Vasyl Hryhorovych Zavadskyi (1863-1918) was a Ukrainian composer, choral conductor, and teacher.
He was born in Chyhyryn, Chyhyryn district, Kyiv province (now Cherkasy region). He graduated from the Odesa Theological Seminary. He worked as a regent at the schools at Novorossiysk University in Odesa. At the same time, he staged children's operas in educational institutions.
His son, Vasyl Zavadskyi, was a composer, conductor, pianist, and music critic.
He died in 1918 in Chyhyryn, according to another version (to be investigated) on August 20, 1917 in Cherkasy [source?] He was buried in the Holy Trinity Church according to the Orthodox rite and was buried in the city cemetery. The burial place is unknown.
He toured cities: Ananiev, Yelisavethrad (now Kropyvnytskyi), Kyiv (1901-1902), Odesa, and Kharkiv. His repertoire included fairy-tale operas: "The Orphan, The Little Red Riding Hood, The Snow Maiden, Puss in Boots, and Little Finger Boy (1903).
In 1904, the 45-person choir he created made its debut in Odesa. From 1905 to 1915, the chapel gave about 3000 concerts, popularizing mostly Russian and Western European music. The repertoire included works by M. Glinka, A. Borodin, P. Tchaikovsky, A. Rubinstein, A. Arensky, A. Varlamov, J. Haydn, and Ch. Gounod, as well as his own compositions and arrangements of Russian and Ukrainian folk songs. Together with the chapel, Vasyl Zavadskyi toured Russia, Belarus, the Baltic States, and Central Asia.
On May 21, 1910, a large concert of the choral chapel conducted by V. Zavadskyi took place in Tsaritsyn. The program included choral works by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, A. Rubinstein, A. Borodin, A. Grechaninov, A. Arensky, A. Varlamov, and Ch. Gounod. Along with the classics, the concert featured convict songs recorded by Zavadsky during a concert tour of Siberia and Transbaikalia (Tsaritsynska mysl. - 1910. - May 21).
1913 - toured Cherkasy, Zolotonosha, and Uman.
A note from December 9, 1913, left during a concert in Warsaw in Ukrainian:
"First of all, we have noticed that the Ukrainian numbers performed by your choir are most liked by the public and, perhaps because the Ukrainian song is native to you and your choir, are characterized by greater sensitivity and sincerity in their performance. How wonderful your choir would look if it were dressed in Ukrainian costumes! If you were to make your choir Ukrainian in appearance and in essence, singing our rich, charming songs, we would welcome you as our own. With sincere respect for you..."
In 1915-1918, he was engaged in the reform of singing in Russian schools. He consistently advocated the nationalization of music education. His idea of organizing folk singing and orchestral communities in the countryside was approved by the Ministry of Public Education. Vasyl Zavadskyi created a methodology for teaching singing and successfully used it in his pedagogical and concert practice. As a teacher, he wrote about the introduction of game techniques into teaching methods, shared his experience of vocal and choral work, which included exercises to develop breathing, improve singers' diction, including reading poems in different tones with consonants highlighted, which develops voice power and hearing.
