Brief biography of Magomayev. Muslim Magomayev - biography, photos, songs, personal life of the singer

“Having been born, having received a good education, having taken the first steps in my profession on a beautiful land, the land of the great Nizami, Khagani, Vurgun, Hajibekov, Bul-Bul, Niyazi, Karaev, Beibutov, Amirov - the list goes on - I arrived very young to Moscow, and she instantly made me known throughout the Soviet Union, opened up vast horizons for me, and surrounded me with love.”

Music is a legacy

Named Muslim Magomayev in honor of his grandfather. Although he grew up in the family of a blacksmith-gunsmith, he began playing the eastern accordion early, mastered the violin, oboe, and created an orchestra and choir. Magomayev Sr. organized concerts based on works of folk music and his own compositions, wrote two operas and became one of the founders of the Azerbaijani classical music.

“I have always been firmly convinced that my grandfather - great composer and conductor. I had to follow his path - to become a composer, a conductor, and a pianist. And in order to secure this idea in absentia for me, they named me at birth with the name of my grandfather. So I became his full namesake. While my peers were playing on the floor with cars and tin soldiers, I set up my grandfather’s music stand, picked up a pencil and led an imaginary orchestra.”.

Muslim's father, Magomet Magomayev, was naturally gifted: he played the piano and sang a lot; being a theater artist, he designed performances in Maykop and Baku. He died a few days before the end of the Great Patriotic War. After 27 years, the already world-famous Muslim Magomayev was able to visit the mass grave where his father was buried - in the Polish city of Chojna.

Muslim's mother was a dramatic actress. Aishet Akhmedovna, on stage - Kinzhalova. Addition to spectacular appearance - good voice. Aishet Kinzhalova sang and accompanied herself on the accordion.

As a child, Muslim read books by Jules Verne. Although he confidently walked the musical path, he also dreamed of the sea. At home he built his own “Nautilus” - a corner in the room where he made ships. Out of curiosity, I broke mechanical toys to figure out how they worked. One day, the inquisitive Muslim caught the eye of his grandfather’s violin... The instrument had to be glued. Now it is an exhibit of the Baku museum.

Muslim Magomaev. Photo: fishki.net

Muslim Magomaev. Photo moscow-baku.ru

Muslim Magomaev. Photo: muslimmagomaev.ru

"Nightingale Hour"

“I composed my first melody when I was five years old. And I remembered her for the rest of my life.". This melody became the song “Nightingale Hour”. The poems were subsequently written by Anatoly Gorokhov. Muslim studied at the music school at the Baku Conservatory, and avidly listened to records left over from his grandfather. The first “teachers” of the future singer were Enrico Caruso, Titto Ruffo, Beniamino Gigli. The young man compared his performance with famous singers.

Muslim Magomayev's first opera performance took place at a music school. Muslim became seriously interested in vocals, and accompanist Tamara Kretingen began looking for unknown romances and works by ancient composers for him. They performed at the evenings of the vocal department on the stage of the Philharmonic. One of the numbers was an excerpt from “Mazepa” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

IN student years Magomayev married his classmate Ophelia. The marriage did not last long and gave Magomayev a daughter, Marina. The wife's relatives expected Muslim to start providing for his family, but he dreamed of singing in the opera house. But he got a job in the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Baku Military District, and the young family faced a new obstacle - the tour schedule.

“A young man from Baku conquers the world”

Such a flattering headline and photograph of Magomayev in the Ogonyok magazine are the result of the young performer’s trip to the VIII World Festival youth and students in Helsinki. The aspiring singer was the only soloist from Azerbaijan. In Finland he performed in halls and on the streets. After the trip and the television program, Magomayev began to be recognized on the streets, and the first step towards his dream was an internship at the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater.

In 1963, the press again had a reason to write laudatory reviews about Magomayev: “His magnificent vocal abilities and brilliant technique give reason to say that a richly gifted artist has come to opera.”. This is after a performance within the framework of the Decade of Culture and Art of Azerbaijan. Ivan Kozlovsky himself applauded in the box at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. “We, the ticket holders, unwitting witnesses to the delights and disappointments of the audience, rejoice at your success...”- they wrote to the young performer on the program.

