Rev. Joseph Kyshakevych

Rev. Joseph Kyshakevych [o. Йосип Кишакевич], (b. October 26, 1872, in Leżajsk, now Poland; d. April 18, 1953, in Lviv, Ukraine). Composer, choir director, and Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest. Having completed his musical education in 1888 in the city of Peremyshl, he was influenced by the important local composers, such as M. Verbitsky, V. Matiuk, and S. Vorobkevych. He collaborated with others in his area to establish “Boyan” singing societies in Peremyshl and Lviv. As a priest and musician, he had an innate sense of the kind of music best suited for the worship service. His music for the Divine Liturgy is commonly sung in many of the Greek Catholic Churches of western Ukraine. Rev. Kyshakevych passed away in 1953 and is buried in the famous Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv.