Muslim Muhammad oghlu Magomayev ( az, Müslüm Məhəmməd oğlu Maqomayev / ) or Muslim Magometovich Magomayev (russian: Муслим Магометович Магомаев; 17 August 1942 – 25 October 2008), known simply as Muslim Magomayev and dubbed the "Soviet Sinatra", was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
,
Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Azerbaijan
* Azerbaijanis
* Azerbaijani language
See also
* Azerbaijan (disambiguation)
* Azeri (disambiguation)
* Azerbaijani cuisine
* Culture of Azerbaijan
The culture of Azerbaijan ...
and
Russian opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
and
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' ( ...
singer. He achieved iconic status in Russia and the
post-Soviet countries for his vocal talent and charisma.
People's Artist of the USSR (1973).
Early life
Muslim Magomayev represented one of the most respected artistic dynasties in Azerbaijan. His grandfather
Muslim Magomayev (1885–1937), a friend and contemporary of the prominent Azerbaijani composer
Uzeyir Hajibeyov, was one of the founders of modern Azerbaijani classical music. Magomayev's father, Mahammad Magomayev, who died two days prior to the
defeat of Nazi Germany in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
while serving as a soldier in the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
, was a gifted
scenic designer
Scenic may refer to:
* Scenic design
* Scenic painting
* Scenic overlook
* Scenic railroad (disambiguation)
* Scenic route
* Scenic, South Dakota, United States
* Scenic (horse), a Thoroughbred racehorse
Aviation
* Airwave Scenic, an Austria ...
; and his mother, Aishet Kinzhalova, was an actress, who deserted him with his grandmother when he was less than a year old.
Magomayev's father was of mixed origin whose parents moved to Azerbaijan from
Chechnya and
Georgia respectively, whereas his
Adygea
The Republic of Adygea (; russian: Республика Адыгея, Respublika Adygeya, p=ɐdɨˈɡʲejə; ady, Адыгэ Республик, ''Adıgə Respublik''), also known as the Adyghe Republic, is a republics of Russia, republic of Ru ...
-born mother was paternally of
Turkish origin and maternally of
Adyghe and
Russian descent.
However, when asked about his ethnicity, Magomayev considered himself
Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Azerbaijan
* Azerbaijanis
* Azerbaijani language
See also
* Azerbaijan (disambiguation)
* Azeri (disambiguation)
* Azerbaijani cuisine
* Culture of Azerbaijan
The culture of Azerbaijan ...
.
Abandoned by his mother after his father's death, Magomayev was raised by his paternal grandmother. He learned to play the piano as a child, and began to take voice lessons at the age of 14. As a teenager, he became interested in Italian songs, American
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
, and other styles of popular music. He majored in piano and composition at the
Baku Academy of Music.
Musical career
He was 19 when he first performed at an international youth music festival in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
.
His performance was noted by
Yekaterina Furtseva, then Minister of Culture of the Soviet Union, who offered him to be a soloist at the
Bolshoi Theatre. Magomayev declined the offer. In 1962, at the age of 20, Magomayev first appeared in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
where he performed during the Days of Azerbaijani Culture.
He sang an aria from
Gounod’s
Faust, and the song "
Do the Russians Want War?" in a gala concert at the
Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and became a celebrity on the spot.
He recorded three songs with Azerbaijani composer
Asya Sultanova
Asya Bakhish Sultanova (16 October 1923 – 22 November 2021) was an Azerbaijani composer who is best known for her works for children and her collaboration with singer Muslim Magomayev.
Biography
Sultanova was born in Baku. Her father was a geol ...
. A year later, he gave his first solo concert in the Moscow Tchaikovsky Concert Hall to a full house and became a soloist of the
Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater. Muslim earned fame in the USSR as an opera singer with his performance in
Rossini's "
The Barber of Seville
''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an '' opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was ba ...
". He also became known for his arias from
Puccini's "
Tosca",
Hajibeyov's "
Koroghlu" and "Shah Ismayil", which was composed by his grandfather.
In 1964 and 1965, Muslim was a visiting artist at
La Scala in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
, but turned down the invitation to sing in the Moscow
Bolshoi Theatre upon his return. Instead, the singer turned to popular music, becoming a cult figure of
soviet estrada for several generations of music lovers in the Soviet Union. Muslim Magomayev's popularity in the USSR was overwhelming. He used to gave three concerts a day filling huge arenas all across the Soviet Union, while his albums sold millions.
In 1966 and 1969, Magomayev performed in
Olympia with great success. The director of Olympia
Bruno Coquatrix offered him a contract, and Magomayev was seriously considering an opportunity to pursue an international career, but Yekaterina Furtseva refused to grant the Ministry of Culture's permission, claiming that it needed Magomayev to perform at government concerts. In 1969, he received the
Midem Gold Disc Award in
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...
for album sales of over 4.5 million units. In 1973, at the age of 31, Muslim was awarded the Soviet Union's highest artistic title:
People's Artist of the USSR.
Magomayev moved to Moscow in the early 1970s. He became the art director of the Azerbaijan State Bandstand-Symphonic Orchestra in 1975 and toured in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...
and other countries.
