Maria Sokil
Encyclopedia
Maria Sokil (1902-1999) was a famous Ukrainian
opera singer.
Sokil was born in the village of Zherebets' (now Kirov) in the Zaporizhia Oblast
on October 19, 1902. She studied at the conservatory in Dnipropetrovsk
from 1920 to 1925.
She made her opera debut in Kharkiv
in 1927 in the role of Marguerite
in Gounod
's opera Faust
and became the prima donna
lyric soprano
of that opera theater. In 1929, she and bass Ivan Patorzhynsky, representative singer from the Ukraine, went on a concert tour to Germany
and Italy
.
Maria remained in Kharkiv until 1930; later, she joined the Kiev Opera
(1930-1932).
Later, from 1932, Maria Sokil performed at the Lviv Opera and Ballet Theater
and, with her husband Antin Rudnytsky (1902-1975) (they married in 1931), toured a number of countries in Eastern and Central Europe
for the next several years coming with concerts to the United States
and Canada
in 1937 and then again in 1938-1939 and then remaining in the United States when World War II
started.
She had success with the roles of Desdemona
(Verdi
's Otello
), Mimi (Puccini
's La Bohème
), Liu (Puccini's Turandot
), Elsa (Richard Wagner
's Lohengrin
), Tatiana (Tchaikovsky
's Eugene Onegin
), Lisa (Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades
), Odarka (Hulak-Artemovsky's
Zaporozhets za Dunayem
), and Natalka (Lysenko
's Natalka Poltavka).
In 1939 Sokil had the leading role (Odarka) in the motion picture Cossacks in Exile ("Zaporozhets za Dunayem"), made in the United States.
Maria Sokil and her husband subsequently continued their musical activities in several different ways for many years in the United States.
She died on January 20, 1999, in Youngstown
, Ohio
, at the age of 96.
Children:
Grandchildren:
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
opera singer.
Sokil was born in the village of Zherebets' (now Kirov) in the Zaporizhia Oblast
Zaporizhia Oblast
Zaporizhia Oblast is an oblast of southern Ukraine. Its capital is Zaporizhia.This oblast is an important part of Ukraine's industry and agriculture.-Geography:...
on October 19, 1902. She studied at the conservatory in Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk
Dnipropetrovsk or Dnepropetrovsk formerly Yekaterinoslav is Ukraine's third largest city with one million inhabitants. It is located southeast of Ukraine's capital Kiev on the Dnieper River, in the south-central region of the country...
from 1920 to 1925.
She made her opera debut in Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
in 1927 in the role of Marguerite
Marguerite
Marguerite is the French form of a female given name which derives from the Greek Μαργαρίτης meaning "pearl")...
in Gounod
Charles Gounod
Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...
's opera Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
and became the prima donna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
lyric soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
of that opera theater. In 1929, she and bass Ivan Patorzhynsky, representative singer from the Ukraine, went on a concert tour to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Maria remained in Kharkiv until 1930; later, she joined the Kiev Opera
Kiev Opera
The Kiev Opera group was formally established in the summer of 1867, and is the third oldest in Ukraine, after Odessa Opera and Lviv Opera. Today, the Kiev Opera Company performs at the National Opera House of Ukraine named after Taras Shevchenko in Kiev....
(1930-1932).
Later, from 1932, Maria Sokil performed at the Lviv Opera and Ballet Theater
Lviv Opera and Ballet Theater
The Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet is an opera house and theatre located in Lviv, Ukraine. The building was built between 1897 and 1900. The Lwów Opera was originally called the Grand Theatre until it was renamed in 1939 by the Soviet authorities....
and, with her husband Antin Rudnytsky (1902-1975) (they married in 1931), toured a number of countries in Eastern and Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
for the next several years coming with concerts to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1937 and then again in 1938-1939 and then remaining in the United States when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
started.
She had success with the roles of Desdemona
Desdemona (Othello)
Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello . Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a man several years her senior. When her husband is deployed to Cyprus in the service of the...
(Verdi
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of opera. He was one of the most influential composers of the 19th century...
's Otello
Otello
Otello is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Arrigo Boito, based on Shakespeare's play Othello. It was Verdi's penultimate opera, and was first performed at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, on February 5, 1887....
), Mimi (Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's La Bohème
La bohème
La bohème is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto . by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger...
), Liu (Puccini's Turandot
Turandot
Turandot is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni.Though Puccini's first interest in the subject was based on his reading of Friedrich Schiller's adaptation of the play, his work is most nearly based on the earlier text Turandot...
), Elsa (Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's Lohengrin
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
), Tatiana (Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
's Eugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin (opera)
Eugene Onegin, Op. 24, is an opera in 3 acts , by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Konstantin Shilovsky and the composer and his brother Modest, and is based on the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin....
), Lisa (Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades
The Queen of Spades (opera)
The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere took place in 1890 in St...
), Odarka (Hulak-Artemovsky's
Semen Hulak-Artemovsky
Semen Stepanovych Hulak-Artemovsky , was a Ukrainian opera composer, singer , actor, and dramatist who lived and worked in Imperial Russia....
Zaporozhets za Dunayem
Zaporozhets za Dunayem
Zaporozhets za Dunayem Beyond the Danube, also referred to as Cossacks in Exile) is a Ukrainian comic opera with spoken dialogue in three acts with music and libretto by the composer Semen Hulak-Artemovsky . The orchestration has subsequently been rewritten by composers such as Reinhold Glière and...
), and Natalka (Lysenko
Mykola Lysenko
Mykola Vitaliiovych Lysenko was a Ukrainian composer, pianist, conductor and ethnomusicologist.- Biography :Lysenko was born in Hrynky, Kremenchuk Povit, Poltava Governorate, the son of Vitaliy Romanovich Lysenko . From childhood he became very interested in the folksongs of Ukrainian peasants and...
's Natalka Poltavka).
In 1939 Sokil had the leading role (Odarka) in the motion picture Cossacks in Exile ("Zaporozhets za Dunayem"), made in the United States.
Maria Sokil and her husband subsequently continued their musical activities in several different ways for many years in the United States.
She died on January 20, 1999, in Youngstown
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, at the age of 96.
Children:
- Dorian RudnytskyDorian RudnytskyDorian Rudnytsky is an American cellist and composer. He was born in New York City but has a Ukrainian background. His father is composer/conductor Antin Rudnytsky, and his mother is soprano Maria Sokil....
(1944) - cellist and composer - Roman Rudnytsky (Роман Рудницький) (1942) - pianistPianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Grandchildren:
- Tara Palmer (Rudnytsky)
- Evan Rudnytsky
- Oksana McStowe (Rudnytsky)
- Damian Rudnytsky