Leontovich, Nikolai

Born Dec. 1 (13), 1877, in the village of Monastyrek, now in Nemirovo Raion, Vinnitsa Oblast; died Jan. 23, 1921, in the village of Markovka, now in Vinnitsa Oblast. Soviet composer, choral director, public figure, and educator.

Leonotovich worked as a teacher and taught choral singing in Vinnitsa, Tul’chin, and Kiev. He composed classic examples of Ukrainian choral music. He did more than 200 adaptations of Ukrainian folk songs (chiefly a capella), as well as of revolutionary and Russian songs; he also composed several original choral pieces. Leontovich’s choral miniatures are outstanding examples of folk song adaptation; they are widely performed by professional and amateur groups. His creative principles have been adopted by many Ukrainian composers.