Almashi Zoltan. Biography

Stefania Turkevych (1898-1977) was born in L’viv, one of the cultural epicenters of Galicia. During her lifetime, Galicia was part of the Austrian Empire, then Poland, then part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. This region bore the marks of Austrian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Russian, and Polish influence and would soon witness the rise of the Soviet state. Turkevych’s father and grandfather were priests, and her mother was a pianist. Turkevych herself played piano, harp, and harmonium.1 Her prodigious talent led her to study in Vienna (1914-16; 1921-25), at the L’viv Conservatory (1918-19), and at the Prague Conservatory and the Ukrainian Free University in Prague (1930-34). Her early education was remarkably cosmopolitan.

Turkevych’s compositional language is unique.
Although one can hear the technical influence of Schoenberg and can detect certain expressionist tendencies, her music is generally quite lyrical, with occasional folk influence. This is typical of Turkevych’s style: she walks the line between tonality and expressionism—especially in her art songs—occasionally incorporating elements of pointillism and impressionism.
 
Turkevych displayed an early proclivity for composition. During her time at the L’viv Conservatory, she composed a series of liturgical works for the choir at St. George’s Cathedral, the mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.6 Shortly after marrying the rising Ukrainian-German expressionist painter Robert Lisowski in 1925,7 Turkevych moved to Berlin and studied composition privately with Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) and Franz Shreker (1878-1934). Turkevych earned a PhD in Musicology from the Ukrainian Free University in Prague in 1934, becoming the first woman from Galicia to receive a doctorate. Her boldly nationalistic dissertation was entitled “Ukrainian Folklore in Russian Operas.” She is now considered Ukraine’s first female composer.8 Immediately after receiving her PhD, Turkevych returned to L’viv, where she taught at the L’viv National Music Academy (sometimes called the L’viv Conservatory). She maintained this position until 1939, when she began working as a coach and accompanist at the L’viv National Opera alongside her sister, Irina Martynec (an opera singer). It was here that the two sisters met prima ballerina Daria NyzankiwskaSnihurowycz, who would become an important co-collaborator both in Ukraine and on Canadian soil more than 30 years later (for the premiere of Turkevych’s 1969 operaballet, Серце Оксани).
The 1940s through the 1970s represent Turkevych’s most prolific compositional period. Her Ukrainian-language operas from this era are particularly worthy of note— among them Серце Оксани (The Heart of Oksana), which was commissioned in 1969 by the Winnipeg division of Prosvita. This organization, founded in late nineteenth-century Ukraine to promote Ukrainian culture through literature, scholarship, and the arts, later took root in Canada
Turkevych displayed an early proclivity for composition. During her time at the L’viv Conservatory, she composed a series of liturgical works for the choir at St. George’s Cathedral, the mother church of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.6 Shortly after marrying the rising Ukrainian-German expressionist painter Robert Lisowski in 1925,7 Turkevych moved to Berlin and studied composition privately with Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) and Franz Shreker (1878-1934). Turkevych earned a PhD in Musicology from the Ukrainian Free University in Prague in 1934, becoming the first woman from Galicia to receive a doctorate. Her boldly nationalistic dissertation was entitled “Ukrainian Folklore in Russian Operas.” She is now considered Ukraine’s first female composer.8 Immediately after receiving her PhD, Turkevych returned to L’viv, where she taught at the L’viv National Music Academy (sometimes called the L’viv Conservatory). She maintained this position until 1939, when she began working as a coach and accompanist at the L’viv National Opera alongside her sister, Irina Martynec (an opera singer). It was here that the two sisters met prima ballerina Daria NyzankiwskaSnihurowycz, who would become an important co-collaborator both in Ukraine and on Canadian soil more than 30 years later (for the premiere of Turkevych’s 1969 operaballet, Серце Оксани).

Zenon Dashak. Biography

Zenon Oleksijovych Dashak (1928, Stryi - 1993, Lviv, buried in Stryi) - an outstanding Ukrainian violist, founder of the Ukrainian viola school, composer, teacher, art historian, public figure. Thanks to the artistic developments of Z. Dashak, the viola began to be interpreted as a full-fledged solo instrument on par with violin or cello.

He received his primary musical education in Stryi, studying the violin with the famous educationist Olga Zayats. In 1946-1951. studied at the Lviv State Conservatory named after M. V. Lysenko (now the Lviv National Music Academy named after M. V. Lysenko) in the violin class of Pavlo Makarenko. He studied at the graduate school of the Kyiv State P. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory (1951–1954), defended his dissertation there and stayed to teach, founding a viola class. Progressed from Senior Lecturer to Vice-Rector. Despite administrative functions, he did not stop playing music, collaborated with famous ensembles and performers (he performed as part of a string quartet with Oleksiy Gorokhov, Vadim Chernov, and others).

       In 1965, Dashak headed the Lviv State Conservatory named after. M. V. Lysenko (1965-1991). During these years, he repeatedly stood up for students and workers, protecting them from the KGB persecution.

