Fedir Stepanovych Yakymenko (Ukrainian: Федір Степанович Якименко; 8 February 1876 – 3 January 1945) was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, and teacher.

Early life

Yakymenko was born in the village of Pisky, Kharkov Governorate, Russian Empire. His father was a church cantor, and he and his two brothers grew up in a musical environment.^[1] His brother Yakiv Stepovy also became a composer.

Education

At 10 years old, Yakymenko was selected to join the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella^[1] where he studied under Anatoly Lyadov and Mily Balakirev and completed a course in the theory of composition, taught by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He graduated from the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1900.^[2]

Career

In 1897, Yakymenko began to work as a teacher on the conducting courses at the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella. In 1901-02 he briefly taught music theory to Igor Stravinsky.^[3] Subsequently, he was conductor of the music school in Tbilisi (1901-1903) and then became director of the music school in Nice (1903-1906).

In 1912, Yakymenko moved to Moscow, where he performed as pianist and as conductor at concerts organised by Serge Koussevitzky.^[1]

Two years later, Yakymenko returned to Saint Petersburg.^[1] In 1917, he became a member of the Ukrainian Literary and Artistic Society in Petrograd.^[1] He became a Professor at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1919, teaching composition and music theory, and continued there until 1923.^[1] He also contributed to the Russian Musical Gazette.

Yakymenko became director of the Kharkov branch of the Russian Musical Society. After a short stay in Kharkiv, teaching at the Kharkiv Music College, in 1924 he worked for some time as a professor of music at the Ukrainian Drahomanov Higher Pedagogical Institute in Prague as head and professor of the music department.^[1] Among his students were Zynoviy Lysko and Mykola Kolessa. In addition to teaching, Yakymenko performed as a concert pianist and choir conductor, actively involved and performing in the Ukrainian diaspora's musical life.^[1][4] Yakymenko's musical output during this time was very connected to Ukraine, including arrangements of folk songs and other pieces dedicated to Ukraine.^[1]

From 1928, Yakymenko lived in France, initially settling in Nice and then in Paris.^[4] In 1932 Yakymenko was made vice-director of the Russian Conservatory, founded by Yevgeny Gunst in Paris.^[1] Financial hardship linked to the rise of Nazism, economic crisis, and World War II led to the closure of the conservatory, and Yakymenko was left without employment.^[1] Publishers who had previously printed his works also ceased operation.^[1]

Personal life

During his years teaching and living in Europe, Yakymenko immersed himself in artistic circles, inspired by Debussy and Ravel, becoming acquainted with Alexander Scriabin and Michel-Dimitri Calvocoressi, performing as a pianist, and composing his own works.^[5]

Yakymenko supported the Ukrainian liberation movement and Ukrainian nation-building, was very involved in Ukrainian diaspora during his time abroad, and his work has many references to and themes from Ukrainian culture.^[1]

Yakymeko spent his final years in Paris, where he died suddenly on January 3, 1945.^[1][4] He was buried at the Batignolles Cemetery.^[4] His gravestone reads "Fedir Yakymenko — Ukrainian composer.".^[1]

Musical style

Yakymenko's compositions can be described as modernist or neo-romantic, with influences from symbolism, impressionism, cosmogony, and mysticism.^[1] Yakymenko's works have been described as "refined" and "poetic",^[2] with "French influences that combine with Ukrainian musical language".^[6]

Yakymenko was also inspired by astronomy, and in 1904 he became a member of the French Astronomical Society.^[1][5]

References