Stepan Oleksiyovych Sabadash (June 5, 1920, Vanchynets - August 25, 2006) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor, and choirmaster.
He was born on June 5, 1920 in the village of Vanchynets (now Novoselytsia district, Chernivtsi region). Since childhood, he was fond of music and singing. From the age of 13, he studied violin with the regent of the church choir Ivan Kiriyak. On the latter's advice, at the age of 15, he began to study trumpet on his own and six months later was accepted into the professional brass band of the village of Vancykovytsia.
At the age of 16, Stepan was already leading this orchestra, and at the age of 18 he began to learn the accordion and soon became the best accordionist not only in Bukovyna but also in Romania. He was invited to work for Bucharest Radio, but for political reasons he refused this offer.
In 1940, when Soviet power came to Bukovyna, he entered the Chernivtsi Music College to study accordion. Given his virtuoso performance at the entrance exam, he was enrolled immediately in the second year and graduated in a year. In 1941-1944, he studied accordion at a private Romanian conservatory in Chernivtsi, while working in a restaurant to earn his living and pay for his studies.
In 1944, he started working at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic, where a pop ensemble was created. Later he was drafted into the Red Army. He created an ensemble of soldier-artists that performed in military units of the 4th Ukrainian Front until the end of the war. After his demobilization, he worked as a concertmaster at the Chernivtsi Ukrainian Drama Theater and also led a swing orchestra at the Chernivtsi Officers' House. Later, together with Ilya Miskyi, they created a pop orchestra at the Kobylianska Cinema. Soon after, another orchestra was created at the Zhovten Cinema, which was recognized as the best among Ukrainian cinema orchestras. Stepan Oleksiyovych wrote many orchestral works for these orchestras.
Since 1951, he periodically created amateur choirs. One of them was the First Knitting Factory Choir, which he directed for 16 years. In 1954, this collective took 1st place at the Republican review of amateur performances.
In 1952, he entered the Chernivtsi Music School for the second time, this time to study at the choral and conducting department. He created the city choral chapel at the Palace of Textile Workers. In a short time, the chapel (100 members) became a highly professional group, and even staged Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov.
For many years, he popularized choral singing, wrote thematic songs and made orchestrations to accompany choirs and dance groups. He was often entrusted with the direction of gala choirs, the largest of which was a three-thousand-strong choir at the Spring Festival in Chernivtsi.
Since 1967, he has lived in Kyiv. He worked as the director of the musical and instrumental ensemble of the October Palace, performed his author's concerts in Ukraine and in the republics of the USSR. He was a member of the Music Foundation and the Music Society of Ukraine.
Stepan Sabadash's grave
He died on August 28, 2006 in Kyiv. He was buried at the Baikove Cemetery (plot No. 33).
His works
Most popular works
Most of his songs became popular and even folk songs. They are:
"Marichka" (1955[1][2], lyrics by Mykhailo Tkach), first solo and most famous performance by Dmytro Hnatiuk
"Cornflower Eyes" (1965[3], lyrics by Anatoliy Dragomyretsky), first performed by Yevhen Savchuk, most famous performers - Dmytro Hnatiuk, Oleksandr Skachko, Oleksandr Vasylenko
"Song from the Polonyna" (lyrics by Olena Ponomarenko)
"Autumn" (lyrics by Dmytro Lutsenko)
"Memory" (lyrics by Dmytro Lutsenko)
"Daisy" (lyrics by Zlata Bychkova)
and some others.
Stepan Sabadash during his anniversary concert with the performer of his songs, Honored Artist of Ukraine Ivan Derda
Original compositions of 1950-1960 (Chernivtsi period)
"Marichka", a song for soloist with mixed choir, accompanied by piano. Words by M. Tkach, 1953
"Chernivtsi Waltz" - for soloist with mixed choir, accompanied by piano. Words by M. Tkach, 1954.
"Song about Lukyan Kobylitsa" - for baritone accompanied by piano. Words by I. Kuten, 1954.
"Bukovyna Road" - for male quartet accompanied by piano. Words by V. Hryhorenko, 1955.