After this success, Muslim Magomayev was offered a solo performance at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. A year later - an internship in the homeland of bel canto, at the La Scala theater, in 1966 Magomayev performed on stage famous theater“Olympia”, and in Cannes at the International Festival of Recordings and Music Publishing, his records sold millions of copies. The Soviet singer received the Golden Disc. Muslim Magomayev was the first Soviet pop artist to go to the USA through the State Concert.

Magomayev also achieved success as a composer: he wrote music for films by Eldar Kuliev, for the plays “A Bird Gives Birth to a Bird” and “Yaroslavna” based on “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”. Muslim Magomayev recorded Prince Igor's aria, and Tamara Sinyavskaya recorded Yaroslavna's lament. The performance was not performed on stage, but near the walls of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery.

Muslim Magomaev and Tamara Sinyavskaya. Photo: business-gazeta.ru

Tamara Sinyavskaya and Muslim Magomayev visiting sailors of the Baltic Fleet, 1981. Photo: portal-kultura.ru

Muslim Magomaev and Tamara Sinyavskaya. Photo: vm.ru

"You are my melody"

Muslim Magomayev began performing frequently at the Bolshoi Theater. Of the entire repertoire, I preferred performances with the participation of Tamara Sinyavskaya. The acquaintance took place with light hand Robert Rozhdestvensky at the Baku Philharmonic named after Muslim Magomayev Sr., which the singer considered a “family abode.” “It seemed like an ordinary social acquaintance, but I immediately had a pleasant feeling of comfort and sympathy”, - the singer recalled.

Muslim showed Tamara his Baku. The acquaintance continued in Moscow, and was tested by Sinyavskaya’s long internship in Italy. Magomayev called every day and even sent flowers. It was at this moment that the song “Melody” appeared in the singer’s repertoire... Tamara heard it on the phone. After the divorce from my first husband, there was a spontaneous wedding in the Baku restaurant. Magomayev had to sing in winter in open windows for fans, and then suffer from bronchitis for two months.

“Besides love, affection, there is one more feeling. Deep respect, - said Tamara Sinyavskaya. - Even though we cling to each other there, it all happens very emotionally, loudly, but for three minutes. We run into different rooms... and then come out: what was we talking about, has the rain passed? That's all! I respect Muslim very much for masculinity. He is wise..."

Muslim Magomayev left the stage at the height of his fame in 1998. He painted and communicated with fans via the Internet. One of the last songs, “Farewell, Baku” to the verses of Sergei Yesenin

Robert Rozhdestvensky

Childhood and youth of Muslim MagomayevMuslim Magomayev was born in the capital of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic - the city of Baku in a terrible time for Soviet Union war time. The Magomayev family became famous long before the birth of Muslim.

The grandfather, in whose honor the future singer was named, was an original genius - a composer and conductor, the founder of national classical music. Magomet Magomayev, the father, inherited the genius of his parent, but in a different manifestation - he became talented artist and until he left for the front, he worked as a decorator in the theaters of Baku and Maykop.

Aishet Magomayeva (stage name - Kinzhalova), mother, was a talented dramatic actress with an extraordinary musical gift. Muslim did not remember his father at all. Mohammed died near Berlin a few days before the end of the war. Aishet, having lost her husband, returned to Maykop, and then went to Vyshny Volochek, leaving Muslim in Baku under the care of the brother of her deceased husband, Jamal Muslimovich. The uncle who replaced the boy's father and grandfather was a strict and fair man.

Jamal did not spoil his nephew, but did everything that depended on him so that the child would not feel his orphanhood. He managed to instill in Muslim pride and devotion to his roots, country, and finally, music, which accompanied the boy from birth. Jamal didn't receive music education, but played the piano well.

The grown-up Muslim entered music school at the conservatory in piano and composition. There is no other way for a gifted boy with absolute musical ear and a voice of incredible purity and power simply did not exist.

Yearning for her son, Aishet decided to take him to her place in Vyshny Volochek. Nine-year-old Muslim happily went with his mother to a small Russian city, completely different from his native, bright and sunny Baku.

