Matiuk, Viktor

Matiuk, Viktor [Матюк, Віктор; Matjuk], b 18 February 1852 in Tudorkovychi, Zhovkva circle, Galicia, d 8 April 1912 in Kariv, Rava-Ruska county, Galicia. Composer and musicologist. He studied music and began composing while attending the Peremyshl gymnasium (1873–6) and then had the most fruitful period of his musical activity while at the Lviv seminary (see Greek Catholic Theological Seminary in Lviv) (1876–80). Matiuk composed secular and religious choral music; the cantata Hamaliia to the poetry of Taras Shevchenko; and art songs for solo voice, including ‘Vesnivka’ (Spring Song) to the words by Markiian Shashkevych. He arranged folk songs and musical games, in addition to scoring melodramas such as ‘Kapral Tymko’ (Corporal Tymko), ‘Neshchasna liubov’ (Unlucky Love), ‘Invalid’ (The Invalid), and ‘Nashi poselentsi’ (Our Settlers). He also compiled an anthology of the works of Ukrainian composers titled Boian (The Troubadour, 1884; 2nd edn 1886), wrote school (1886) and church songbooks, and penned many articles on musical topics, among them a biography of Ivan A. Lavrivsky. In his compositions Matiuk continued the musical traditions of the ‘Peremyshl school’ of composers.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 3 (1993).]