Borys Lyatoshynsky

Boris Lyatoshinsky
Boris Lyatoshinsky
Background information
Born	January 3 [O.S. Dec. 22, 1894] 1895
Origin	Zhytomyr, Ukraine
Died	May 15, 1968(1968-05-15) (aged 73) Kiev
Occupation(s)	Composer, conductor, academic and teacher
Instruments	Violin, Piano

Boris Mykolayovych Lyatoshinsky or Lyatoshynsky (Ukrainian: Бори́с Ми́колайович Лятоши́нський, Borys Mykolayovych Lyatoshyns′kyi; January 3, 1895 – April 15, 1968) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor, teacher. A leading member of the new generation of twentieth-century Ukrainian composers, he was awarded a number of accolades, including the honorary title of People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR and two Stalin State Prizes.

Boris Lyatoshinsky was born 3rd, 1895 in Zhytomyr, in the Russian Empire (now Ukraine). This town is well known for its cultural life. Several well-known people originated here, including the pianist Svyatoslav Richter, philosopher Nikolai Berdiaev and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Lyatoshinsky’s parents were musical and well-educated. His father, Mykola Leontiyovych Lyatoshynsky, was a history teacher and activist in historical studies. He was also the director of various gymnasiums in Zhytomyr, Nemyriv, and Zlatopol. Lyatoshynsky's mother played the piano and sang.

Lyatoshinsky started playing piano and violin at 14, he wrote a mazurka, waltz, and quartet for piano. He also attended the Zhytomyr Gymnasium, from where he graduated in 1913. After graduating, he attended Kiev University and later the newly established Kiev Conservatory where he studied composition with Reinhold Glière in 1914. Lyatoshynsky graduated from Kiev University in 1918 and from the Kiev Conservatory in 1919. During this time, he composed his String Quartet No. 1, Op. 1, and Symphony No. 1, Op. 2. By the time Lyatoshinsky wrote his Symphony No.1 (1918) as his graduation composition, he became influenced by the music of Wagner and atonality. It could be suggested that this was the first Symphony composed in the Ukraine. It was performed and conducted in 1919 by Reinhold Glière who taught the student composer and who recalls (writing at the time of Lyatoshinsky’s 60th birthday): ‘I was glad to notice the relation of his first String Quartet to the traditions of Russian musical classics. Such quality revealed itself even more in his First Symphony, which was the final course work of the composer.’ ‹see L's letters in Grecenko› In his opinion, Lyatoshinsky was a gifted student and worked very hard on developing various compositional techniques. Further musical pieces of the composer were described by Glière as ‘intensive searches’ of individuality. Lyatoshinsky is influenced by the symbolism and expressionism: this can be traced to his choice of poetic texts which he sets to Romances; the treatment of the melody, choice of the instruments; harmonic manipulations, such as unclear tonality, dissonant chords and the complex parallel chord structures.