In addition to the boundless happiness of being reunited with his mother and many new impressions, the boy was waiting for an acquaintance with the Theater, not from the auditorium, but something completely different, very close - with long rehearsals, the sounds of instruments being tuned in the orchestra pit and the mysterious smell of the backstage.

The work of Muslim Magomayev

In the 60s, Magomayev’s beautiful, powerful voice gained fame, first in the Soviet Union, then throughout the world. In 1962, Magomayev performed at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses as part of the festival of Azerbaijani art. A year later, without stopping performing on stage, he became a soloist at the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater named after Akhundov.

In November 1963, the singer performed his first solo concert in the Concert Hall. Tchaikovsky. 1964-1965 Magomayev spent time in Italy, where he completed an internship at the La Scala theater in Milan. The young lyric baritone's tours in 1966 and 1969 at the Olympia concert hall in Paris were a huge success.

Magomayev had a wonderful prospect of concluding a contract for a year with the director of Olympia, but the USSR Ministry of Culture intervened, which forbade the singer to make independent decisions. Magomayev did not dare to enter into confrontation with the leadership: in those years this was fraught with serious complications, including accusations of betrayal of the homeland.

Personal life of Muslim Magomayev

Recent years and cause of death of Muslim Magomayev

Surely many people believe that M. Magomayev had only one wife, an opera singer, all his life. However, before her, although not for long, he was married to an Armenian woman, Ophelia, who gave birth to his daughter, Marina Magomayeva. Muslim Magomayev, of course, was very burdened by the fact that his child was living and being raised away from him, but such is life...

Parents meeting

Marina Magomayeva-Kozlovskaya’s father is the famous Soviet singer, baritone Muslim Magomayev, and her mother Ophelia (her last name is not mentioned anywhere), an Armenian by nationality, was Muslim’s classmate at the Baku Music School. She was a very attractive girl, with luxurious jet-black hair, eyebrows like crescents, and it is not surprising that the future famous singer fell in love with her. They were both 18 years old. It seemed like this was love forever! Ophelia was from a very chaste family, so she never allowed herself any liberties. Muslim's passion was very strong, and in order to achieve Ophelia's intimacy, he decided not to delay his marriage to her.

Against all odds

His relatives - grandmother, uncle and his wife (the artist’s father died at the front, and his mother got married, leaving the child in the care of her mother-in-law and brother-in-law) - did not want the talented young man to so quickly find himself under a family burden. The grandmother - in the future the great-grandmother of Marina Magomaeva-Kozlovskaya - even stole his passport and hid it with a neighbor so that her grandson, God forbid, would not apply to the registry office. However, this information soon surfaced, and Muslim, thanks to his assertiveness and charm - qualities that no one could resist - managed to persuade his grandmother’s friend to return her passport. In Ophelia’s family, no one also suspected that their daughter was going to marry an 18-year-old young man who was nothing at all, otherwise they would also have resisted.

Marriage

The young couple confronted their families with a fact: like it or not, we are legal spouses. Muslim did not want to bring the young Armenian girl to his uncle’s house, and the newlyweds settled in the house of Ophelia’s parents. The father-in-law and mother-in-law, to put it mildly, did not approve of their daughter’s choice. I wonder if they knew what they were future son-in-law would be one of the outstanding singers of the USSR, would their attitude be the same? They nagged him all the time and admonished him to find a good, and most importantly, well-paid job in order to be able to provide for his family, they offered to perform in various ensembles in restaurants, where, in their opinion, they paid much more than in the Philharmonic or the Air Defense Ensemble. As a result of all these troubles, the young couple decided to go to Grozny to earn money. Despite the fact that Muslim did not recognize his Chechen origin and publicly spoke about the fact that he was an Azerbaijani, the blood of a mountaineer flowed in his veins. That is why he sought refuge in the homeland of his ancestors.

