Fedir Stepanovych Yakymenko (Latin: Fedir Stepanovych Yakymenko, French: Théodore Akimenko, 20 February 1876, Pisky - 3 January 1945, Paris) was a Ukrainian composer, pianist and teacher. He was the brother of the Ukrainian composer Yakiv Stepovyi (pseudonym Yakiv Yakymenko).
He comes from the village of Pisky near Kharkiv. At the age of ten, Yakymenko was selected for the Court Chapel in St. Petersburg. In 1886-1895, he studied piano with the Russian composer and pianist Milius Balakirev. In 1900, he graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory (composition class of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Anatoly Lyadov). From 1897 he worked as a teacher at the conducting courses of the Court Chapel. Later he became the director of music schools in Tbilisi in the Caucasus (1901-1903) and in Nice (France, 1903-1906). In 1914, he was invited to teach composition and music theory at the St Petersburg Conservatoire (he worked there until 1923). Among his students was the outstanding twentieth-century composer Igor Stravinsky.
After a short stay in Kharkiv, from 1924 he worked for some time as a professor of music at the Ukrainian Drahomanov Higher Pedagogical Institute in Prague. His "Practical Course in the Science of Harmony in Two Parts with a Problem Book" (Prague, 1925) was published at that time. Among his students were Zynoviy Lysko, Mykola Kolessa, and others. In addition to teaching, Yakymenko performed as a concert pianist and choir conductor. Since 1928, he lived in France (Nice, Paris), where he died. He was buried in Paris at the Batignolles Cemetery (field 29).
Creativity.
The composer Yakymenko is one of the prominent representatives of the neo-romantic trend in twentieth-century music with a noticeable influence of impressionism. The works of Fyodor Yakymenko are marked by some influence of the modernist movement that was contemporary to him. Instrumental music occupies a prominent place in his oeuvre: two symphonies, symphonic poems, an orchestral suite, an overture, a string trio, a cello sonata, violin sonatas, and numerous piano works (sonatas, fantasy sonatas, the Ukrainian Suite, preludes, and etudes). Some of Yakymenko's works are based on the melodies of Ukrainian folk songs. Yakymenko is the author of numerous solos (including one based on the words of Oleksandr Oles), church pieces ("Our Father", "Cherubic", etc.) and choral arrangements of Ukrainian folk songs. Many of Yakymenko's works were published by German, French, Russian, and Ukrainian publishers. A significant part of them is kept in the collections of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine and the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BNF).
Works
Opera "The Snow Fairy", ballet (title unknown),
"Lyrical Poem for orchestra,
Ouverture for orchestra
Two Pieces for Violin and Piano Op. 9
Éclogue in F minor for English horn (or viola or violin) and piano, Op. 12 (1900)
Romance in E minor for viola and piano, Op. 13 (1902)
Little Ballade for clarinet and piano (1903)
"Idyll for flute and piano Op. 14
"Lullaby for piano Op. 15
"On the Edge of the Fire" for piano, Op. 28
"Two Fantastic Sketches" for piano, Op. 33
Sonata for violin and piano,
Pieces for piano
"Fantastic Sonata" for piano
The works of the Prague and Paris periods of the composer's career are marked by a great interest in Ukrainian themes and subjects:
Op. 71 - Six Ukrainian Pieces for piano 4 hands (6 Pieces ukrainiennes, for piano 4 hands (Paris, 1925)
Op. 81 - First Symphonic Ballet "On the Ukrainian Hills" for large orchestra (Premier Ballet symphonique // (Sur les collines de l'Ukraine) // pour grand orchestre (manuscript, sans date, French National Library. Revised May-June 1935, as with Op.84 below).
Op.90 - Seven melodies 7 (manuscript) Melodies (Ukrainian texts by Natalia Lik?) (manuscript)
Op.91 - Romances and Songs after Ukrainian poems (Belaïeff, 1937)
A number of instrumental pieces, romances, quartet, trio, piano pieces based on Ukrainian songs.
A collection of song arrangements for choir.
List of works by F. Yakymenko on IMSLP
