Kyrylo Hrihorovych Stetsenko

Kyrylo Hrihorovych Stetsenko ( 24 .05. 1882 – 29 .04. 1922 ) – is an outstanding Ukrainian composer, choral conductor, critic, teacher, her music and public figure, one of the founders of Ukrainian Autocephalous Chirch, a pupil and a follower of M.V. Lysenko.
He was born in the family of a self-taught painter in the village of Kvitky of Kaniv district of Kyiv province (now – Zvenygorodka district of Cherkasy region). In the funds of the Korsun-Shevchenkivskiy State Historical and Cultural Preserve, there are two bilateral icons painted on wood , received from the village of Kvitky. The author is unknown. However, considering that there was only one painter in the village who painted icons, it is quite probable that these are the works of Hryhoriy Mykhailovych Stetsenko, the father of Kyryl Stetsenko.
In 1892 -1897 Kyrylo studied at painted school of M.I. Murashko simultaneously with the entry to the painting school uncle D . Horianskyi sent him to study to Sophia spiritual school. In 1897 Kyrylo entered Kiev Theological Seminary and graduated it in 1903. He received his musical education at the music school of the Kyiv branch of the Russian Musical Society and Music-dramatic school named by Mykola Lysenko. He worked as a teacher singing in Kyiv.
In 1907 for compassion for the revolutionary movement he was expelled from Kyiv and worked as a teacher of singing in Oleksandrivsk-Hrushevskiy (now the town of Shahty, Rostov region , Russian Federation), Bila Tserkva, Tyvriv (now – a village of Tyvrovsky region, Vinnytsia region).
In 1912 was ordained priest’s dignity, lived and worked in the village of Golovo-Rusava (now part of the village of Oleksandrivka, Tomashpil district, Vinnytsia region). In 1917-1921 he worked in the Ministry of Education and Arts UPR and the Ukrainian State Committee of the All-Ukrainian musical art department at the People’s Commissariat of USSR, led the musical and choral section of the department “Dniprosoyuz”, taught at music and dramatic Institute named after Lysenko. At the initiative of K. Stetsenko, traveling choirs were created. In 1920 he visited Korsun with the Second Wandering Chapel.
After the liquidation of the “Dniprosouz” (1920) he moved to the village of Vepryk of Fastiv district, Kyiv region, where he died.
In process of study of composer’s musical creativity by scientists of K.H. Stetsenko memorial museum in the village of Kvitky it became knoun, that his first songs sounded in concerts in the 1902-1903 years. Already then, the public paid attention to the strong original talent of the author, which gave ground to set much hopes on him. Kyrylo Grygorovych was a versatile composer. He owns the original choruses, cantatas, solo songs, ensembles, Christmas carols, spiritual works. Scientists have collected information about 235 works of the composer, including 36 choral compositions, 4 cantatas, 44 carols and Christmas carols, 24 arrangements for choir, 47 solo songs, 7 ensembles, 7 operas, 59 works for children, 7 spiritual works.
The funds Korsun-Shevchenkivskiy State Historical and Cultural Preserve 18 music works of composer, published in his lifetime, and also after his death.
Most of Kyrylo Hryhorovych’s musical works, published in 1920-1950, were donated to the Museum of the History of the Korsun-Shevchenkivskiy Battle ( since 1994 – Korsun-Shevchenkivskiy State Historical and Cultural Preserve) by the composer’s son Vadym Stetsenko in 1964. In particular, this be are the works: “Pine” (melodeclamation), “Slumber” (mixed chorus) in P. Hrabovskiy’s words, “School Songbook”, “The match-mabing at Honcharivka” (H.Kvitka-Osnovyanenko, operetta), “I Stood listening spring “for mezzo-soprano in the words of Lesya Ukrainka “Evening song “(for a high voice) in the words of V. Samiylenko, “Testament” and “Swim, swim, lebedonko” in the words of Taras Shevchenko, “Spring, spring” (mixed choir) in the words of O. Kovalenko.
In 1972 a resident of Kyiv I. Vyrotski presented the works of Kyrylo Stetsenko “Testament” and “Songs and carols”. A resident of Moscow (Russian Federation) V. Pochtarenko, whose mother lived in the village of Lystvyna, in 1985 delivered up museum the composer’s five works and other poets .
Stetsenko’s musical works are included in the five-volume collection of his works published in 1963–1965. Volumes II, IV, and V of this edition are stored in the funds of the Korsun-Shevchenkivskiy State Historical and Cultural Preserve. Besides 8 books with works by Kyrylo Stetsenko are stored: “Vesnyanochka” (author V.V. Verkhovynets), “Children’s Songbook”, “Ukrainian folk songs”, “Songs and music in kindergarten”, “Ukrainian songs for children”, “We learn to sing”, “Classical choirs of Ukrainian authors”, “Music in kindergarten”.
In 1957, during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of K.H. Stetsenko birth Kvitky Secondary School was named after the composer .
Larysa Tsyomenko , the head of K.H. Stetsenko memorial museum in the village of Kvitky .