Birth story

Ophelia, unlike her parents, did not blame her beloved for not earning enough money to support her, but when she realized that she was pregnant, she physically could not be near her husband, who was constantly traveling around the villages with concerts. She herself no longer understood whether she wanted to be with him, because she no longer received either warmth or affection from him. It was as if he was taking out his anger on her at her parents, although due to his natural kindness and decency he was not openly rude to her. However, Ophelia knew for sure that she wanted, at all costs and despite the entreaties of her parents, to give birth to a child from this charming young talent. Without telling him anything about her pregnancy, she went back to Baku, where she gave birth to a daughter, who was named Marina Magomayeva (born 1961).

Meanwhile, in Grozny, Magomayev was becoming unbearable, despite his growing popularity. They didn’t pay him any fees, they even refused to pay for his housing, and once he even had to spend the night on a park bench. Once, having met his colleague Musa Dudayev, he angrily told him: “I’m a Chechen, why are they treating me so badly?” Never again in his life did he admit that he belonged to the Chechen nation and called himself an Azerbaijani, since he was born and raised there. His resentment towards his “native” Chechnya grew stronger and stronger, and then one day he received a letter from Baku informing him that Ophelia had given birth to a daughter. Muslim Magomayev was very surprised, but at the same time delighted, because for a Caucasian man the birth of a child is not simple words, this is great happiness, a blessing from heaven and a new stage in life.

Meeting with my daughter

Without thinking twice, he collected his things (there weren’t that many of them) and went to his wife and his baby. The daughter of Muslim Magomayev was simply charming from childhood. Of course, she had such beautiful parents, and the mixture of so many bloods (Chechen, Adyghe, Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian) should have given such a result. By the way, Muslim’s mother was also an incredible beauty with Slavic features, which were also passed on to her son. If you look at his childhood photographs, you will notice that there is practically nothing oriental in the boy, but with age, Caucasian features began to take over.

The daughter of Muslim Magomayev, Marina, however, was a typical oriental beauty from early childhood. At a more mature age, the singer admitted that he immediately became inflamed with boundless love for the baby and began to experience feelings for her that were still unknown to him, which only his child can awaken in a parent. For the first time he saw his baby in winter, on the day when snow suddenly fell in sunny Baku, he began to call his little one Snegurochka. The daughter's very first memories of her father are connected precisely with how he takes her in his arms, kisses her tenderly and calls her a snowflake and the Snow Maiden.

Parting

Despite the birth of their daughter, Muslim and Ophelia still broke up. The father-in-law - a very intelligent man, a geodesist, an employee of the Academy of Sciences - talked with his son-in-law several times, assuring him that this could not be done, because there was a common child, but Muslim was adamant. Even before filing for divorce, he did not want to spend a day in Ophelia's parents' house. He could not forgive her mother for her hurtful words: “You won’t good husband"When parting, he, of course, said that he would always take care of his daughter, would pay alimony, would communicate with the girl and provide her with all kinds of support, but he no longer wanted to tie the knot, he creative person and for him music comes first! Marina Magomayeva, the daughter of Muslim Magomayev, will forever remain his favorite child. She grew up very musical girl, and her father hoped that someday she would follow in his footsteps and they would sing together on the same stage.

The history of the name of the daughter of Muslim Magomayev

It is interesting to know that he chose his daughter’s name himself. He had long known that if he had a daughter, he would certainly call her Marina, as his first love. And this happened when he was 13 years old. The girl was very beautiful, he remembered her just like that. All the boys at school ran after her, and she was unapproachable and very proud. Muslim dedicated the song “Marina” to her and performed it at school events and youth discos. Later, in the 70s, an arrangement was made for this song, and it began to be heard from many concert venues. Those who knew that the singer had a daughter thought that the song was dedicated to her, however, as we already know, he wrote it, inspired by the young beauty Marina, with whom he was in love as a teenager.

Childhood and youth

Many people are probably interested in what Muslim Magomayev’s daughter, Marina Magomayeva, did in her childhood? She grew up as a very kind, affectionate girl, and every time she met her, dad simply melted in her arms and was ready to fulfill her every wish. People close to the singer said that he paid exorbitant alimony to his ex-wife. The daughter was musically gifted. Of course, both of her parents were musicians (as already mentioned, Ophelia and Muslim met at a music school). After consulting with her ex-husband, Ophelia sent her daughter to a music school for piano class. After this, the father began to dream that he would sing to the accompaniment of his daughter. But this was not destined to happen either, because the daughter, although she was a good pianist, did not gravitate towards public performances, unlike her famous father. At the insistence of her Armenian grandfather, Ophelia’s father, she became a geographer.

