Lysko, Zinovii.

Zinovii Lysko was born on November 11, 1895 in the village Rakobuty, Kamianka-Strumylova county (since 1944 Kamianka-Buzka), Galicia. He completed his gymnasium studies in Lviv in 1913, and then began studies at Lviv University in the faculty of philosophy. From 1906 to 1914 he also studied piano and theory at the Lysenko Higher Institute of Music under M. Krynytska and S. Liudkevych. The onset of World War I interrupted Lyskos studies. He joined the Sich Riflemen, participated in battles against the Bolshevik and Polish armies, and was captured and held prisoner in the Polish camp Dombie from 1918 to 1919. Following his release, he returned to Lviv where he finished his studies in Slavistics and history at the Lviv Underground Ukrainian University (1922), and where he continued privately his studies in music and composition with V. Barvinskyi. In 1922 Lysko moved to Prague where he furthered his music education, studying composition under F. Iakymenko, then musicology under Z. Nejedly at Charles University (1926). While in Prague he also received a doctorate at the Ukrainian Free University with a dissertation on S. Hulak-Artemovskyis opera Zaporozhian Cossack beyond the Danube (1928), and completed studies under K. B. Irak (1927) and J. Suk (1929) at the State Conservatory of Czechoslovakia.

Lysko began his teaching career at the Ukrainian Higher Pedagogical Institute in Prague (1924-1929). When he returned to Ukraine, Lysko continued his pedagogical work at the Kharkiv Conservatory (1930-1931), the Lysenko Higher Institute of Music (Stryi, 1931-1938; Lviv, 1939), and the Lviv Conservatory (1940-1944). During his time in Galicia he also was editor-in-chief of the journal Ukraïns'ka muzyka (1937-1939), a member of the Union of Ukrainian Professional Musicians (1934-1939), and assistant director of the Music Commission of the Shevchenko Scientific Society. After the Second World War Lysko lived in Germany (Mittenwald, 1946-1950; Munich, 1950-1960). While in Mittenwald he organized, directed and taught at the DP camps music school, and became the inspector of all Ukrainian music schools in Germany.

In 1960 Lysko and his wife Eudokia (nee Chebanenko in 1896, Pishchanka, Podilia guberniia) emigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. He directed (1961-1962) and taught (1961-1969) at the Ukrainian Music Institute of America. Lysko became a full member of the Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1961, and the Shevchenko Scientific Society in 1963.

In his work and interests Lysko allied himself with Ukraines school of national music as founded by Mykola Lysenko (1842-1912), a devotee of Ukrainian folk music. Lyskos compositions include orchestral, chamber, piano, and choral works, as well arrangements of Ukrainian folk songs. He also wrote reference works, textbooks, bio-historical studies, and articles on folk music. His published works include Muzychnyi slovnyk (Stryi, 1933) and Ukraïns'kyi muzychnyi leksykon (Mittenwald, 1947), as well as numerous articles and reviews in journals such as Ukraïns'ka muzyka, Novi shliakhy, Nasha kultura, Die Musik, and Ukraïns'kyi samostiinyk .

Lyskos greatest contribution to the study of Ukrainian music is his work as compiler and editor. This work includes a compilation of arrangements of Ukrainian songs for chorus, Spivanyk Chervonoi kalyny (Lviv, 1937); a collection of religious works by O. Koshyts (New York, 1970); and the collection, analysis, and systematization of 11, 447 Ukrainian folk songs in the 10-volume Ukraïns'ki narodni melodii (New York-Toronto, 1964-1994). This last work represents the largest collected body of folk songs from Eastern Europe. This undertaking took many years to complete (1947-1961), and incorporated methods developed by I. Krohn, B. Bartand F. Kolessa.

Lysko died on June 3, 1969 and was buried at the Ukrainian Orthodox Cemetery in Bound Brook, New Jersey.

From the guide to the Papers, 1913-1981., (Ukrainian Research Institute Library, Harvard University)