Oleksandr Pylypovych Myshuga (Ukrainian: Олекса́ндр Пили́пович Мишу́га (Мишу́га); 1853-1922) was a Ukrainian opera singer, music teacher and philanthropist.
Childhood.
Oleksandr Myshuha was born on 20 May 1853 in the village of Novyi Vytkiv (Lviv region). His father, Pylyp Myshuga, was a shoemaker. Later, Oleksandr would immortalise his father's name in the artistic pseudonym Philippi. Orphanhood taught the young man to fight for his life early on, and inspired him to strive for a better life. His beautiful voice and the good people he met in his life helped him to become a "man".
In 1868, his father took his son to Lviv for a holiday. In St George's Cathedral, he sang so confidently and enthusiastically to the church choir that the regent Mykyta Gatman took notice and arranged for the boy to study. This was followed by exhausting years of study at a gymnasium and a teacher's seminary, after which he worked as a teacher in Lviv.
His debut
However, the dream of becoming a professional singer did not leave him. In 1878, it led the young teacher to a highly respected vocal teacher in Lviv, a professor at the Conservatory of the Galician Music Society, Valeriy Vysotsky. A former renowned bass himself, Vysotskyi trained a whole galaxy of opera singers of the highest calibre, and Polish and Ukrainian singers, including Solomiya Krushelnytska, Oleksandra Lubich-Parakhoniak, and Janina Wajda-Korolewicz, studied with him[2].
His studies proved so successful that on 14 September 1880, Myshuga appeared on stage in front of the Lviv audience in S. Moniuszko's opera The Terrible Court. The reviews of both music lovers and the press were very flattering for the debutant. Inspired by his triumph, Myshuga decided to continue his studies in Italy. The biggest obstacle to the realisation of his dream was the lack of funds, but admirers of his talent raised 1200 gold guilders, and in 1881 he set off for Milan.
Italy.
Having shown great determination and perseverance, Myshuga improved his profession in Italy: in addition to singing, he studied anatomy and physiology, mastered Italian, German, Russian, English, and French. Soon enough, Oleksandr Myshuga tried his hand at the Italian stage. In 1883, the young singer made his debut at the Forlì Theatre in the lyrical opera Martha. This premiere was another triumph, and Myshuga immediately received dozens of attractive offers from the best theatres in Europe.
For his excellent performance of the role of Canio in the opera La Pagliacci, its author, the Italian composer Ruggero Leoncavallo, presented the famous singer with his harpsichord with the inscription: "In Milan, on the opening day of the season, I listened to Signor Filippi in the role of Canio and was immeasurably pleased with his precise interpretation and charming singing."
Europe
Alexander Myshuga sings in Milan, Turin, Warsaw, Krakow, Kyiv, St. Petersburg, Berlin, London, Vienna, and Paris. The critics do not spare the highest praise for his voice and artistic talent, the audience is delighted, and performances with his participation are sold out everywhere.
"Myshuga was a singer by God's grace. When Caruso was pouring out the brilliance of power and metal, Myshuga was mesmerising, and the impression made by his performance was a mystery of expression, mood, persuasive power, hypnosis and the elusive that escaped all analysis. There was something in it that the great Everardi said: it's not the sound that sings - it's the soul that sings!" Stepan Charnetsky (Stepan Mykolayovych Charnetsky) wrote about one of the greatest European singers of the last century.
But wherever he is, Myshuga never forgets his native land and often visits Lviv with concerts, including Ukrainian music in his programmes. Romances by Mykola Lysenko, Viktor Matiuk, and arias from operas by Semen Hulak-Artemovsky have always graced his programmes. According to his contemporaries, Myshuga's opera roles were distinguished by high musical culture and sincerity.
Death.
Postage stamp of Ukraine, 2003
At the beginning of 1922, Oleksandr Myshuga's health deteriorated, and the Chynberg family travelled with him to the spa town of Freiburg, hoping that the climatic conditions would help his recovery, but doctors diagnosed him with stomach cancer. After suffering for three weeks, Oleksandr Myshuga died in the German city of Freiburg on 9 March 1922.
Following his will, the singer's friends brought his ashes back home and buried him in his native Vitkovo.
Charity work
Myshuga's philanthropic activities also left a significant mark. With his help, Ivan Franko's collection Faded Leaves was published. The first volume of the fundamental study "Ukrainian Art" was also published thanks to Oleksandr Myshuga's assistance to the Poltava Museum, which prepared this work. He provided financial support to the Sadovsky Theatre and the Ukrainian newspaper Rada.
He helped students and fire victims, orphanages, various societies and hospitals. At the end of his life, Myshuga bequeathed all his property and money to the Mykola Lysenko Higher Music Institute in Lviv, where he established several scholarships for needy students.