Departure for the States

It was 1977. Muslim had been married to his colleague, opera singer Tamara Sinyavskaya, for two years. He cherished and nurtured her. The couple did not have children yet (unfortunately, they never had children in 35 years of married life). And then Muslim receives the news that Ophelia and her daughter are leaving on the other side of the Atlantic, to America. How so? How will he live apart from his pet? Many years later, Magomayev, in a conversation with reporters, said that in his life there were three great love- Music, daughter Marina and wife Tamara. The daughter said that she would visit her father often if possible, and let him come to them. But these were Soviet times, and it was very difficult to implement this.

Marina Magomaeva: personal life, children

So, at the age of 16, the daughter famous singer, whom fans of both classical and pop music knew (during this period, Muslim had already entered into a collaboration with the great Armenian composer Arno Babajanyan, and the whole country sang and danced to his music), received a visa to the United States and left the country with his mother Ophelia . During the same period, the family of Magomayev’s friend, also a representative of show business (this word was not used in the USSR) Kozlovsky, also left for America. After some time, the singer learned that his daughter and Alexander Kozlovsky - the son of his longtime friend - found each other on a foreign land, and love broke out between them. At the first second his heart sank. How? His little princess, Snow Maiden, has already grown up so much that she is going to get married? On the other hand, he knew the family of the future groom very well and was a friend to his father. He, of course, gave his father's blessing. Thus, Alexander Kozlovsky became the husband of Marina Magomaeva.

Soon a son was born into the family, who was given the name Alen, but he had several other names, and one of them was Muslim, like his famous grandfather.

Relationship with father's family

Marina and her son often visited their grandfather, sometimes Alexander Kozlovsky, the son-in-law of the famous singer, joined them. It also happened that Magomaev and Sinyavskaya visited them in Ohio. Tamara and Ophelia had a wonderful relationship. As Marina’s mother said: “Tamara didn’t take my husband away from me, he met her more than 10 years later.” Alain also became very attached to his grandmother Tamara.

Parting

When Marina received the news that her dad had died, she was not given a visa to Moscow. It was 2008. Then she went straight to Baku, where the singer’s body was transported. Ophelia also wanted to say goodbye to her ex-husband, however, being an Armenian, she understood that she would not be welcome in Azerbaijan.

Little Alen at first did not know that his grandfather was no more, since grandmother Tamara believed that this would be a great stress for the boy. For some time he waited for his grandfather to come to him soon, but after some time his mother explained to him what had happened to his grandfather.

Muslim Magomayev's unique baritone, high artistry and spiritual generosity have captivated more than one generation of listeners. The range of its capabilities is unusually wide - operas, musicals, Neapolitan songs, vocal works of Azerbaijani and Russian composers. He became famous at the age of 19, after performing at youth festival in Helsinki, and at the age of 31 he was awarded the highest award - the title of People's Artist of the USSR. For many decades, the singer continues to be the idol of millions; his name, undoubtedly, has become a kind of symbol of our art.

Muslim Magomayev was born on August 17, 1942 in Baku into a very famous and respected family. He was named after his grandfather - so he became his full namesake. Muslim did not find his famous relative alive - he died in 1937, 5 years before the birth of his grandson, but the boy was always interested in his life and work - he looked at archives, read letters, listened to music. Muslim knew that he had to follow his path - to become a composer, a conductor, and a pianist.