"Bukovinian Polka" - for soloist accompanied by piano. Words by I. Kuten, 1956.
"Scarecrow" - a comic song for baritone and choir accompanied by piano. Words by I. Kuten, 1956.
"Dumplings" - for mixed a cappella choir. Words by I. Kuten, 1957.
"Kolomyiky" - for a cappella choir. Words by I. Kuten, 1958.
"Our Glorious Pig Farmers" - for choir accompanied by piano. Words by I. Kuten, 1959.
"Praise be to thee, part!" - for mixed choir and piano. Words by S. Broznitsky, 1959.
"Song from the Polonyna" - for soloist and mixed a cappella choir. Words by O. Ponomarenko, 1960.
"Song about Lenin" - for choir and piano. Words by V. Holubnychyi, 1960.
"Reunited Bukovyna" - a song for choir accompanied by piano. Words by P. Ambrosiy, 1960.
Song for soloist:
"Oh, I thought" - a song for soloist with piano. Words by I. Kuten. 1961.
"Song of the Virgin Lands" - for soloist with women's choir accompanied by piano. Words by Ulyaninsky, 1961.
"Song about the Hometown" - for soloist and choir. Words by B. Hryhorenko, 1962.
"Song about the Trembita" - for soloist accompanied by piano. Folk lyrics, 1952.
Bukovynian kolomyikas.
"Cornflower Eyes". Words by A. Drahomyretskyi, 1964.
"Motherland, dear land". Words by A. Drahomyretskyi, 1964.
"The First Kiss". Words by P. Holubnychyi, 1965.
"Girl's Dreams". Words by A. Dobriansky, 1965.
"Daisy". Words by L. Kucheriavenko, 1965.
"The Immortal Word of Kobzar". Words by O. Shtoiko, 1965.
The piano is the composer's workplace
"Why?" Words by O. Ponomarenko.
"Cherries". Words by 3. Bychkova.
"Hutsulochka". Words by M. Bakai.
"My Bukovyna", words by A. Kucheriavenko.
"Autumn". Words by T. Kolomiets.
"Song about a doctor". Words by H. Boyko.
"Ruta-mint", lyrics by M. Tkach.
"Evening Song". Words by L. Zabashta, 1967.
"Beloved of the land". Words by I. Kutien.
"Memories". Words by D. Lutsenko.
"Dream". Words by I. Lazarevsky.
"Komsomolochka". Words by L. Kucheryavenko.
"The one I love, the one I don't have". Words by L. Kucheriavenko.
"To an American Soldier". Words by O. Oliynykov, I. Lazarevsky.
Arrangements.
"Romanian Rhapsody" for pop orchestra, 1958.
"Fantasy on Bukovinian Themes" for pop orchestra, 1957.
Fantasy "For the Festival" for pop orchestra, 1958.
Fantasy "Stages of the Great Road" for pop orchestra, 1959.
"Blue Chickadee" - Bukovinian folk song for soloist and mixed choir, 1958.
"A Birch Tree Stood in a Field" - Russian folk song for soloist and mixed choir, 1953.
"Potpourri of Komsomol Songs" - 1956.
In the late 1960s, S. Sabadash began working on an operetta about the life of Bukovynians.
The Kyivan period
Choral works were written:
"My Land" (to the words of V. Kyrylenko);
"A New Dawn Over Ukraine" (to the words of V. Kyrylenko);
"The Annunciation" ("St. Michael's Bells") to the words of B. Oliynyk;
"Song about the first cosmonaut of Ukraine L. Kadenyuk" (to the words of A. Demydenko) and others.
Works for soloist:
"Your Eyes" (to the words of V. Kyrylenko);
"Autumn Song" (based on lyrics by V. Kyrylenko);
"White Rouge" (to the words of V. Kyrylenko);
"Lullaby for Annichka" (lyrics by V. Kyrylenko);
"And You Believe!" (on the words of V. Kyrylenko) and others.
Honorary titles
Honored Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (since 1965); People's Artist of Ukraine (since 2000).
