Lyatoshynsky, Borys (EN)

Borys Lyatoshynsky Mykolaiovych, *3 January 1895 (22 December 1894) Żytomierz, †15 April 1968 Kyiv, Ukrainian composer, conductor and teacher.  In 1918, he graduated in law from university, and in 1919, he completed his studies in composition with R. Glière at the conservatory in Kyiv.  From 1920 to 1968, he taught at this conservatory, becoming a professor in 1935; from 1935 to 1938 and 1941 to 1944, he was a professor of instrumentation at the conservatory in Moscow. From 1939 to 1941, he was chairman and later a member of the board of the Union of Composers of the Ukrainian SSR, and from 1948 also of the Union of Composers of the USSR. In the postwar years he was artistic director of the Kyiv Philharmonic and a member of the juries of international competitions: in 1956 in Belgium, in 1958 and 1966 in Moscow (Tchaikovsky Competition), and in Kyiv (Lysenko Competition). From 1917, he performed as a conductor and pianist. He was awarded the Polish Millennium Medal and, in 1958, the Polish People’s Republic award “For strengthening Polish-Soviet friendship”, which was donated to a fund for the construction of Polish schools. He was a laureate of the USSR State Prize (1946, 1952) and the USSR State Prize (1971, posthumously), and was awarded the honorary title of People’s Artist of the USSR (1968).

For Lyatoshynsky’s symphonic music, characteristic features include drama, sharp conflicts, and collisions arising from the interaction of contrasting thematic planes, chromaticism in melodic lines, thematic conciseness, multi-layered polyphony, or even linearity, of texture, monumental forms, sharply dissonant harmony, and colourful orchestration. In many works, Lyatoshynsky drew upon the rhythmic and melodic material of Ukrainian folk music, as well as Polish folklore. Themes incorporating rhythmic and melodic traits of folk music (not direct quotations) are distinguished by a characteristic “capricious” line, irregularly bending, embellished with chromaticism and syncopations that shift tonal dominants onto weak beats, along with numerous tonal deviations and sophisticated harmony. After the exposition of expressive themes, Lyatoshynsky usually proceeds immediately to intensive development of the material, leading to significant changes in its emotional character. In a substantial number of Lyatoshynsky’s instrumental works, especially the later ones, the themes are marked by declamatory character and internal conflict.

In his harmony, Lyatoshynsky combined elements of the functional system with certain features of polytonal music from the first half of the 20th century. The degree of complexity of the tonal structure depends on the degree of complexity of the polyphonic means used. Harmony has mainly an organisational and logical function, while it appears as a colouristic factor only in special cases.

Lyatoshynsky was a highly regarded teacher. His students included composers such as: I. Belza, V. Sylvestrov, L. Hrabovsky, L. Dychko, I. Shamo, J. Shchurovsky, L. Spasokukotsky, H. Taranov, R. Vereshchagin, O. Andreieva, V. Hadziatsky, M. Poloz, O. Kanershtein, K. Karayev, and J. Aleksandrov.

Literature: I. Belza Borys Lyatoshynsky, Kiev 1947, Russian edition Moscow 1947; N. Zaporozhets Borys Lyatoshynsky, Moscow 1960; N. Zaporozhets, Borys Lyatoshynsky. Ocherk zhizni i tvorchestva, Moscow 1969; V. Samokhvalov Cherty muzykal’nogo myshleniya B. Latoshynskoho, Kiev 1970; V. Samokhvalov, Borys Lyatoshynskyi, Kiev 1972, 3rd edition 1981; V. Samokhvalov, Cherty symfonizma B. Lyatoshynskoho, Kiev 1977; Boris Lyatoshynskyi. Vospominaniya. Pis’ma. Materialy, 2 parts, ed. L. Hrysenko (Part 1 with N. Matusevich), Kiev 1985, 1986; Borys Lyatoshynskyi. Sbornik statey, ed. M. Kopytsa, Kiev 1987; Listy B. Lyatoshynskoho do A. Soltysa, ed. M. Soltys, “Muzyka” 1987 No. 2; M. Kopytsa, Simfoniyi B. Lyatoshynskoho. Epokha. Kolliziyi. Dramaturhiya, Kiev 1990; I. Shvetsova Rol’ polifoniyi v obrabotkakh ukrayinskykh narodnykh pesen’ B. Lyatoshynskoho i F. Kozytsʹkoho, in: Problemy muzykal’nogo izobrazheniya, ed. K. Davydovskiy, Y. Zil’berman, L. Nesvit, V. Khorenko, Kyiv 1993; a series of articles in “Ukrainskoe Muzykoznavstvo” and “Ukrainske Muzykoznavstvo” (1967–1989).