# Yakiv Stepovy

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**Yakiv Stepanovych Stepovy**[a] (;[b] Ukrainian: Яків Степанович Степовий; 20 October 1883 – 4 November 1921) was a [Ukrainian composer](/source/Ukrainian_composer), [music teacher](/source/Music_teacher), and [music critic](/source/Music_critic).

## Biography

### Early life and education

Stepovy was born on 20 October 1883 as Yakiv Yakymenko (Akimenko) in [Kharkiv](/source/Kharkiv), in the [Russian Empire](/source/Russian_Empire) (in present-day Ukraine). His older brother [Theodore Akimenko](/source/Theodore_Akimenko) was also a [composer](/source/Ukrainian_composer).[1] From 1895 to 1898, Yakiv sang as a [boy chorister](/source/Choirboy) in the [Imperial Court Chapel](/source/St._Petersburg_State_Academic_Capella) in [Saint Petersburg](/source/Saint_Petersburg). From 1898 to 1902, he attended chapel classes, learning to play the piano, and studying [music theory](/source/Music_theory) and [conducting](/source/Conducting).[2]

Stepovy attended the [Saint Petersburg Conservatory](/source/Saint_Petersburg_Conservatory) from 1902 to 1909, where he studied with the [Russian composers](/source/Russian_composers) [Anatoly Lyadov](/source/Anatoly_Lyadov), [Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov](/source/Nikolai_Rimsky-Korsakov),[3] and [Alexander Glazunov](/source/Alexander_Glazunov).[citation needed] Stepovy graduated in 1914.[1][4]

### Career

Stepovy was a representative of the Ukrainian musical intelligentsia of the 20th century. He was one of the founders of the national school of composition and composed in the tradition of the Ukrainian composer [Mykola Lysenko](/source/Mykola_Lysenko).[citation needed]

During World War I, Stepovy was recruited to the military, where he worked as a secretary on a [hospital train](/source/Hospital_train).[4] He served in the military for almost three years, being released in April 1917.[citation needed] That year he settled in [Kyiv](/source/Kyiv), working as a teacher of music theory at the [Kyiv Conservatory](/source/Kyiv_Conservatory) (for two years),[2] and as a musical critic.[citation needed]

After Soviet power was established in Ukraine, Stepovy became actively involved in organizing musical life in Kyiv.[2]" /> In 1919, he was appointed to be director of the music section of the All-Ukrainian Committee of Arts under the People's Commissariat of Education of the Ukrainian SSR, the head of the music section of the Ukrainian Music and Drama Theatre, and the artistic director of the Committee's vocal ensemble.[3] He established the [M.. Lysenko Symphony Orchestra](/source/National_Symphony_Orchestra_of_Ukraine) and the Ukrainian State String Quartet.[2]

From 1912–1914 Stepovy wrote articles and reviews for the Moscow periodicals *Music* and *[Russian Musical Newspaper](/source/Russian_Musical_Newspaper)*.[3][2]

## Selected works

*Information from biografija.ru*[3] *and the biography of Stepovy by V.L. Goshovsky in*Musical Encyclopedia*.[2]*

Stepovy developed the traditions established by previous Ukrainian and Russian classical composers, specialising in choral works such as [art songs](/source/Art_songs). Many of his songs have a [revolutionary](/source/Russian_Revolution) theme.[2]

### For voice and piano

- *Cantabile* (1912) for voice and piano
- [Song cycles](/source/Song_cycle): *Barvinki* (1906) with words by Ukrainian poets, *Songs of Mood* (1909) words by A. Oles, romances set to poems by [Taras Shevchenko](/source/Taras_Shevchenko), [Ivan Franko](/source/Ivan_Franko), [Lesya Ukrainka](/source/Lesya_Ukrainka), and [Maksym Rylsky](/source/Maksym_Rylsky), songs to the words of Ukrainian poets, including Kamnelomy and Kuznets

### For piano

- *Sonata* (1909)
- *Fantasy*(1909)
- *Two Rondos* (1910)
- *Two Suites on Ukrainian Folk Themes*
- Opus 5 No.1 *Valse* in [B minor](/source/B_minor)
- Opus 5 No.2 *Elegie* in [B minor](/source/B_minor)
- Opus 5 No.3 *Menuett* in [G major](/source/G_major)
- Opus 5 No.4 *Dance* in [G major](/source/G_major)
- Opus 7 No.4 *Prelude* in [A minor](/source/A_minor)
- Opus 9 No.1 *Prelude* in [B-flat minor](/source/B-flat_minor)
- Opus 9 No.2 *Prelude* in [E-flat major](/source/E-flat_major)
- Opus 12 No. 1 *Prelude* in [F major](/source/F_major)
- Opus 13 *Prelude in Memory of Shevchenko*
- Opus 14 *Trios morceaux*

### Other works

- *Romance* (1912) for violin and piano
- Collection of children's songs: *Podsnedropy*, *To Little Children*, *Five School Choirs*
- *Kobzar* (an arrangement of Ukrainian folk songs)
- Revolution songs: "Kamenyari" ("Stonebreakers"), "Koval" ("Blacksmith"), "By the Valley a Village Lies", "Word"

## Notes

1. also **Stepovyi**

1. Also **Akimenko**, Ukrainian: Якименко

## References

1. Savytsky, Roman (1993). ["Stepovy, Yakiv"](https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=/pages/s/t/stepovyyakiv.htm). *Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine*. Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. Retrieved 7 December 2025.

1. Goshovsky, V.L. ["Степовой Я. С."](https://gufo.me/dict/music_encyclopedia/%D0%A1%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D0%AF_%D0%A1) [Stepovoy Ya. S.] (in Russian). *Gufo*. Musical Encyclopedia. Retrieved 7 December 2025.

1. ["Степовой Яков Степанович"](https://www.biografija.ru/biography/stepovoj-yakov-stepanovich.htm) [Stepovoy Yakov Stepanovich] (in Russian). *Biografija*. Retrieved 7 December 2025.

1. ["Yakiv Stepovyi"](https://ukrainianartsong.ca/composers-1-1-1-1). *Ukrainian Art Song Project*. UASP. Retrieved 7 December 2025.

## External links

- [Biographical details and downloadable sheet music](https://musopus.net/musicians/stepovy-yakiv/) from *musopus.net*
- [Details about the composer's brother](https://shevchenko.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/dyka_inside_pages_f.pdf) from the [Shevchenko Scientific Society](/source/Shevchenko_Scientific_Society)
- [*The role of polyphony in the work of Yakov Stepovy* - Information about the composer's career and music](https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%87%D0%BA%D0%B0:LyubovNazar)
- [Booklet](https://ukrainianartsong.art/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Booklet.pdf) by the Ukrainian Art Song Project to accompany DCs of Stepovy's art songs

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Yakiv Stepovy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakiv_Stepovy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakiv_Stepovy?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.