Ivasiuk, Volodymyr

Ivasiuk, Volodymyr [Івасюк, Володимир; Ivasjuk], b 4 April 1949 in Kitsman, Chernivtsi oblast, d ca 24/27 April 1979 in Briukhovychi forest near Lviv. Composer. From 1972 he studied music under Anatol Kos-Anatolsky at the Lviv Conservatory. Although he composed instrumental music for piano and cello, Ivasiuk is best known for his popular songs, which number about 50. His first song, ‘Vidlitaly zhuravli’ (The Cranes Were Leaving), was released in 1965. In some cases—eg, in ‘Lysh raz tsvite liubov’ (Love Blooms but Once), ‘Balada pro mal'vy’ (Ballad about Hollyhocks), and ‘Ia—tvoie krylo’ (I am Your Wing)—he composed the melody only; in others—eg, in ‘Dva persteni’ (Two Rings), ‘Vodohrai’ (Water Fountain), ‘Pisnia bude pomizh nas’ (A Song Will Be among Us), and ‘Chervona ruta’ (Red Rue)—both the melody and lyrics. Ivasiuk’s tunes are a blend of Ukrainian folk and contemporary popular music. He was one of the most popular song writers in Ukraine. His mutilated body was discovered in a woods outside Lviv about three weeks after he had been murdered. The circumstantial evidence points to the KGB as the perpetrator of the slaying. Ivasiuk’s funeral was attended by over 10,000 people.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 2 (1988).]