Ukrainian composer, conductor and choreographer, the first theorist of Ukrainian folk dance. Author of many musicological works, teacher of choral disciplines, theory of music and harmony, choral conductor, singer, choirmaster and choreographer, musical and public figure. Ethnographer. Father of the singer Natalka Kostiv-Saramaga. Honorary citizen of the Valley.
Vasyl Verkhovynets, "... he was not only a highly gifted person," said M. T. Rylskyi, "but also a person of considerable education and broad cultural interests."
Biography
Verkhovynets as Leo in the play "May Night"
Born in the village Mizun (now Stary Mizun, Dolyna district, Ivano-Frankivsk region) on January 5, 1880 in the family of a poor peasant.
At the age of 12, he successfully graduated from a rural school and went to study on a scholarship at the Stavropygian Institute (Lviv), where students were trained for theological and teacher's seminaries.
In 1899, Vasyl Mykolayovych graduated from the teachers' seminary in Sambor with the diploma of "Urban folk teacher" and began teaching as a teacher of singing in the folk schools of the village of Berezhnytsia, and later in Ughrynov of the Kalusa district.
He proves himself to be an excellent choir master and actor. Having transferred to the "Russian People's Theater", he performs on stage with leading parts in musical productions. Vasyl Mykolayovych had a good, composed voice — a lyrical and dramatic tenor.
In 1906, Mykola Karpovych Sadovskyi organized a theater and invited prominent masters of the older generation to work in it, as well as amateurs, among whom was V. M. Verkhovynets, who had to move from Galicia to Kyiv. In 1907, E. Dolya, the future wife of Verkhovynets, a beautiful actress who performed the roles of transvestites, was invited to Sadovskyi's troupe among other actors.
At the Sadovsky Verkhovynets theater, he works on creating stage images. Kiyan was charmed by his tenor and masterful performance in the roles of Peter ("Natalka Poltavka" by M. Lysenko), Andriy ("Zaporozhets z Dunai" by S. Gulak-Artemovskyi), Levka ("May Night" by M. Lysenko), Yontek ("Galka" Monyushka), Vasheka ("The Bartered Bride" by B. Smetana), Andrija ("Kateryna" by M. Arkas).
Later, he switched to choirmaster and conductor work. At the same time, he successfully graduated from the theoretical class of the M. V. Lysenko school under the guidance of Professor G. M. Lyubomyrskyi. For some time, he worked together with the famous choirmaster-conductor O. A. Koshyts. He wrote a large number of choruses, revolutionary marches and romances to the words of L. Ukrainka, I. Franko, O. Oles, M. Rylskyi, P. Tychyna and other Ukrainian poets.
Great achievements of Verkhovynets in the field of choreography. On November 23, 1910, the premiere of Lysenko's comic opera "Aeneid" took place at the Sadovsky Theater. Especially interesting were the freckles of the Carthaginians and hopaks on Olympus in Verkhovynets' production. The dance of young people near the inn, staged by him for I. Franko's drama "Stolen Happiness" (premiered on March 7, 1912), was interesting. Ingeniously composed and staged by Vasyl Mykolayovych, the ceremonial "choirs of freckled girls" in the play "Marusya Boguslavka" were an exceptional success with the audience.
In the spring of 1915, Verkhovynets left Sadovskyi's troupe and moved to the theater under the direction of I. O. Maryanenko. He was a choirmaster-conductor and choreographer in this group.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to visit different parts of Ukraine thanks to the theater's tours, Verhovynets deeply studies the everyday life and creativity of the Ukrainian people. He spent a lot of time researching Ukrainian folk dances, conducting ethnographic research, recording traditional dances and dance steps in Ukrainian villages, he recorded the dances "Roman" and "Hopak", "Vasilykha", "Shevchyk", "Rybka". Vasyl Mykolayovych also recorded a Ukrainian wedding. The book "Ukrainian Wedding" in 1912 became his first scientific work. The second work "Ukrainian Dances" (1913) was the result of persistent searches in the realm of folk dances.
At that time, the situation in the field of choreography was not the best. V. M. Verkhovynets says: "Ukrainian ballet did not yet exist and does not exist, it is still in the people as a material. What we have seen so far on stages, at entertainments and parties is only a weak or bad imitation, and mostly balancing in Ukrainian clothes to the impossibly fast tempo of a Ukrainian Cossack.