Muslim's grandfather grew up in the family of a blacksmith and gunsmith, where they loved music. Muslim Magomayev Sr. began playing the eastern accordion early, and while studying at the Grozny city school he mastered the violin. He continued his education at the Transcaucasian Teachers' Seminary in the city of Gori, where he met Uzeyir Hajibeyov; they both subsequently became the founders of the Azerbaijani professional musical creativity. At the Gori Seminary, my grandfather learned to play the oboe. As a violinist and oboist, he played in an orchestra consisting of seminary students, and at the age of 18 he became the leading musician of the orchestra and replaced the conductor. Subsequently, Magomayev Sr. created an orchestra from his students, a choir, and organized concerts where they performed folk songs, works of popular genres and its own compositions, often performed as a solo violinist. In 1911, having passed the exam as an external student at the Tiflis Teachers' Institute, my grandfather and his family settled in Baku. Then music became the main work of his life: Muslim Magomayev Sr. made his debut as a conductor, opera composer, wrote two operas - “Shah Ismail” and “Nargiz” and became the founder of Azerbaijani classical music. Currently, the Baku Philharmonic Society bears his name.

Grandfather Muslim and his wife Baidigul had two sons. The youngest - Magomet Magomayev, Muslim's father, was a very gifted person. Without specially studying music anywhere, he played the piano and sang - he had a very pleasant and sincere voice. Talented theater artist, he designed performances in Baku and Maykop. From his father, Magomet Magomayev inherited masculinity, valued impulse, was responsible for his word, was ambitious and always remained a romantic - this is the kind of person who was able to give up everything and go to the front. Senior Sergeant M. M. Magomaev died in the small town of Küstrin near Berlin 9 days before the end of the war. They hid from the boy for a long time that his father was no longer alive, and only when he was 10 years old did they tell the truth.

Muslim's mother, Aishet Akhmedovna (based on Kinzhalov's stage), is a dramatic actress with a multifaceted role. Aishet had a good voice, she accompanied herself on the accordion - she played mostly character roles, and her musicality complemented her dramatic abilities. On stage, Aishet Kinzhalova was very impressive - her striking appearance and talent apparently came to a large extent from a mixture of blood: her father was Turkish, her mother was half Adyghe, half Russian. Aishet Akhmedovna was born in Maykop, received her theater education in Nalchik. She and her future husband went to Baku, where they got married. When Magomet Muslimovich went to the front, Aishet Akhmedovna lived with the Magomayev family, and after his death she returned to Maykop. An extraordinary person, she was tormented by a thirst for change of place.

Uncle Jamal's house forever became home to Muslim, and his uncle himself replaced his father and grandfather. The boy knew that for him he was the closest person in the world, and Uncle Jamal knew how to love. He had such a heart - everything fit there, both strength and weakness, and severity was a cover for kindness. An engineer by training, he had a penchant for exact sciences. Having inherited his father's musicality, he played the piano without receiving any special musical education. He really liked to press the pedal to make it loud, although Muslim taught: “Play quietly and with feeling.” Uncle Jamal valued his honor above all else, which became the Magomayev family commandment.

Nanny Aunt Grunya often took Muslim for a walk... They went to the Orthodox Church. The boy forever remembered the smell of incense, the flickering of candles, the splendor of an Orthodox church, and the Russian church seemed like a fairy-tale tower. At night the nanny told him good fairy tales. Later, when Muslim learned to read, he himself read Pushkin’s fairy tales and learned about his nanny Arina Rodionovna. As I got older, I became interested in the books of Jules Verne. Muslim was very interested in everything connected with the sea - Captain Nemo, his Nautilus. At home he built his own “Nautilus” - a whole corner in the room where he made ships. In adulthood, Magomayev became interested in science fiction, but his love for fairy tales remained forever - the famous singer has collected all the films of Walt Disney.

While Muslim's peers were playing with cars and toy soldiers, he set up his grandfather's music stand, picked up a pencil and led an imaginary orchestra. At first they wanted to teach Muslim to play the violin. Like many children, he was very curious: he broke mechanical toys to see how they worked. This “technical creativity” has not been forgotten - Muslim Magometovich still amuses himself with modern electronic “toys” in his free time. When his loved ones, looking at him playing on the computer, say: “Like a boy!”, he is not offended, because he is sure that if something childish and naive disappears in a person, this means that old age has come. But then, due to Muslim’s childhood curiosity, his grandfather’s violin suffered: the boy decided to see what was inside, and the instrument broke. It was glued together, and currently the relic is in one of the Baku museums...

