Bortniansky, Dimitri Stepanovich

1752-1825

A Russian composer and choirmaster, to whom belongs the credit of reducing Russian church music to a system. He was born at Gloukoff, a village of Russian-Poland, studied music under Galuppi in St. Petersburg and Venice, and continued his musical education at Rome, Naples, and Bologna. An opera, Quinto Fabio, was produced at Modena in 1778, his Creonte having been given in Venice two years earlier. In 1779 he returned to Russia and was appointed director of the Empress' Church choir; in which he instituted many reforms, writing for the choir a mass and over forty concertos. Bortniansky was the author of much church music, and his compositions rank high. Tschaikowsky edited a complete edition of his works in ten volumes.