Dmitri Stepanovich Bortnyansky (Composer)

Born: 28th October 1751, Hlukhiv, Ukraine

Died: 10th October 1825, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Nationality: Russian

Dmitry Stepanovich Bortniansky was a Russian and Ukrainian composer, harpsichordist and conductor, who served at the court of Catherine the Great. Bortniansky was critical to the musical history of both Ukraine and Russia, with both nations claiming him as their own.

Bortniansky, who has been compared to Palestrina, is known today for his liturgical works and his 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.