Nikolay Diletsky

Little is known about Diletskys life. A remark by Ioannikii Tromovich Korenev, a fellow theorist who describes him as a resident of Kiev, is considered evidence of Diletskys Ukrainian origins. Korenevs statement is probably reliable, as he and Diletsky apparently
were well acquainted.[1] However, the date and even the
year of birth are not known, and no details on Diletskys early life have surfaced. He must have moved to
Vilnius before 1675, because that year his Toga zlota
(The golden toga) was published there. The text is
now lost, but it is known that it was written in Polish,
and the surviving title page[2] indicates that it was probably a panegyrical pamphlet.[3] Some sources indicate that
he wrote at least one other musical treatise while in Vilnius, which is now lost:[4] this treatise is rst mentioned
in Grammatika musikiyskago peniya (1677), and the Idea
grammatikii musikiiskoi (1679) is described as a translation of the Vilnius work in its title page.

Diletskys signature at the end of Idea grammatiki musikiyskoy

Nikolay Diletsky (Ukrainian: ,

Mykola Dyletsky, Russian: , Nikolay Pavlovich Diletsky, Nikolai Diletskii,
Polish: Mikoaj Dilecki, also Mikolaj Dylecki, Nikolai
Dilezki, etc.) (c. 1630, Kiev after 1680, Moscow) was
a theorist and composer of Ukrainian nationality, active
in Russia. He was widely inuential in late 17th-century
Russia with his treatise on composition, A Musical Grammar, of which the earliest surviving version dates from
1677. Diletskys followers included Vasily Titov.

Life

After Vilnius, Diletsky lived in Smolensk, where in 1677

the rst surviving version of his magnum opus, Grammatika musikiyskago peniya (A grammar of musical
song), was written. He then moved to Moscow, where
the subsequent two versions of the work appeared in
1679 and 1681. Nothing further is known about Diletskys life, and it is generally assumed that he died shortly
afterwards. His date of birth is projected from this
hypothesis.[5]

2 Work
Although several of his compositions survive, Diletskys
fame rests chiey on his composition treatise, Grammatika musikiyskago peniya (A Grammar of Music[al
Singing]), which was the rst of its kind in Russia.
The three surviving versions bear dierent names, but
the content is roughly the same with some important
dierences.[6] The treatise is in two parts. The rst
teaches the rudiments of music theory, relying heavily
on Western terminology and theoretical precepts, especially the hexachord", and the second teaches composition of a cappella concertos, a genre that came to Russia through Ukraine and of which Diletsky was one of
the rst exponents.[6] Diletsky provides a wide variety
of examples, both from his own work, including an 8voice setting of the Divine Liturgy that he composed in
Smolensk specically to illustrate the Grammatika,[7] and
A sample page from Idea grammatiki musikiyskoy (Moscow, from that of contemporary Western composers, partic1679). Click image for details.
ularly the Poles Marcin Mielczewski and Jacek Rzy1

REFERENCES

4 Notes
[1] Jensen 1992, 310.
[2] Jensen 1992, 311.
[3] Jensen, Grove.
[4] Jensen 1992, 309.
[5] Jensen 1992, 310: Oleksandra Tsalai-Iakimenko and
Oleksandr Zelinskii, "'More neprebrannoe' (Novoznaidenii avtograf tvoru Mikoli Diletskoho), Zhovten' no.
7 (1966): 109-116, suggested that Diletskii died in the
third decade of the 18th century, based on their belief that
Muzei ukrainskoho mistetstva 87/510804, dated 1723, is
an autograph. They propose a correspondingly later birth
date, in the 1650s. This hypothesis, taken up in their
later works, was refuted in Vladimir Goshovskii and I.A.
Durnev, K sporu o Diletskom, Sovetskaia muzyka no. 9
(1967): 138.
[6] Jensen 1992, 307.
[7] Jensen 1992, 312.
[8] Jensen, Grove. Johann David Heinichen described the circle of fths in a 1728 treatise.
Circle of fths in Idea grammatikii musikiyskoy (Moscow, 1679)

cki. Apart from the tremendous inuence it had on subsequent generations of Russian church composers, the
Grammatika is of particular interest for having the rst
known description of the circle of fths, one that antedates Western examples by several decades.[8]

List of works

3.1

Writings

Grammatika musikiyskago peniya (

c , A grammar of musical
song, Smolensk, 1677)
Idea grammatikii musikiyskoy (
c, An idea of musical grammar,
Moscow, 1679)
Grammatika peniya musikiyskago (
c, Moscow, 1681)

3.2

Music

3 settings of the Divine Liturgy (48 voices, includes

Kyivan Chant and a Proportional liturgy)
2 sacred concertos
Resurrection/Easter kanon, 8vv[9]

[9] List of works taken from: Mykola Dyletskiy: Sacred Works, Kyiv Chamber Choir. 2003, Atlantik
(), CCK 11-2; CCK 11-3.

5 References
Claudia R. Jensen. A Theoretical Work of Late
Seventeenth-Century Muscovy: Nikolai Diletskiis
Grammatika and the Earliest Circle of Fifths,
JAMS, xviii (1992), 30531. (subscription required)
Claudia R. Jensen. Nikolay Diletsky. In Macy,
Laura. Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online.
Oxford University Press. (subscription required)
Dytyniak Maria Ukrainian Composers - A Biobibliographic Guide - Research report No. 14,
1896, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta, Canada.

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.1

Text

Nikolay Diletsky Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolay%20Diletsky?oldid=610728292 Contributors: MistToys, Marcus2,

Jashiin, Bobo192, FeanorStar7, Rjwilmsi, Bandurist, Kleinzach, DenisRS, SMasters, Cydebot, Thijs!bot, Kosboot, Boguslavmandzyuk,
Mokgamen, Jtir, Stusutclie, Aletucker, Ostap R, A.Savin, Addbot, Lightbot, Luckas-bot, Coepulonus, Carminowe of Hendra, Classicalfan2, Drummerkoen, VIAFbot and Anonymous: 5

6.2

Images

File:Diletsky_circle.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Diletsky_circle.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: The manuscript is held by the Russian State Library. Original artist: Unknown
File:Diletsky_moods.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Diletsky_moods.jpg License: Public domain
Contributors: The manuscript is held by the Russian State Library. Original artist: Unknown
File:Diletsky_signature.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Diletsky_signature.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: The manuscript is held by the Russian State Library. Original artist: Unknown

6.3

Content license

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