Arsenii Kotliarevskyi and St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Kyiv: Strokes to the History of the National House of Organ and Chamber Music

Author

Sheremeta Iryna

A junior research fellow at the Musicology and Ethnomusicology Department of M. Rylskyi Institute of Art Studies, Folkloristics and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8484-2026

Arsenii Kotliarevskyi and St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Kyiv:
Strokes to the History of the National House of Organ and Chamber Music

Abstract

The activities of Arsenii Kotliarevskyi in establishing the National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine, based on the Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv, are described in the article. This church has been built in Kyiv in 1909 according to the design of architect Vladyslav Horodetskyi in the style of neo-Gothic architecture with Art Nouveau elements and innovative engineering solutions of that time. The building has distinctive Gothic features. In 1938 the Soviet authorities have closed the church, disbanded the parish, and repurposed the building for storage and technical use. The 1943 fire and the impact of groundwater have caused significant damage. The church has been in a semi-ruined state, though it remained a prominent architectural landmark in the city by the 1970s.

The prominent organist, musicologist, pedagogue and cultural figure Arsenii Kotliarevskyi (1910–1994) has settled in Kyiv in 1969. He has founded and headed the organ class at the Kyiv Conservatory, training a generation of distinguished musicians. Kotliarevskyi has promoted organ music actively, raised public interest, and encouraged composers to write for the instrument. The need for the creation of an organ concert hall in Kyiv has become evident, but its realization required political support. Preparations for the 1980 Summer Olympics have created an opportunity to restore the Church of St. Nicholas, which, thanks to Kotliarevskyi’s efforts, is transferred officially by the Council of Ministers of the USSR on February 13, 1979, to serve as the Republican House of Organ and Chamber Music (RHOСM).

The restoration process is delayed, and the official opening has taken place in January, 1981. A new organ is custom-built by the renowned firm Rieger-Kloss, tailored to the church’s architecture. The instrument has 55 stops; its disposition is designed personally by A. Kotliarevskyi. Works by J. S. Bach, Romantic composers, and modern Ukrainian authors all sounded brilliantly on this organ. Ode to Music by Lesia Dychko is one of the first pieces performed there. A. Kotliarevskyi has encouraged actively the creation of organ repertoire by Ukrainian composers.

He has served as the artistic director of RHOCM from its opening until 1986, and between 1982 and 1984 also held the post of director. The Church of St. Nicholas has become an important concert venue with a unique atmosphere under his leadership. A. Kotliarevskyi has considered this hall as a future academic center of organ art, but his work is hindered by bureaucracy and excessive administrative interference.

In 1985 a new director is appointed, initiating internal conflicts. A. Kotliarevskyi’s last years are marked by hardship and marginalization within the institution he has founded. He is eventually dismissed under the pretext of a staff reduction.

Arsenii Kotliarevskyi has died on December 18, 1994, not witnessing the many misfortunes those have befell later the National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine. Nonetheless, these are his tireless efforts in the 1970s those have become crucial for preserving this architectural treasure of Kyiv. The heritage of A. M. Kotliarevskyi includes not only the Ukrainian organ school but also the salvation of an outstanding historical monument of national significance – the Kyiv Church of St. Nicholas.

Keywords

Arsenii Kotliarevskyi, National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine, Ukrainian organ school, organ musical culture.

References

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4. KOTLIAREVSKYI, Arsenii. Concert Hall. Music, 1981, no. 3, pp. 8. [in Ukrainian].
5. PRYSEDSKA, Viktoriia. «When an Organ Burns, It Cries Like a Child»: The Story of the Organ of St. Nicholas Church [Interview with O. Dmytrenko]. BBC News Ukraine. September 7, 2021 [online] [viewed 1 July 2025]. Available from: https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/features-58473270 [in Ukrainian].