death in 1938, a complete collection of his works was published. He was a leading figure among the broad-minded artistic collective of 20th-century

Soviet music The music of the Soviet Union varied in many genres and epochs. The majority of it was considered to be part of the Russian culture, but other national cultures from the Republics of the Soviet Union made significant contributions as well. The S ...

Pianistic career

Influences and style

Kosenko was popular not only as a composer, but also as an outstanding pianist who had a wide range of activity. When he began his career in Zhytomyr, he was recognized as a virtuoso when he began to invest time into performing, both as a soloist and accompanist, besides composing and teaching. His contemporaries noted his playing style, brilliant technique, powerful artistic interpretation. He was influenced by the musical environment in which he grew up. Because his mother and sister played piano, he was exposed to the piano music of Frédéric Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

. His first compositions were markedly influenced by the works of composers such as

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 ...

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 ...

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

, and his compatriot

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 ...

. Aleksander Michałowski, Kosenko's piano teacher in Warsaw, was another major influence on him during his youth. With him Kosenko studied the music of

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

, Frédéric Chopin, and many other romantic-era composers. Michałowski also encouraged Kosenko to play in ensembles. Further early influences on Kosenko happened in Warsaw, where he attended the opera house and a variety a concerts, listening to performances by pianists Ferruccio Busoni,

Josef Hofmann Josef Casimir Hofmann (originally Józef Kazimierz Hofmann; January 20, 1876February 16, 1957) was a Polish-American pianist, composer, music teacher, and inventor. Biography Josef Hofmann was born in Podgórze (a district of Kraków), in Aus ...

, and Sergei Rachmaninoff, and the singing of

Feodor Chaliapin Feodor Ivanovich Chaliapin ( rus, Фёдор Ива́нович Шаля́пин, Fyodor Ivanovich Shalyapin, ˈfʲɵdər ɨˈvanəvʲɪtɕ ʂɐˈlʲapʲɪn}; 12 April 1938) was a Russian opera singer. Possessing a deep and expressive bass voic ...

Leonid Sobinov Leonid Vitalyevich Sobinov (, 7 June S 26 May1872 – 14 October 1934) was an Imperial Russian operatic tenor. His fame continued unabated into the Soviet Union, Soviet era, and he was made a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1923. Sobinov's vo ...

Antonina Nezhdanova Antonina Vasilyevna Nezhdanova (, – 26 June 1950) was a Russian and Soviet lyric coloratura soprano. Nezhdanova was born in , near Odessa, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire (today Odesa, Ukraine). In 1899, she entered the Moscow Conservat ...

, and

Solomiya Krushelnytska Solomiya KrushelnytskaHer name is sometimes spelt as Solomiya Ambrosiyivna Krushelnytska, Salomea Krusceniski, Krushel'nytska or Kruszelnicka. (; – November 16, 1952) was a Ukrainian lyric-dramatic soprano, considered to be one of the bright ...

. By the time he applied to study piano at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, he began to be noted for his sight-reading and transposition abilities. Kosenko's reputation as a concert pianist brought him invitations to take part as juror in piano competitions around the Soviet Union. He also became a piano professor, teaching specialized piano and chamber ensemble classes in Kyiv, first at the Mykola Lysenko Institute of Music and Drama, and later at the Kyiv Conservatory.

Ensemble performances

Kosenko organized a piano trio with violinist Volodymyr Skorokhod and cellist Vasyly Kolomyitsev, thus gaining popularity as a performer. The group gave over one hundred free concerts all around the Zhytomyr area, playing pieces by

Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka ( rus, links=no, Михаил Иванович Глинка, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka, mʲɪxɐˈil ɨˈvanəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡlʲinkə, Ru-Mikhail-Ivanovich-Glinka.ogg; ) was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognit ...

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein (; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who founded the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. He was the elder brother of Nikolai Rubinstein, who founded the Moscow Conservatory. As a pianist, Rubinstein ran ...

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 ...

Alexander Gretchaninov Alexander Tikhonovich GretchaninovAlso commonly transliterated as ''Aleksandr/Alexandre'' ''Grechaninov/Gretchaninoff/Gretschaninow'' ( rus, Алекса́ндр Ти́хонович Гречани́нов, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɡrʲɪtɕɐˈnʲin� ...

, Georgy Catoire, and

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

. With the addition of other musicians they began performing the quartets, quintets and sextets of

Alexander Borodin Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (12 November 183327 February 1887) was a Russian Romantic composer and chemist of Georgian–Russian parentage. He was one of the prominent 19th-century composers known as " The Five", a group dedicated to prod ...

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

Johann Nepomuk Hummel Johann Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 177817 October 1837) was an Austrian composer and pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era. He was a pupil of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri, and ...

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...

and others as well. He also performed as soloist in piano concertos of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Grieg with an orchestra made up of local instrumentalists.

Repertoire and performances

Along with the European classics, Kosenko was also engaged in popularizing Russian and Ukrainian music by such composers as Levko Revutsky, Boris Lyatoshinsky, Mykhailo Verykivskiy, and Pylyp Kozytskiy, thus gaining the sympathy of the Ukrainian Soviet government. When he debuted his own music to the public in 1922, his concert was divided into two sections. In the first, the programme consisted of music by Frédéric Chopin and

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

, and in the second he performed his own compositions, which remained as part of his repertoire in many subsequent concerts. During time in Saint Petersburg, Kosenko worked at the Mariinsky Theatre as an accompanist. Upon graduation from the conservatory, he moved to the capital of the

Volhynian Governorate Volhynia Governorate, also known as Volyn Governorate, was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Southwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. It consisted of an area of and a population of 2,989,482 inhabitants. The governorate ...

