Oleksandr Bilash

Oleksandr Bilash
Born	March 6, 1931(1931-03-06) Gradizhsk, Ukraine
Died	May 6, 2003(2003-05-06) Kiev, Ukraine
Occupations	Composer
Years active	1956–2003

Oleksandr Bilash (also spelt Olexander Bilash, Aleksandr Bilash, Ukrainian: Олександр Іванович Білаш, Russian: Александр Иванович Билаш) (March 6, 1931 Gradizhsk, Ukraine - May 6, 2003 Kiev, Ukraine) was a renowned Ukrainian composer, the author of popular liric songs, ballads, operas, operettas, oratorios and music for films. Laureate of the Taras Shevchenko State Award (1975), People's Artist of Ukraine (1977), People's Artist of the Soviet Union (1990). Hero of Ukraine (2001).

Biography

Oleksandr Bilash was born on March 6, 1931 in the town of Gradizhsk, Ukraine (now Globinsky district of Poltava region, Ukraine ) to a family of skilled amateur musicians. Father Ivan Afanasievich Bilash played balalaika and guitar, his mother Evdokia Andreevna was a solo singer at rural gatherings.^[1]

After studying for a year in the Kiev music school for adults, Oleksandr traveled to the city of Zhitomir where he entered the second year of the V. Kosenko Music School . In 1951 Bilash had successfully passed the entrance examinations to the Composition faculty (Composition department) of the Kiev State Conservatory (now The Tchaikovsky National Academy of Music), He studied composition with the outstanding Ukrainian composer and teaching professor Mykola Vilinsky. Oleksandr Bilash graduated from the Kiev State Conservatory in 1957.

In 1956 -1961 Bilash worked as an Instructor of music theory at the Kiev Pedagogical Institute (Kiev Teathers training Institute, now Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University). Already in that period Bilash had emerged as a preeminent and prolific Ukrainian composer who had contributed immensely to variety of musical genres and styles. Remarkably many of his liric songs had found their way to the people hearts and minds and became very popular in Ukraine. His liric songs had become a part of the 'golden fund' of Ukrainian national culture and many of them are perceived as folk ones.^[2] He composed opera "Haydamaky" ( 1965 ), "The Ballad of War" ( 1971 ), "The Grooms" ( 1985 ), operetta "The Legend of Kiev", "The Bells of Russia". Bilash was the author of music to numerous movies. Notably one of them - "Roman and Francesca" (1960)^[3] with the celebrated liric songs by Bilash^[4] was the first soviet film (musical) where love between soviet sailor and foreign girl was not criminalized. At the time of Chernobyl nuclear accident in April 1986, popular liric song "Dva kolori" (Two colors) composed by Oleksandr Bilash sounded like a revelation.^[5]

In 1976 - 1994 Bilash served as the Chairman of the Kiev branch of the Union of Composers of Ukraine. Oleksandr Bilash was one of the most regarded Ukrainian composers and his creative work was highly recognized. Among others Bilash received State Taras Shevchenko Award (1975), titles of People's Artist of Ukraine (1977) and People's Artist of the Soviet Union(1990). In March 2001 the honorable title of the Hero of Ukraine (the highest State degree of recognition in Ukraine) was bestowed upon Oleksandr Bilash for his 'outstanding personal contribution to the enrichment of the spiritual treasures of the Ukrainian people and many years of fruitful creative activity' (March, 6 2001).^[6] His wife was famous Ukrainian singer Larisa Ostapenko-Bilash (1935–2010 ) with whom he had two daughters Lesya and Oksana. Oleksandr Bilash died on May 6, 2003 in Kiev. He was buried at the Baikove Cemetery in Kiev, the burial place of the Ukrainian elite.^[7]

Notes

1. ^ For biography see Oleksandr Bilash / I. Nemyrovych in References
2. ^ See Olexandr Bilash. Dva kol'ory. (Two Colors) in References
3. ^ See Oleksandr Bilash in the Internet Movie Database in References
4. ^ "Vpaly rosy na pokosy"(Dew fell on the meadows)
5. ^ Lubov' i Pechal'(Love and Grief)
6. ^ Oleksandr Bilash, Hero of Ukraine, 'Who is Who' in Ukraine
7. ^ Oleksandr Bilash tomb, Baikove Cemetery

Selected Works

References

1. Oleksandr Bilash / I. Nemyrovych. Kyïv : Muzychna Ukraïna, 1979.
2. O. Bilash- Pesnja Ladi-Ukrainian song
3. Stephania Romaniuk (Canada) sings Dva Kol'ory / Два Кольори / Two Colors
4. Oleksandr Bilash in New York Public Library
5. Olexandr Bilash. Dva kol'ory. (Two Colors)
6. Olexander Bilash/The Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Bilash, Oleksandr
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	March 6, 1931
Place of birth
Date of death	May 6, 2003
Place of death