Dmitry Bortniansky

Dmitry Bortniansky
Дмитрий Бортнянский
Portrait by Mikhail Belsky (1788)
Born
Dmitry Stepanovich Bortniansky

(1751-10-28)28 October 1751
Died10 October 1825(1825-10-10) (aged 73)
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Resting placeTikhvin Cemetery, Saint Petersburg
EraClassical

Dmitry Stepanovich Bortniansky (28 October 1751 – 10 October [O.S. 28 September] 1825) was a Russian composer of Ukrainian Cossack origin. He was also a harpsichordist and conductor who served at the court of Catherine the Great. Bortniansky was critical to the musical history of both Russia and Ukraine, with both nations claiming him as their own.

Bortniansky, who has been compared to Palestrina, is known today for his liturgical works and prolific contributions to the genre of choral concertos. He was one of the "Golden Three" of his era, alongside Artemy Vedel and Maxim Berezovsky. Bortniansky was so popular in the Russian Empire that his figure was represented in 1862 in the bronze monument of the Millennium of Russia in the Novgorod Kremlin. He composed in many different musical styles, including choral compositions in French, Italian, Latin, German, and Church Slavonic.