Levko Revutsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Levko Revutsky
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| Native name |
Левко Ревуцький
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| Born | 20 February [O.S. 8 February] 1889 Irzhavets, Priluksky Uyezd, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 30 March 1977 (aged 88) Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Resting place | Baikove Cemetery |
| Occupation | Composer, music pedagogue |
Levko Mykolaiovych Revutsky (Ukrainian: Левко Миколайович Ревуцький; February 20, 1889 – March 30, 1977) was a famous Ukrainian composer, teacher, and public figure. He created many beautiful musical pieces. He also taught music to many students. Some of his students, like Arkady Filippenko and Valentyn Silvestrov, became well-known composers too.
Contents
About Levko Revutsky
His Early Life and Education
Levko Revutsky was born on February 20, 1889. His hometown was Irzhavets in Ukraine. His parents were well-educated and loved music. Levko showed his musical talent very early. His mother started teaching him piano when he was only five years old. By age ten, he was very good at making up music on the spot. He also had "perfect pitch," meaning he could identify any musical note just by hearing it. This earned him the nickname "Tuning Fork."
In 1903, Levko moved to Kiev. There, he attended a special school called a gymnasium. At the same time, he studied piano at Mykola Tumanovsky's music school. His teacher there was the famous Ukrainian composer Mykola Lysenko. Levko later said that Lysenko was a great inspiration to him.
After finishing gymnasium in 1907, Levko went to Kiev University. He studied physics and mathematics. In 1908, he also started studying law. At the same time, he continued his piano lessons at the Kiev music college. He loved visiting Moscow and Saint Petersburg to see plays and concerts.
Levko was a very good student. In 1911, he moved to a higher level piano class. He studied with a master teacher named G. Hodorovsky. Later, when the Kiev Conservatory opened, he continued his piano studies there. He also started taking composition classes with Reinhold Glière. He kept studying at the university too.
During this time, he wrote some of his first musical pieces. These included a piano sonata and ideas for his first symphony. In 1916, Levko graduated from both the university and the conservatory. After graduating, he joined the army to fight in World War 1.
His Career as a Composer and Teacher
After the war, in 1918, Levko Revutsky moved to Pryluky. In 1924, he was invited back to Kiev. He became a teacher at the Lysenko Music-Drama Institute. From then on, he spent most of his time teaching music. He started as a teacher and later became a professor. He taught music theory, performance, and composition.
In the 1930s, Levko Revutsky became a very successful composer. He also developed his own ways of teaching music. For his great work in music, he received important titles. In 1942, he was named "People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR." In 1944, he became a "People's Artist of the USSR." These titles showed how much he was respected for his art.
After World War II, he helped rebuild the cultural life in Ukraine. From 1944 to 1948, he led the Composers Union of Ukraine. He was also chosen to be a deputy in the Ukrainian government several times.
In 1950, he took on a huge project. He worked to prepare the musical works of Mykola Lysenko for publication. This was a very important task. In February 1969, on his 80th birthday, Levko Revutsky received the title of "Hero of Socialist Labor." This was a very high honor. He passed away on March 30, 1977, in Kiev. He is buried in Baikove Cemetery.
His Musical Legacy
Levko Revutsky's music is very important in Ukraine. His works for voices and orchestras are a key part of Ukraine's musical history. He continued the musical ideas of Lysenko and Mykola Leontovych.
Many of his pieces are seen as the first great examples of Ukrainian music in their styles. These include his Symphony No. 2 and his Piano Concerto. Revutsky also did a lot to arrange folk songs. He created about 120 arrangements of traditional Ukrainian songs.
Outside of Ukraine, his music is not as widely known. One music expert described his Symphony No. 2 as "quite accomplished and attractive." She noted that it sounded like it could have been written much earlier, in the 1890s.
Awards and Honors
Levko Revutsky received many awards for his contributions to music:
- Order of the Red Banner of Labor (four times: 1938, 1946, 1951, 1960)
- Honored Art Worker of the Ukrainian SSR (1941)
- Stalin Prize, second class (1941) – for his Symphony No. 2
- People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1942)
- People's Artist of the USSR (1944)
- Order of Lenin (four times: 1949, 1953, 1967, 1969)
- Shevchenko National Prize (1966)
- Hero of Socialist Labor (1969)
- Medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
His Main Musical Works
Orchestral Music
- Symphony No. 1 in A major opus 3 (1916–1921, revised 1957)
- Symphony No. 2 in E major opus 12 (1926–1927, revised 1940 and 1970)
- Kozachok (a Ukrainian folk dance) for orchestra (1929)
- Piano Concerto in F major (1929)
- Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 18 (1934)
Piano Music
- Piano Sonata Allegro in B minor opus 1 (1912)
- Three Preludes for piano opus 4 (1914)
- Seven Preludes for piano opus 7
- Seven Preludes for piano opus 11 (1924)
- Two Pieces for piano opus 17 (1929)
Vocal Music
- "The Whole Year" for solo singers, chorus, and piano (1923)
- Khustyna, a cantata (a piece for singers and instruments) (1923)
- Sonechko, folk song arrangements for voice and piano (1925)
- Cossack-Songs, folk song arrangements for voice and piano (1926)
- Galician Songs, folk song arrangements for voice and piano opus 14 (1926–1927)
- Monologue of Taras Bulba for bass singer and orchestra (1936)
- Festive Song for chorus and orchestra (1949)
- Song-Ode, a vocal-symphonic poem (1957)
Orchestrations (Arrangements for Orchestra)
- He helped arrange and edit Mykola Lysenko's opera Taras Bulba.
- He arranged a piano concerto by Viktor Kosenko for orchestra.
Chamber Music and Other Works
- Intermezzo for violin and piano
- Sonata for cello
- Ballade for cello and piano (1933)
- Music for plays
- Music for films
See also
- List of Ukrainian composers - see other Ukrainian composers of the same period
- Symphony No. 2 (Revutsky)