            In 1965, at the initiative of Z. Dashak, a string quartet was created at the conservatory, consisting of Alexander Derkach (violin), Bogdan Kaskiv (violin), Kharytyna Kolessa (cello), and Zenon Dashak (viola). Lydia Shutko, Tetiana Shupyana, Tetiana Sirotyuk, Yuri Lanyuk also played in this group. Sometimes, forming a quintet, they were joined by the Ukrainian pianist Oleg Krishtalsky. The quartet had many programs in its repertoire, which consisted of works by foreign and Ukrainian composers, in particular, Stanislav Lyudkevich, Borys Lyatoshinsky, Vasyl Barvinsky, Mykola Kolessa, Myroslav Skoryk. These programs were successfully performed during tours in the USSR and abroad. Thanks to the initiative and efforts of the Lviv String Quartet in 1978, a cycle of concerts "Creativity of Composers of Modern Lviv '' was organized.

        From 1981 to 1993, Dashak headed the Department of Bowed String Instruments, worked fruitfully as a viola teacher, brought up a whole constellation of first-class violists, in particular Dmytro Komonok, Yuri Daletsky, Dmytro Gavrilts, Gennadiy Freydin, and others.

As a composer, he wrote mainly pedagogical works, he is the author of 15 collections of pedagogical repertoire for viola and violin, collections of scales, exercises and etudes, arrangements and translations for viola. The author of "Ukrainian Suite" for viola and piano, "Variations" for violin (viola) and piano.

             He died in 1993 in Lviv, was buried in his motherland, in Stryi.
 

Translated by Lyudmyla Shkurak
Curator Olesya Tatarovska, Lviv National University

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Зенон Дашак. Біографія

Зенон Олексійович Дашак (1928, м. Стрий - 1993, м. Львів, похований у Стрию) – видатний український альтист, засновник української альтової школи, композитор, педагог, мистецтвознавець, суспільно-громадський діяч. Завдяки мистецьким напрацюванням Б. Дашака, альт стали трактувати як повноцінний сольний інструмент на рівні скрипки чи віолончелі.
Початкову музичну освіту отримав в Стрию, навчаючись на скрипці у відомої педагогині Ольги Заяць. В 1946-1951 рр. навчався у Львівській державній консерваторії ім. М. В. Лисенка (тепер Львівська національна музична академія ім. М. В. Лисенка) по класу скрипки у Павла Макаренка. Навчався в аспірантурі Київської державної  консерваторії  імені П. І. Чайковського (1951-1954), там же захистив дисертацію та залишився викладати, заснувавши клас альта. Пройшов шлях від старшого викладача до проректора.
Незважаючи на адміністративні функції, не переставав музикувати, співпрацював з відомими ансамблями та виконавцями (виступав у складі струнного квартету з Олексієм Гороховим, Вадимом Червовим та ін). 
В 1965 р. з ініціативи З. Дашака при консерваторії створено струнний квартет у складі: Олександра Деркач (скрипка), Богдан Каськів (скрипка), Харитина Колесса (віолончель) та Зенон Дашак (альт). У цьому колективі грали також Лідія Шутко, Тетяна Шуп'яна, Тетяна Сиротюк, Юрій Ланюк. Інколи, утворюючи квінтет, до них приєднувався видатний український піаніст Олег Криштальський. Квартет у своєму репертуарі мав багато програм, які складались з творів зарубіжних та українських композиторів, зокрема Станіслава Людкевича, Бориса Лятошинського, Василя Барвінського, Миколи Колесси. Мирослава Скорика. Ці програми успішно виконувались під час гастрольних турне в СРСР та за кордоном. Завдяки ініціативі та зусиллям Львівського струнного квартету в 1978 р. зорганізовано цикли концертів «Творчість композиторів сучасного Львова».

З 1981 по 1993 роки З. Дашак очолював кафедру струнно-смичкових інструментів, плідно працював як педагог гри на альті, виховав цілу плеяду першокласних альтистів, зокрема Дмитра Комонька, Юрія Далецького, Дмитра Гаврильця, Генадія Фрейдіна та інших.

Як композитор писав переважно педагогічні твори, є автором  15-ти збірників педагогічного репертуару для альта та скрипки, збірників гам, вправ та етюдів, обробок та перекладів для альта. Автор «Української сюїти» для альта і фортепіано, «Варіацій» для скрипки (альта) і фортепіано.

Помер у 1993 р. у Львові, похований на батьківщині, в Стрию.

Над текстом працювали експертки Галицького Музичного Товариства: Любов Кияновська, Тереса Мазепа, Наталія Сиротинська

Література:
Дика Н. Творчий портрет Зенона Дашака в контексті українського камерно-інструментального ансамблевого виконавства (до 80-х роковин від дня народження) // Вісник Прикарпатського національного університету імені Василя Стефаника. Мистецтвознавство. Випуск 17-18. Івано-Франківськ, 2009-2010. С. 291-295.