Leonid Antonovych Usachov (b. 10 June 1899, Chervone - d. 1965, Dnipro) was a Ukrainian Soviet composer and conductor.
Biography
Leonid Usachov was born on 10 June 1899 in the village of Chervone, Oleksandriia district, Kherson province (now Kirovohrad region, Ukraine) into a teacher's family. In 1919-1923, he studied at the Kharkiv Music and Drama Institute, majoring in vocal, choral conducting and composing (teacher - A. Koreshchenko). For some time he studied singing with F. Bugamelli.
In 1923-1928, he taught music and directed the choir of the Oleksandriia Pedagogical College. In 1928, he organised an amateur choral group, from which the State Choir "Dniprelstan" grew. In 1928-1948, he was the director of the choir in Zaporizhzhia, and since 1948 - the choir of the Dnipro Philharmonic.
He died in 1965 in Dnipro.
Works
Author of
opera-ballet "The Chirping Fly" (1945);
"Heroic Poem" for symphony orchestra (1944);
"Thoughts on the Zaporozhian Sich" for soloists of choir and orchestra (1961);
unaccompanied choruses to the words of Taras Shevchenko, Alexander Pushkin, and Mykhailo Rylsky;
romances (about 100);
music for theatre performances.
