Friends!

Today is the truly significant day - 175 years ago, was born Mykola Lysenko - Ukrainian consummate composer, founder of Ukrainian classical music.

He is the author of unsurpassed masterpieces as the opera "Taras Bulba", "Nedorosl" music anthem "Prayer for Ukraine" and "Eternal revolutionary."

Mykola was born in 1842 in the village Grinko in Poltava province in the family of a nobleman Vitaly Lysenko. The mother of Nicholas graduated from the Institute for Noble Maidens, spoke French perfectly, she taught her son to play the piano. He studied first at Kharkiv school - a privileged place. Nicholas did not stop to admire music and devoted all his spare time to improve skills in playing the piano. Soon he became well-known pianist, he was invited to play at various events. The guy even then performed not only the classics, but also improvise on the theme of Ukrainian folk songs.

After high school he entered the natural separation of Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Kharkov University, but in a a year because of financial difficulties in the family he moved to Kyiv, so Mykola was transferred to the University of Kiev. While studying, Lysenko was into the atmosphere of patriotism that prevailed at the university. He was interested in all Ukrainian, was part of the association "Kiev Community". And yet – there he has started to led his first choir. Mykola graduated from university in 1864, defended his thesis "On the chaff of reproduction of the filamentous algae." Already as a candidate of science, he has been appointed as the assistant to the conciliator at the Tarascha county. And in a year he realized that it was not his vocation. So he returned to Kyiv and became a music teacher.

Mykola Lysenko later studied at conservatories in Leipzig and St. Petersburg. Although he learned a lot, tried to dive into anything that would help his development, Lysenko was an active promoter of Ukrainians in Europe. Not surprisingly, it took quite some time, and on the 28th of December, 1867 in Prague Mykola Lysenko played an extremely successful concert. The main "highlight" of the evening were Ukrainian songs under new arrangements of Lysenko.

In a year happened another important event in his life – the wedding. Olga O'Connor was the daughter of landowners of Scots-French origin. They lived nearby, and during Lysenko’s visit in the summer to home – they got married. He took her with him to Leipzig, then - to St. Petersburg. Together the couple had lived for 12 years, but they could not have children. So they divorced, although unofficially. It is believed that the song "When the two are parted" Lysenko dedicated to his first wife.

Although the composer could stay and work abroad and became a star there, for the music world in Ukraine was less developed, Mykola Lysenko returned home. In 1880 he began to write one of his most important works - the opera "Taras Bulba." Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Peter Tchaikovsky believed that it is more than worthy and must be presented at the Imperial stage, but on one condition - "It has to be, of course, in Russian language." Lysenko did not want it and never saw the premiere of his own eyes. He even did not finish the orchestration of the work, and it was put - 44 years after writing.

Muse for further creativity of Lysenko became his second wife - Olga Lipska. She wanted to join the conservatory and wanted to learn to play the piano. And instead she found love. Mykola and Olga began to live together, she bore him five children. She died in 1900 at the birth of the last one- Taras. For Lysenko it was difficult even to adopt his own children. Since they were not married descendants were considered illegal. And his first wife have put all possible efforts, so he was able to get all rights.

In 1904 Lysenko opened in Kyiv Music and Drama School, and in 1908 founded and headed the "Ukrainian Club". He was not only Ukrainian-composer №1, lobbyist of Ukrainian culture in the world, but its central figure. His guests were Ivan Franko, Lesia Ukrainka, Michael Kotsiubynsky Mykola Sadovsky and others. Most of all Mykola Lysenko and his work suffered from censorship.

Mykola Lysenko died on the 24th of October, 1912. It was autumn, he woke up, was going to go to the music and drama school, and suddenly had a heart attack. In a half an hour he died. Maestro had not been buried for five days – so long gathered his family and friends. Great Ukrainian composer's last journey was escorted by thousands of people. Time has passed, but now in the hearts of all Ukrainian his name and works -are still known, loved and respected.