Degtyarevsky (Degtyarev, Dehtyarev) Stepan Onikiyovych (1766-1813) was a composer and conductor of Ukrainian origin, a musical figure of the Russian Empire.
He came from a family of Ukrainian serfs of Count Sheremetyev who lived in the settlement of Borysivka in Kursk Oblast, an ethnic Ukrainian settlement that in the eighteenth century was an important cultural center among Sheremetyev's fiefdoms, where singers were trained.
There are different spellings of the composer's name. For example, in Russian sources, the spelling "Degtyarev" or "Degtyarev" prevails. According to the memoirs of O. Nikitenko, the composer's real surname is Degtyarevsky, while the spelling Degtyarev, which appears in official documents, according to the researcher H. Kuzemska, is the result of "the reinterpretation of Ukrainian surnames in the Russian style." Instead, in recent concert programs, the spelling "Dehtyarev" is common.
Biography.
From the age of 7, he sang in the chapel of Count M. Sheremetev, and later studied with Johann Facius and Italian maestro G. Sarti. According to the memoirs of O. Nikitenko[6], he went to Italy for an internship with Sarti, but there is no other documentary evidence of this trip.
In 1786, S. Degtyarev became one of the most educated musicians of his time and a leading opera singer at the Sheremetyev Theater. At the same time, he attended lectures on Russian literature and foreign languages at Moscow University. He was fluent in Russian, Church Slavonic, Italian, German, and French, but according to H. Kuzemska, the composer's native language was Ukrainian, as evidenced by the textual analysis of his manuscripts.
Subsequently, Degtyarevsky was appointed a conductor, teacher, chapel master, and head of "musical services" at the Sheremetyev Theater. In 1789, the staff of the chapel under Degtyarevsky's direction numbered 166 people, 34 of whom were in the choir. Degtyarevsky's duties included preparing concert programs, and Degtyarevsky directed both the choir and the symphony orchestra, and later the horn orchestra. The repertoire of the chapel was quite diverse and included works by both Western European and Russian authors, including D. Bortnyansky, as well as original works by S. Degtyarevsky. In addition, Degtyarevsky owned a significant part of the arrangements for horn orchestra.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, he translated from Italian the theoretical manual by V. Manfredini "Rules of Harmony and Melody for the Teaching of All Music..." into Russian, this book became almost the only textbook on music theory and harmony at that time.
Creativity
The musical heritage of S. Degtyarevsky remained unknown for a long time. The main creative work of the composer consists of church concerts. Due to the ban on singing choral concertos in churches imposed by Paul I in 1797, Degtyarevsky's works remained unpublished and were kept only in the archives of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Moreover, the ban forced Degtyarevsky to compose concertos incognito, which is why the authorship of some of them is controversial. In particular, there are concertos that are attributed to Degtyarevsky in some sources and to A. Vedel in others. The authorship of 50 concertos is considered undoubted. In addition to sacred choral music, he is also known for his oratorio Minin and Pozharsky, or the Liberation of Moscow, which is the only orchestral work whose score has survived.
In contemporary Ukraine, Degtyarevsky's work is gaining popularity thanks to the research work of A. Kutasevych and T. Husarchuk, as well as the performing activities of V. Ikonnyk (B. Liatoshynsky Kyiv Chamber Choir) and M. Hobdych (Kyiv Chamber Choir).
List of famous choral concerts
O Lord, the lovers of the blessedness of Thy house
Be patient, suffer the Lord
Deliver me from my enemies, O God.
Hear, O Lord, the voice of my prayer
I praise thee, O Lord, in thy name.
Praise God in his saints
Rejoice, you righteous, in the Lord
I will bless the Lord, who has enlightened me
Sing to the Lord who dwells in Zion
You like a song, O God, in Zion
Come, ye faithful (to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker)
Now bless the Lord
My God, my God, I wake up to You
O Lord my God, I trust in Thee
Gabriel, you have come down from the heavenly circles (The Praise of the Annunciation)
Open the door of mercy to us
Glorious day (for the Holy Trinity)
Have mercy on me, O God, as I trust in Thee
Hear, O Lord, my prayer
The golden trumpet
It is good to confess to the Lord
O God, come to the tongues
Do not be jealous of the wicked
Help, O Lord, the meek David
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your great mercy.
To Thee, O Lord, I lift up my heart
O God, in thy name save me
Come now, O assembly of the faithful
I will love thee, O Lord
O Lord, reign, let men be angry
Let my soul rejoice in the Lord.
The Lord is my enlightenment
Rejoice in us
Let us sing of the light, O people.
Glory to God in the highest
Today the waters are sanctified
Today Christ is born in Bethlehem (on the Nativity of Christ)
Heaven and earth (on the Nativity of Christ)
Today Christ will come to the Jordan
Today is the Creator of heaven and earth
Today every creature (for Easter)
May God rise again
This is the Bridegroom and the Holy Day (for Easter)
Come, O ye new vine born (for Easter)
O David, the Father of all (for Easter)
Incline, O Lord, thine ear
Come, let us ascend the mountain of the Lord
O Lord, bless the beloved
The Lord is my fortress and my refuge
Confess to the Lord in the hymns.
We have no other help.
In the beginning, O Lord, you founded the earth.
The Lord is great
This is the Lord's day
To Your immense Assumption
This is a favorable time
Blessed is the man
Above the heavens
O my God, thou hast left me in my country
Come from Lebanon, O bride
O Lord reign, let the earth rejoice
This is a day of joy and gladness.
You are my fortress, O Lord
The glory of the world
Hear, hear, and wait
O Lord, O Lord, come to me
How long, O Lord, will you forget me?