They decided to start Muslim’s path along the path of his grandfather-composer with the piano. The piano was big, and Muslim was small, but they got along: from the age of 3 the boy was already selecting melodies, and he composed the first one at the age of 5 and remembered it for the rest of his life. Subsequently, Muslim Magomayev and the poet Anatoly Gorokhov made the song “Nightingale Hour” out of it.

In 1949, Muslim was sent to a ten-year music school at the Baku Conservatory. There was only one criterion for admission - natural talent. Magomayev remembered his excellent teachers - Arkady Lvovich, who taught geography and English, and Aron Izrailevich, who taught musical literacy. For the first time they started talking about Muslim’s unique voice when he was 8 years old - together with the choir he diligently sang “Sleep, my joy, sleep.” When the teacher asked everyone to shut up, Magomayev continued to sing, not hearing his own voice - still childish, but unusually pure and strong. Then he did not suspect that this first solo was a stepping stone to unprecedented success. Muslim Magometovich is sure that he inherited his voice from his mother, and his musicality from the Magomayevs. The singer was greatly influenced by the atmosphere of the family in which he grew up, the music school, and subsequently the conservatory and the opera house.

When Muslim was 9 years old, his mother took him to Vyshny Volochok, where she served in the theater. He forever fell in love with this discreet, cozy Russian town, its simple, trusting people. Here the boy first learned what the Russian soul was. There he continued his studies at the music school with V. M. Shulgina. She was a wonderful woman, a wise, patient teacher. In addition to school, she worked in the city drama theater as a musical designer, selected and processed music for performances, and directed the choir in one of the educational institutions. When Valentina Mikhailovna was designing the musical performance “Angelo” based on A. S. Pushkin, Muslim sat in the orchestra pit next to the piano and was thrilled with happiness - because he loves music, the theater with its special dusty-sweet smell, with the rustles and bustle behind the scenes , with long rehearsals.

Interest in the theater soon resulted in Muslim captivating the children with the idea of ​​organizing a puppet show. By that time he had already sculpted a little, and making puppets for the small play “Petrushka” was not difficult for him. The guys took out a mailbox, made a stage out of it, wrote the text themselves, and the puppets on strings performed a short performance for about ten minutes. The children wanted to have everything like in a real theater: they even took “money” for tickets - candy wrappers.

Muslim lived in Vyshny Volochyok for about a year and, by his mother’s decision, returned to Baku to continue his musical education. Soon Aishet Akhmedovna got married for the second time, she had new family, and Muslim has a brother Yuri and sister Tatyana.

The main work of his life began with the Italian film “Young Caruso”, in which the great Neapolitan was voiced by Mario del Monaco. At Uncle Muslim's dacha every day he could watch best movies- captured, old and new, which have not yet appeared on the screen. It was there that he saw “Favorite Arias”, “Pagliacci”, “Tarzan”, films with Lolita Torres. His childhood was not only fun, but also meaningful. Muslim continued his studies at a music school, and singing became his hobby.

He listened to records left by his grandfather - Caruso, Titto Ruffo, Gigli, Battistini. Listening to recordings of vocal works, he analyzed bass, baritone, and tenor parts. He took claviers and sang everything, compared what famous singers did with how he himself sang. By the age of 14, Muslim’s voice had awakened, but he was embarrassed to sing in front of strangers and hid his secret from his family and teachers. He was not shy only with his classmates, showed popular characters from the children's film "Pinocchio", and funny sang the song "My Lilliputochka" from the film about Gulliver.

Back then, no one could have imagined that it was precisely this extraordinary talent that would be useful to Muslim in life and that he would brilliantly voice the Detective, the Troubadour and the Gypsy in the beloved cartoon “In the Footsteps of Bremen Town Musicians". At a school concert, Muslim sang “Song of the Caspian Oil Workers” by Kara Karaev - 20 years later he sang it again as a professional singer at government concerts. And then, at school, he wrote in a piercingly ringing voice: “The song of courage floats on the sea." This was Muslim Magomayev's first performance at big stage Baku Conservatory.

