Bortniansky, Dmitri Stepanovich

Bortniansky, Dmitri Stepanovich (dəmē`trē styĭpä`nəvĭch bûrtnyän`skē), 1751–1825, Russian composer, studied with Galuppi in St. Petersburg and Venice. After producing two operas in Italy, in 1779 he returned to St. Petersburg. There, in 1796, he became director of the Imperial Chapel Choir, for which he set a high standard. He wrote mainly church music, combining Russian church style and Italian style. In 1881, Tchaikovsky completed an edition of his church music, published in 10 volumes.