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Levko Mykolayevich Revutsky (1889-1977)
Ukrainian composer, teacher, public figure
Levko Mykolayevich Revutsky was born on February, 20, 1889 in Yrzhavets, Pryluksky
district of the Poltava province (presently — the Chernigov region) in family of trustee of rural
school. The parents of future composer not only were well-educated, intellectual people, but
loved music very much, that, undoubtedly influenced on the boy’s gift awakening and his early
development. His music talent showed up very early. His mother began to teach a son playing
piano, when he hardly was five years old. However, his real attraction to music appeared
considerably later. When the Levko was ten years old, he has revealed the skill to improvise. He
had an absolute pitch, that’s why his nickname was Tuning fork.
The years of high school studies in gymnasium began in Pryluky. In 1903 his parents
decided to transfer Leo in Val'ker Kiev private high school. Soon he enters the Tumanovsky
music school to the piano class of Lysenko. «Lysenko was the first, who became for
me the sample of attitude toward the artistic deal», — remembered Revutsky later. Having
finished in 1907 the gymnasium, he enters to physical-mathematical faculty of the Kiev
University. In 1908, Revutsky moves to law school and then renews the piano classes in Russian
Music Society music collage. Concerned with music six, seven, even eight hours a day, I had
learned a lot. However I had understood later that in my occupation was a defect: I often red to
playworks of music, which I haven't had to red and in this works I did not reach the desired
perfection. But there were some successes", – wrote about these times the composer. The
Indelible impressions remained beside his trip to Moscow and Petersburg and visiting there
theatre shows and concerts. All this has caused in Levko Revutsky much stronger desire to
concern with the music.
For three years of studies on the premiere course of the school Levko reached considerable
successes. In 1911 he passes to the higher course in the G. Hodorovsky class. Revutsky’s studies
in the class of this master lasted a few years: from 1911 to 1913 year in musical school, and
afterwards — in a newly opened conservatory. In the conservatory Revutsky simultaneously
with piano playing begins to visit Glier composition studio class. Thus a composer did not
abandon his university studies, and fruitfully worked creatively. The first part of piano sonata (сmoll), first symphony, in sketches, prelude of opus of fourth first appeared at this time. The First
World War brought correctives in the smooth and measured course of events. Revutsky speed-up
graduates from both a university and conservatory in 1916, and afterwards – leaves on front.
Demobilized at the beginning of 1918 year, Revutsky moves to Priluki. In 1924 Revutsky had
been invited to Kiev as a teacher to Lysenko musical-dramatic institute. From this time he
selflessly gives oneself up to pedagogical work, first as teacher, but then as professor musictheoretical discipline and educator of performers and composer’s.
In 30-th Revutsky had considerable achievements as a composer. In addition, this was a time to
form of music-pedagogical principles, period of searches and finds. For considerable merits in
the field of culture Revutsky gets the rank of national artist of Ukraine in 1942, and in 1944 —
national artist of USSR. In a post-war period a composer with enormous energy embarks on
renewal of artistic-cultural life of the republic. During 1944-1948 years Levko Mykolaevich
headed the composers Union of Ukraine. Revutsky was elected by the deputy of Supreme Soviet
of Ukraine of row of convocations.
On 1950th there is enormous work on editing and preparation Lysenko works publishing.
In February, 1969 in connection with 80-th birthday and for prominent creative merits Levko
Mykolaevich Revutsky was awarded the rank of Hero of Socialistic Labor. A composer died on
March, 30, 1977, buried on the Baykovo cemetery in Kiev.
Creative activity of Levko Revutsky was the one of monumental achievements in Ukrainian
culture. He entered in its history as prominent composer, teacher, public man. On each of these
fields of life an artist takes the special, unique and meaningful place. The creative inheritance of
Revutsky became deserving continuation of large deal of his glorious predecessors - Lysenko,
Stetsenko, Leontovycha, and Stepovogo. High professionalism, brightly expressed national
character of creation activity, honesty and devotion to favorite affair made him as original,
unique phenomenon in the Ukrainian culture. Deferential attitude toward labor, respect to the
people, permanent willingness to help, to divide stranger pain and gladness were stopped up in
moral foundation of personality yet from little up and developed during all his life. «Upbringing,
which brought from my parents, the democratic glances grafted to me from young age, underlay
my world view. They always were a handhold in my life and helped me to tide over one or
another difficulties or contradictions, into which it was necessary to run».
The creative legacy of Levko Mykolaevich is the original world of national music,
advantageously selected from the general background of artistic culture by the unique harmonic
beauty. Unsurpassed melodic standards (in particular, in «Song», cantata-poem «Shawl», row of
songs for choir, concert № 2 for piano with the orchestra) became such due to original
combination of individual vivid attitude with intonation-harmonical and rhythmic facilities of
folk lyric songs, thoughts, weepings. Unexcelled aspiration to show out his own art to the level
of the best European and world classics standards, distinguish the creative handwriting of greater
master in all his undertakings. His creation is a deep re-comprehension, successive claim of
artistic ideals. The prosecution of folk song in an eventual result opened the extraordinarily wide
and complete picture of folk life in general, with the traditions, faith, aspirations. Revutsky in
new historical terms repeated what, that our classic Nikolay Vital’evich Lysenko ones did, —
organically put together folk and professional. Levko Mykolaevich Revutsky creatively
developed the methods of Lysenko and Leontovych, which consisted in indissoluble confluence
of musical folk-lyrics with achievements of harmony of end of XIX age. He enriched Ukrainian
music by individual stylistic finds. Composer's style of l. Revutsky was formed on the basis of
deep and comprehensive cognition of national folk melody and conversions of traditions of
modern professional music. Life-asserting attitude, lyricism, restraint, breadth and riches of
emotions, is inherent to works of artist. The measured, expressive melodic unites with the
saturated, difficult harmony. L. Revutsky exposed reality and in lyrical-dramatic, and in lyricalepic keys. His works entered in the gold fund of Ukrainian classics (The second symphony and
piano concert are the first considerable works of these genres in Ukrainian music).
L. Revutsky did the considerable deposit in development of genre of treatment of folk
songs. There are about 120 original treatments in his creative inheritance.
Life and the L. Revutsky creative activity legally can exemplify service to the Fatherland
and the people for many generations.
** I attach serious significance to the ethics-moral face of an artist… I do not separate aesthetics
from ethics. /**L. Revutsky. **/
** Levko Mykolaevich Revutsky is for sure one of the most prominent figures at
the musical front of Soviet Ukraine… The creative prosecution of the richest song
material of Ukraine exposed Revutsky as a large master, whose taste
provided him into treatments of high artistic level and mass fully deserved popularity, which
goes out far outside Ukraine… /**B.Liatoshinsky.**/
“Sonechko” regional child creative activity holiday is sainted at Revutsky homestead in
Yrzhavets of Ichnia district.
Works
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Piano Sonata Allegro B minor opus 1 (1912)
Symphony No. 1 A major opus 3 (1916-1921) (revision in 1957)
LP Melodiya D 027543-4: Ukrainian State Orchestra, V. Kozhukhar
Seven Preludes for piano opus 4 (1914)
"The Whole Year" for soloists, chorus and piano after O. Oles opus 5 (1923)
Seven Preludes for piano opus 7
Khustyna, cantata after Shevtshenko for soloists, chorus and piano (1923)
LP Melodiya D 3692-3: Ukrainian State Orchestra & Chorus, Klimov (cond), D.
Petrinenko (soprano), N. Fokin (tenor)
Seven Preludes for piano opus 11 (1924)
Little Sun, folksong-arrangements for singer and piano (1925)
Cosack-Songs, folksong-arrangements for singer and piano (1926)
Symphony No. 2 E major opus 12 (1926-1927) (revision in 1940 and 1970)
LP
Melodiya
D
02193-4:
Ukrainian
State
Orchestra,
Rakhlin
LP Melodiya CM 04155: Ukrainian SSR State Merited SO, V. Kozukhar
Galician Songs, folksong-arrangements for singer and piano opus 14 (1926-1927)
Little Cosack- Kasachok for orchestra (1929)
Piano
Concerto
in
F
major
(1929)
LP Melodiya D 24559-60: Ukrainian State Orchestra, V. Kozhukhar (cond), E. Rhzanov
(piano)
LP Melodiya C10 28549: Ukrainian SSR State Orchestra, Y. Nikonenko (cond), E.
Rhzanov (piano)
Two Pieces for piano opus 17 (1929)
Monologue of Taras Bulba for bass and orchestra after M. Rylski (1936)
LP Melodiya D 5646-7: B. Gmirya (bass)
Festive Song for chorus and orchestra after M. Rylski (1949)
Song-Ode, vocal-symphonic poem (1957)
Lyssenko, orchestration of the Opera "Taras Bulba" (with Liatoshinsky)
And furthermore:
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folksong-arrangements for chorus and soloists
works for piano
chamber music
incidental music
film music
piano Concerto no. 2
Intermezzo