Dmitry Stepanovich Bortniansky (Russian: Дмитрий Степанович Бортнянский, Ukrainian: Дмитро Степанович Бортнянський; alternative transcriptions of names are Dmitri Bortnianskii, and Bortnyansky; 28 October 1751, Glukhov –10 October [O.S. 28 September] 1825, St. Petersburg) was a Russian and Ukrainian composer, harpsichordist and conductor, who served at the court of Catherine the Great. Bortniansky was critical to the musical history of both Ukraine and Russia, with both nations claiming him as their own.
Bortniansky, who has been compared to Palestrina, is known today for his liturgical works and his prolific contributions to the genre of choral concertos. He was one of the "Golden Three" of his era, alongside Artemy Vedel and Maxim Berezovsky. Bortniansky was so popular in the Russian Empire that his figure was represented in 1862 in the bronze monument of the Millennium of Russia in the Novgorod Kremlin. Bortniansky composed in many different musical styles, including choral compositions in French, Italian, Latin, German and Church Slavonic.