, Zhytomyr, where besides composing and teaching, he invested a lot of time into performing, both as a soloist and accompanist as well. Following the successful debut of his music, Kosenko began to make many trips to perform his own music to places such as Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Luhansk, and Moscow. In 1928, he accepted an offer from the Philharmonic of Soviet Ukraine to do a tour with singer Oksana Kolodub to the

Donbas The Donbas (, ; ) or Donbass ( ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. The majority of the Donbas is occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. The word ''Donbas'' is a portmanteau formed fr ...

area. Following his move to Kyiv, he continued to actively perform. He gave his last concert in 1935, when he performed his own music with

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

singer Ivan Patrozhynskiy and

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

Maria Litvinenko-Volhemut. The concert was broadcast live on the radio from his apartment on Pidval'na street.

Selected works

Orchestral * ''Heroic Overture'' (1932) * ''Moldavian Poem'' (1937) Concertante * ''Violin Concerto'' (1919) * ''Piano Concerto'' (1928) Chamber music * ''Sonata for cello and piano,'' Op. 10 (1923) * ''Sonata for violin and piano'' (1927) * ''Classical Trio'' (1927) * ''Sonata for viola and piano'' (1928) Songs, choruses, and folk-song arrangements * ''I'm Sad'' (1922) * ''Speak, speak'' (1922) * ''I Am Here, Inezilya'' (1936) Piano * ''Three Preludes,'' Op. 1 (1910–1915) * ''Four Preludes,'' Op. 2 (1911–1915) * ''Three Mazurkas,'' Op. 3 (1916–1923) * ''Eleven Études for Piano,'' Op. 8 (1922–1923) * ''Three Pieces for Piano,'' Op. 9 (1921) * ''Three Pieces for Piano,'' Op. 11 (1921) * ''Two Poem Legends,'' Op. 12 (1921) * ''Sonata for Piano No. 1'' in B-flat minor, Op. 13 (1922) * ''Sonata for Piano No. 2'' in C-sharp minor, Op. 14 (1924) * ''Sonata for Piano No. 3'' in B minor, Op. 15 (1926–1929) * '' Eleven Études in the Form of Old Dances,'' Op. 19 (1922–1923) * ''Two Concert Waltzes,'' Op. 22 (1931) * '' Twenty-four Pieces for Children,'' Op. 25 (1936) Film scores * '' The Last Port'' (1934)

Recordings

* Piano Music Vol. 1, Eleven Etudes in the Form of Old Dances, Op. 19 Natalya Shkoda –

Toccata Classics Toccata Classics is an independent British classic music label founded in 2005. The founder of Toccata Classics is Martin Anderson, a music journalist. The label was founded primarily to promote unrecorded works by lesser-known composers, inc ...

* Viktor Kosenko: Piano Music Vol. 2, The Complete Piano Sonatas / Natalya Shkoda – Centaur Records * Violin Concerto: Orchestrated by

Alexei Gorokhov Aleksey Nikolaevich Gorokhov (; ; February 11, 1927, Moscow - February 3, 1999) was a Soviet violinist who lived most of his professional life in Ukraine. He is considered a founder of the modern Kiev violin school.Benty, Y. (2008) Kiev honored me ...

, Kyiv Chamber Orchestra. Alexei Gorokhov (conductor & violin) – Melodiya (1980) * Violin Concerto: Orchestrated by

Heorhiy Maiboroda Heorhiy Ilarionovych Maiboroda (6 December 1992) was a Soviet and Ukrainian composer. People's Artist of the USSR (1960). Maiboroda, whose brother Platon Maiboroda was also a composer (mainly of songs), studied at the Glière College of Music ...

, Symphony Orchestra of the National Radio Company of Ukraine. Anatoly Bazhenov,

Volodymyr Sirenko Volodymyr Fedorovych Sirenko (born 1 November 1960) is a Ukrainian conductor and music pedagogue. He is best known as chief conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine where he has been artistic director since 1999. In 2008, he wa ...

* Slavic Nobility: Alexander Scriabin – Viktor Kosenko (piano works: Poemes, Mazurkas, Sonatas), by Violina Petrychenko, Ars Produktion, Naxos Library catalogue No.: ARS38153 * Ukrainian Moods – Piano Miniatures (iano works: Lev Revuskij, Viktor Kosenko, Mykola Kolessa, Igor Schamo, Yurij Schamo, by Violina Petrychenko) Ars Produktion – ARS 38 195, Discogs

References

Notes

Sources

External links

* * * , performed by Nataliia Martynova-Guzul * , performed by

Lera Auerbach Lera Auerbach (, born Valeria Lvovna Averbakh, ; October 21, 1973) is a Soviet-born Austrian-American classical composer, conductor and concert pianist. 1896 births 1938 deaths 20th-century Ukrainian classical composers 20th-century male musicians Composers for piano Musicians from Saint Petersburg Academic staff of Kyiv Conservatory Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Ukrainian male classical composers Soviet classical pianists Soviet male classical composers Soviet music educators Ukrainian classical pianists Ukrainian music educators Burials at Baikove Cemetery

Life and career

Early life and education

Zhytomyr

Compositional debut

Kyiv

Music

Style

Children's music

Reception

Pianistic career

Influences and style

Ensemble performances

Repertoire and performances

Selected works

Recordings

See also

References

Notes

Sources

External links