In order to create a solid theoretical basis for the further development of national choreography, Verkhovynets wrote the book "Theory of Ukrainian Folk Dance" (1919). It was the first thorough study of the nature and principle of building Ukrainian folk choreography in Ukraine, a study aimed at creating a national professional ballet on a folk basis. "Theory of Ukrainian folk dance" survived 5 reprints. In 1923, another work by V. M. Verkhovynets was published - a collection of children's games with songs "Vesnyanochka", which describes the methodology of working with children.
In 1918, he led the Ukrainian National Choir in Poltava. In 1919 — 1920, Vasyl Verhovynets taught at the Music and Drama Institute named after M. V. Lysenko. In 1920-1932, he headed the Department of Art History of the Poltava Institute of Public Education, the Choir Studioand them Stetsenko at the Music Society named after Leontovych (Kyiv), 1927-1928 — was the director of the choir of the Kharkiv Drama Theater.
Founder and chief choirmaster of the First Ukrainian State Musical Comedy (1929—1931). Productions: "Orpheus in Hell", "Gypsy Baron", "Geisha", "Zaporozhets on the Danube" and the choral performance "Evenings".
In 1930, the Kharkiv Opera Theater staged the first Ukrainian ballet performance "Mr. Kanyovsky" (music by M. Verikyvskyi and Yu. Tkachenko). V. M. Verkhovynets was invited as a co-director of this performance. In the same year, Vasyl Mykolayovych created "Zhinkhorans" in Poltava, a women's collective of theatrical singing. The ensemble performed the song, accompanying it with rhythmic movements that recreated a certain image suggested by the content of the work. It was a new original genre of theatrical song, which was based on the tradition of Ukrainian dialogue songs, game songs, and dances.
P. P. Virskyi wrote: "The achievements of the vocal and choreographic ensemble "Zhinhorans" created by him are our classics, a bright page in the history of Ukrainian choreography. The best traditions of "Zhinkhorance" are sacredly respected by all dance groups of Ukraine, in particular, the State Honored Dance Ensemble of the Ukrainian SSR is educated in these traditions.
In 1933-1934, Ivan Petrovich Kavaleridze worked on the film "Koliivshchyna" at the Odesa Film Studio, and Vasyl Mykolayovych Verkhovynets, who led the choir that was filmed in this film, was also invited here. At the same time, he also participated in the shooting of the film and as an actor.
Arrest and death
In 1927 and 1932, he was arrested twice in Poltava on charges of belonging to the SVO, but due to lack of evidence, he was released. On December 23, 1937, he was arrested again. Verhovynets was accused of crimes as an active member of a counter-revolutionary nationalist organization. After merciless long-term interrogations, Verhovynets pleads guilty and claims that in 1919 in Poltava, he took a direct part in the organization of an insurrection against the Soviet authorities. The investigators stopped at nothing to prove the non-existent guilt of the interrogated. It was emphasized that Verhovynets engaged in an active struggle against the Soviet government during the 20 years of its existence. Vasyl Verkhovynets was accused of espionage for Poland, that he allegedly, during 1928-1930, restored the rebel organization in Poltava and at the same time established contact with the activists of the nationalist organization in Kharkiv.
In 1938 he was arrested. The visiting session of the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR on April 10, 1938 in the city of Kyiv sentenced V. M. Verkhovynets to be shot. The sentence was executed in Kyiv on April 11, 1938.
Only 19 years later, on July 7, 1957, the Union of Composers of Ukraine appealed to the military prosecutor with a request to rehabilitate the composer. On April 25, 1958, Vasyl Verkhovynets was rehabilitated by the Supreme Court of the USSR.
Heritage
for the choir - "Play, kobzaryu" (lyrics by H. Ryabokonia), "Oh, the fern has blossomed" (lyrics. V. Chumak), "Forest bells" (lyrics. P. Tychyny), "Ring, thunder, mighty song!" (sr. D. Zagula), "More hope, brothers!" (words by V. Chumak) and others,
solos and duets to the words of Lesya Ukrainka, I. Franko, O. Olesya, M. Rylskyi, P. Tychyna, etc.,
children's songs;
music for folk dances and theatrical performances;
processing of revolutionary songs;
recording of over 400 Ukrainian folk songs and dances.
Books
"Ukrainian Wedding" (1912);
"Theory of Ukrainian folk dance" by K., 1919 — the first research in Ukrainian choreography;
collection for children "Spring" (X., 1923, 5th ed. 1990).
Memory
In 2021, his fate is presented at the photo-documentary exhibition about repressed theater actors "Names struck out from posters", which is exhibited at the entrance to the territory of the National Historical and Memorial Reserve "Bykivnian Graves".
