Pavlo Ivanovych Senytsia (* 23 September 1879, Maksymivka (in other sources - Demiantsi), Poltava province - † 3 July 1960, Moscow, Russia) was an outstanding Ukrainian modernist composer and folklorist.
He studied at the Moscow Conservatoire (1909), first at the vocal faculty (class of A. Mazetti), then on the double bass (class of A. Martynov), and from 1906 - at the composition faculty (classes of O. Ilyinsky and S. Vasylenko). After graduating from the Conservatory, he worked there as a teacher of music theory. He was friends with Boleslav Yavorsky and Serhiy Taneyev.
In 1921-1931, he collected and compiled musical folklore.
In the summer of 1923, the composer gave a recital in Prague. In the same year, a concert of the Ukrainian Artistic Vocal Quartet with the programme "Three ES" (Stetsenko, Stepovyi, Senytsia) took place in Kharkiv.
On the eve of the premiere of Symphony No. 2 "Some Poplars" (the first modernist work in the history of Ukrainian music), a conflict occurred between the author and the inspector of the Department of Arts of the Main Political Education Department, composer Pylyp Kozytskyi. As a result, the symphony was performed... without the first movement! The composer perceived this action as an act of vandalism. In political circles, P. Senytsia was labelled a counter-revolutionary. The performance and publication of his works were banned for decades.
He died in Moscow.
A children's music school in Pereiaslav is named after him.
Works
Works:
operas "Life is a Dream" (after Calderon), "The Hireling" (after Shevchenko, not (completed);
Symphony No. 1 in F major (1905), Symphony No. 2 "Some Poplars" (1912),
eight string quartets, an overture for symphony orchestra,
"Scherzo, Musical Drawing and Song without Words for piano,
two "Dumas" for cello and piano,
"Legend for violin and piano,
choirs, solos (over 50), and arrangements of folk songs.
Senytsia's vocal works are based on the poetry of Taras Shevchenko, Mykhailo Rylsky, P. Tychyna, M. Filyansky, O. Oles, M. Shapoval, and O. Neprytsky-Hranovsky. In the Ukrainian music of the 20th century, Senytsia's works, especially instrumental ones, were of innovative importance.
Folklore studies
Scientific works:
"Modern Ukrainian Music" (1923),
"Ukrainian Vocal Music (1925),
"Ukrainian Folk Songs Recorded in the Volyn Province by M. Nekozachenko" (1926),
"P. Demutsky, a sketch of his life and a critical analysis of his works (1931).
