Hieromonk Viktor Vysotsky ( 1791-1871)
VIKTOR, Hieromonk (in the world, Vasily Vysotsky, b. 1791, Chernigov district; d. 1871, place of death unknown) — studied with the composer Danilevsky; in 1818 was tonsured a monk and took up residence in the Simonov Monastery, where he served as precentor and raised the singing to a very high level. In 1848 moved to the Nikolayevsky Baturinsky Monastery. Viktor’s sacred musical works at one time were housed in the library of the Moscow Conservatory; only a few of them were published at the beginning of the 20th c. by P. Seliverstov. Some of his most famous works, attributed to him by I. A. Gardner, found their way into the repertoire of Russian church choirs anonymously: e.g., the Cherubic Hymns known as the “Staro-Simonov” and “Viatsky,” the “Simonov” “Milost' mira” [“A Mercy of Peace”], and others. Viktor’s compositions are examples of the 19th–c. monastic style, which, in contrast to the Italianate concert style, preserves elements of chant, while remaining quite symmetrical in rhythm.