Hryhorii Opanasovych Dranenko (b. October 26, 1886, Rohan - d. February 1, 1944, Shchakova) was a Ukrainian composer.
Biography.
He was born on October 14 [26], 1886 in the village of Rohan (now an urban-type settlement in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine). Until 1905, he studied and worked in military brass bands. In 1917, he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory (theory class of Professor Oleksandr Ilyinsky).
From 1920, he played for a long time with symphony and brass orchestras in Kharkiv. In 1926, he began composing music. In 1931-1933 he worked as a composer for radio broadcasting. In 1942 he taught at the Kharkiv Conservatory, and in 1943 he worked as a choirmaster at the Kharkiv Theater, with which he traveled to the West. He died on February 1, 1944, in the Polish city of Szczakowa (now part of the city of Jaworzno).
Creativity.
For the repertoire of Ukrainian brass bands he wrote:
marches "Forward", "Spring March", "Mourning March" (1928, based on a work by Mykola Leontovych);
The 1st Ukrainian Rhapsody on Folklore Motifs (1928);
"Fantasy on the Theme of Hopak (1934);
"Suite on Ukrainian Themes, Prelude, and more.
He has composed
for symphony orchestra - the poem "Viy", "Minuet", "Concert Fantasy";
for string quartet - "Scherzo" and two fugues;
choral works and solos (in particular, to the words of Taras Shevchenko);
music for theatrical productions of the plays "Talentless" by Ivan Karpenko-Kary and "Kateryna" by Taras Shevchenko.