Magomayev was also known as a composer, writing several film soundtracks and songs. In addition, Magomayev acted in films and hosted
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
and
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...
broadcasts devoted to prominent musicians of the 20th century.
Magomayev was an influence on many important Soviet musical figures including
Alla Pugacheva, who often spoke fondly of him.
Personal life
Magomayev married when he was 19, to Ofelia Veliyeva, but the union did not last a year.
His daughter from that first marriage, Marina,
lives in the United States.
He eventually remarried, this time to the opera singer
Tamara Sinyavskaya
Tamara Ilyinichna Sinyavskaya (russian: Тамара Ильинична Синявская; born 6 July 1943, in Moscow) is a Russian mezzo-soprano from the Bolshoi Theatre.
She was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1982. In 1 ...
.
In later life, Magomayev struggled with a serious heart condition.
Later years
In the early 2000s, Magomayev officially stopped his musical career and gave only a few performances, together with his wife. He died on 25 October 2008 in his flat in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
from a heart attack. He was buried in the
Alley of Honor in his native city of
Baku, next to his grandfather, on 29 October.
The funeral ceremony was attended by Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev, Magomayev's widow Tamara Sinyavskaya, his daughter Marina, as well as state officials and international delegations.
Thousands of people came to pay a final tribute to the singer.
Honors and awards
;Orders
*
Istiglal Order (Azerbaijan, 2002)
*
Shohrat Order (Azerbaijan, 1997)
*
Order of Honour (Russia, 2002)
*
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...
(USSR, 1971)
*
Order of Friendship of Peoples
The Order of Friendship of Peoples (russian: oрден Дружбы народов, translit=orden Druzhby narodov) was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military unit ...
(USSR, 1980)
;Titles
*
People's Artist of the USSR (1973)
[Музыкальная энциклопедия. Гл. ред. Ю. В. Келдыш. Т 3. Корто — Октоль. 1104 стб. с илл. М.: Советская энциклопедия, 1976 - Soviet Encyclopedia]
*People's Artist of Azerbaijan SSR (1964)
*Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan SSR (1971)
*Honoured Artist of Chechen-Ingush ASSR
;Awards
*
Miner's Glory Medal 3rd degree
*
Badge «For services to the Polish culture»
In 1997, a
minor planet
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...
of the
Solar System
The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...
,
4980 Magomaev, was named in his honor.
Popular songs
*"Azerbaijan" ("Azərbaycan")
*"Blagodaryu tebya" ("Благодарю тебя") – Grateful to You
*"Chyortovo koleso" ("Чёртово колесо") – Ferris wheel
*"Golubaya tayga" ("Голубая тайга") – Blue Taiga
*"Koroleva krasoty" ("Королева красоты") – The Queen of the Beauty
*"Luch solntsa zolotovo" ("Луч солнца золотого") – Sunbeam of the Golden Sun
*"Luchshy gorod Zemli" ("Лучший город Земли") – The Best City on Earth
*"Melodia" ("Мелодия") – Melody
*"Nam ne zhit drug bez druga" ("Нам не жить друг без друга") – We Can't Live Without One Another
*"Ne speshi" ("Не спеши") – Don't Rush
*"Noktyurn" ("Ноктюрн") – Nocturne
*"Serdtse na snegu" ("Сердце на снегу") – Heart on the Snow
*"Solntsem opyanyonnyy" ("Солнцем опьянённый") – Intoxicated by the Sun
*"Sinyaya vechnost" ("Синяя вечность") – Blue Eternity
*"Svadba" ("Свадьба") – Wedding
*"
Vdol po Piterskoy
"Vdol po Piterskoy" (russian: Вдоль по Питерской, "Down the Peterskaya Road") is one of the best-known Russian folk songs.
Commentary Historical background
Vladimir Gilyarovsky, a Russian journalist and writer, devoted ...
" ("Вдоль по Питерской") – Down the Peterskaya Road
*"Verni mne muziku" (""Верни мне музыку") – Return the Music to Me
See also
*
Monument to Muslim Magomayev
Notes
References
External links
Times Online Obituary. Muslim Magomaev: popular singer known as the "Soviet Sinatra".Muslim Magomaev's website*
*
ttp://www.softpanorama.org/Links/Russian/Culture/Music/Male_singers/muslim_magomaev.shtml Muslim Magomaev on YouTubebr>
"The Show Must Go On: Memories of Accompanying Azerbaijan's Greatest Singers,"By Chingiz Sadikhov, in Azerbaijan International, Vol. 10:3 (Autumn 2002), pp. 60–63.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magomayev, Muslim
1942 births
2008 deaths
20th-century Azerbaijani male singers
Musicians from Baku
Baku Academy of Music alumni
People's Artists of the Azerbaijan SSR
People's Artists of the USSR
Recipients of the Decoration of Honor Meritorious for Polish Culture
Recipients of the Istiglal Order
Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples
Recipients of the Order of Honour (Russia)
Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour
20th-century Azerbaijani male opera singers
Azerbaijani pop singers
Azerbaijani people of Russian descent
Azerbaijani people of Turkish descent
20th-century Russian male singers
20th-century Russian singers
Russian pop singers
Operatic baritones
Soviet male opera singers
Soviet male singers
Soviet pop singers
Soviet Azerbaijani people
Burials at Alley of Honor