Mykola Sylvansky’s Cultural and Pedagogical Activities as A Unique Aspect of His Creative Biography

Abstract

The article focuses on the cultural and pedagogical activity of Mykola Yosypovich Silvanskyi at the general and specialized piano department at the P. I. Tchaikovsky Kyiv Conservatory. The facts of his creative biography are presented on the basis of the studied materials that are stored in the Central Archive-Museum of Literature and Arts of Ukraine also in the archive of the P. I. Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine. Knowledges have also been gained due to the interviews with colleagues, students and relatives of M. Silvanskyi. Mykola Yosypovych's compositional work formed the basis of the cultural-pedagogical activity of the artist, because his works are still actively performed both by professional pianists and by students of conservatories at various stages of learning to play the piano. The personal qualities of the artist, which are described in the article, are important for the comprehensive characterization of his cultural and pedagogical activity. The features of his individual performance style are outlined as the features of a pianist with a romantic orientation (this is evidenced by concert programs found in archival posters). The repertoire policy of M. Silvanskyi in the class of general and specialized piano is described, as well as its inextricable relationship with his stage performance and compositional work. The study determines the factors that form the didactic principles of teaching students to play the piano, leading among which was the principle of practical demonstration of the most effective methods aimed at achieving the desired results (borrowed from Ya. Flier during his studies at the P. I. Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory). It is proven that a whole generation of student composers, studying with Mykola Yosypovych in the general piano class, formed artistic and aesthetic values that became leading in their further creative activity and influenced the development of Ukrainian piano music of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The need for further study and understanding of the significance of M. Silvanskyi's creative activity for a better understanding of the artist's role in the development of Ukrainian musical culture is emphasized.