He was born on August 13, 1935 in the village of Topilne, Rozhyshche district, Volyn region.
In 1963, he graduated from the conducting and choral department of the Lutsk State Music College, then from the conducting (1969, class of I. Nebozhynskyi) and composing (1978, class of Prof. D. Zador) faculties of the Lviv State Lysenko Conservatory and became the first professional composer of Volyn.
At the same time, the first among Volynians, Viktor Herasymchuk was admitted to the Union of Composers of Ukraine.
In 1965-1979, he worked as a teacher of music-theoretical disciplines and conducting at the Lutsk Cultural and Educational School, and in 1979-2001, he was a teacher of these disciplines at the Lutsk Pedagogical College.
In the early 1980s, he taught a composition class at the Lutsk Children's Music School No. 2.
In 1989, he was elected a member of the Board of the Union of Composers of Ukraine.
Honored Worker of Arts of Ukraine (1991), Laureate of the Regional Art Prize named after I. Stravinsky (1995).
Creative work.
Viktor Herasymchuk liked to work on vocal works most of all. Even before entering the Faculty of Composition, the artist made a significant statement in the vocal and choral genres, became a prominent musical figure in Volyn and was recognized beyond its borders. This is evidenced by the numerous publications of his works since the 60s, both in the local press and in collective collections and republican magazines ("Repertory Collection", "Zaspiv", "Raiduha", "Songs of New Volyn", "Lesyn's Land Sings," "Musical Evenings," "Choral Works of Ukrainian Soviet Composers," "Choral Works of Lviv Region Composers," "Vocal Works on Lesia Ukrainka's Words," "Music," "Ukraine," and others). The recognition of the composer at that time is also evidenced by articles devoted to the development of amateur composing (the collection "Artistic Amateurism at the Present Stage" (Lviv: Naukova Dumka, 1977), the journal "Socialist Culture" (No. 4, 1972). Reviewing Viktor Herasymchuk's work in 1978, composer D. Zador noted:
"Viktor Herasymchuk always remains true to himself as an artist of full-blooded melody, absorbing the life-giving power of folk melody... The popularity of his choral works is facilitated, first of all, by the composer's ability to find in harmonic turns the necessary means of musical expression arising from the content and mood of a particular poetic image."
The creative community united the composer with Volyn (P. Makh, O. Bohachuk, V. Gay, Y. Strutsiuk, V. Lazaruk and others) and Kyiv (P. Biba, D. Lutsenko, M. Vingranovsky) poets.
The composer's special love was the poetry of Lesya Ukrainka, to which he repeatedly turned throughout his life. Works based on her texts were highly appreciated by the music community. The composer's interpretations of Lesya's words are characterized by a vivid expressiveness of the emotional palette and artistic conviction of expression.
V. Herasymchuk is the winner of many regional and national competitions for the best song. The songs "Father's Well" (poems by V. Gay) and "And the Trenches Are Like Wounds" (poems by A. Mykhailevsky) were recognized as the best songs of the year at different times (the Sixth Prize of the song contest announced by the Music Society of the Ukrainian SSR and the editorial board of the Ukraine magazine). The chorus "Black Pain of Spring" (poems by V. Gay), dedicated to the Chernobyl tragedy, won the All-Ukrainian choral competition (Zhytomyr), and the song "Blackberries" based on poems by P. Mach has long been a folk song.
The composer was a delegate to the VII, VIII, IX, XI Congresses of Composers of Ukraine and the VII, VIII All-Union Congresses of Composers of the USSR. The composer's music has been performed at plenaries and congresses of Ukrainian composers, the International Festival "Kyiv Music Fest'98", and creative reports of masters of arts and amateur groups of Volyn in Kyiv.
The composer's vocal, choral and piano works have always enjoyed great success. The result of the artist's creative stages were concerts: "I Give a Song to People" (Lutsk, 1974), three author's concerts (Lutsk, 1980, 1987, 1995) and a creative report (Lviv, 1984).
The works of V. Herasymchuk's works were included in the repertoire of the Honored Choir "Trembita" (Lviv), the folk chamber choir "Legend" (Drohobych), the folk choir of boys and young men "Dudaryk" (Lviv), Chamber Choir "Blagovist" (Luhansk), Folk Choir "Koloryt" (Kamen-Kashyrskyi), Folk Women's Choir of Lutsk Pedagogical College and a number of soloists - People's Artists of Ukraine M. Baiko, I. Kushpler, V. Chepeliuk, Z. Komaruk.
Since 1986, a number of collections by the composer have been published: "Vocal Works" (K.: Musical Ukraine, 1986), "My Heart Is Burning" (choirs and solos based on Lesya Ukrainka's poems) (Lutsk: Nadstyrja, 1994), "Cantata "Obelisks and Spikelets" (K.: Musical Ukraine, 1985), "Sonata for Piano" (Lutsk: Initial, 1997), "My Youth" (selected songs and romances) (Lutsk: Media; Volyn Regional Printing House, 2000).
V. Herasymchuk often covered various aspects of musical and artistic life in the press and on the radio, wrote a number of articles on the anniversaries of composers M. Lysenko, D. Leontovych, K. Stetsenko, Y. Stepovyi, A. Kos-Anatolskyi, and B. Bartok.
The composer's articles and interviews were published in the magazines "Music" (1971-1987), newspapers "Soviet Volyn", "Volyn", "Young Leninist", "Viche", "Lutsk Castle".
The composer was constantly engaged in public activities, and was one of the most active participants in musical life in Volyn.
For forty years, he was engaged in advanced training of leaders of vocal and choral and instrumental amateur groups at the Volyn Center for Folk Art, worked as a freelance methodologist at the Volyn Center for Folk Art.
He participated in folk art seminars in the districts of the region.
He was the chairman of the jury of many regional competitions, including the Kalynova Sopilka folk instrumental music competition, the kobza art competition, a member of the jury of brass music competitions, two regional competitions and the Sixth Lesia Ukrainka International Vocal and Choral Competition, and in the 90s - the chairman of the jury of the regional commission for the certification of folk amateur groups.
In 1975-1998, the composer headed the regional association of amateur composers of Volyn.
V. Herasymchuk was a member of the Presidium of the Board of the regional branch of the Music Society of Ukraine, and was a member of the committee for awarding regional prizes in literature, culture and art.
The composer died on December 2, 2004 in Lutsk.
Awards.
He was awarded many diplomas, the Lenin Jubilee Medal (1970), the Labor Veteran Medal (1988), and the Badge of Excellence in Public Education of the Ukrainian SSR (1983).
Works (incomplete list)
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Vocal, symphonic and choral works
- "Evening Hour", text by Lesya Ukrainka (1966)
- "It was a quiet night, a magician", text by Lesya Ukrainka (1967)
- "My heart is burning", lyrics by Lesya Ukrainka (1968)
- "And don't bother me", text by V. Sosiura (1969)
- "Lullaby", text by D. Pavlychko (1969)
- "Go away, thoughts, you autumn clouds", lyrics by Lesya Ukrainka (60s)
- "Do not look at the moon in spring", text by Lesya Ukrainka (1970)
- "Ballad of the Tsumansky Forest", text by A. Stavsky (1970)
- "My steppe seagull", text by P. Shapoval (70s)
- "A Mother Looks Out", text by O. Havryliuk (1978)
- "Obelisks and Ears of Grain", oratorio, text by P. Shapoval (1978)
- "To Ukraine", text by I. Chernetsky (70s, 2nd ed., 80s)