On the same floor with the Magomayev family in a large house, which in Baku was called the “house of artists,” lived the famous singer Bulbul. Their apartments were adjacent, and Muslim heard the chants of this legendary performer. He and his son Polad played in the same yard, and knocked on the wall at home. As representatives of the “supreme power” of the court, like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, they competed to see who could “tarzan” more skillfully, jumping from tree to tree. As a child, Muslim became interested in astronomy. Together with Pohlad, they even made a tube to see if there were spots on the Moon. Polad was younger than Muslim and studied in a different class, but together they constantly designed the school wall newspaper: even then Magomaev felt a penchant for drawing.

Together with the guys, Muslim created secret society music lovers. We gathered with his friend, Tolya Babel, a passionate admirer of I. S. Kozlovsky and the Bolshoi Theater, and listened to vocal recordings and jazz music. Gradually we moved from listening to practice. Then Magomayev developed many musical preferences: he loved classics, jazz, and pop music. The guys organized a small jazz band and played at the home of clarinetist Igor Aktyamov. Muslim gathered a circle of string players and arranged Figaro's cavatina in an arrangement for two violins, viola, cello and piano. Later, having learned about the writing talents of Muslim Magomayev, he was transferred to the class children's creativity, where he began to write plays and romances based on poems by A. S. Pushkin.

When at school they learned about how Magomayev sings in class musical literature he became a vocal illustrator - he sang arias and romances. Since the music school did not have a vocal department, Muslim was assigned to the best teacher at the conservatory, Susanna Arkadievna. He came to study at her home, and, to the student’s delight, his neighbor Rauf Atakishiev, an excellent singer who served at the Baku Opera House, dropped in on the lessons. Subsequently, Muslim sang with him more than once on opera stage. The talented student was also noticed by the excellent cellist, professor of the Baku Conservatory V. Ts. Anshelevich. He began to give him lessons free of charge, for the love of his work and creative interest. Anshelevich did not interfere with the vocals, did not stage the voice, but showed how to fillet it. The lessons with the cellist professor were not in vain: Muslim learned to overcome technical vocal riffs. The experience gained in classes with Vladimir Tsesarevich came in handy when Magomaev began working on the role of Figaro in The Barber of Seville.

Magomaev could not continue his studies at music school. Singing captivated him so much that all other subjects began to distract him, and he moved to a music school, which gave him a meeting with the wonderful accompanist T. I. Kretingen. Tamara Isidorovna was looking for unknown romances and works by ancient composers for Muslim. Magomaev often performed with her at the evenings of the vocal department on the stage of the Philharmonic. In the opera class they prepared an excerpt from P. I. Tchaikovsky's "Mazepa" - this was Muslim's first opera performance. And then the student play “The Barber of Seville” came out. Life at the school was in full swing, concert practice was encouraged, and the guys performed a lot. Magomayev forever remembered his romantic mood, as he was doing what he loved, and the teachers did not restrict the freedom of students.

During these years, Muslim married his classmate Ophelia, they had a daughter, Marina, but later the family broke up. Marina currently lives in America - she is a person very close to Muslim Magometovich. Once upon a time, her grandfather, an academician and chemist, persuaded her to study geodesy and cartography. Although Marina graduated from school as a pianist and was predicted to have a wonderful future as a musician, she chose a different path. Now Muslim Magometovich has friendly relations with his daughter, and he greatly appreciates this.

When Muslim was accepted into the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Baku Air Defense District, he began touring the Caucasus. His repertoire included pop songs, opera classics, and arias from operettas. One day, when Muslim arrived from Grozny on vacation, he was called to the Central Committee of the Azerbaijan Komsomol and informed about his upcoming trip to the VIII World Festival of Youth and Students in Helsinki. The large USSR delegation from the republic included the Azerbaijan Radio and Television Orchestra under the direction of T. Akhmedov and the only soloist, Muslim Magomayev. The Helsinki Festival began in Moscow from the Frunze Central House of the Soviet Army, where future participants gathered for rehearsals of the cultural program. Magomaev liked his songs, and based on these positive reviews, he foresaw success.

In Finland, Muslim performed on the streets and in halls with T. Akhmedov’s orchestra. For some reason, on Finnish soil he could sing more than ever. After the end of the festival, the first secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee, S.P. Pavlov, presented medals to the most distinguished participants. Among them was Muslim Magomayev. Arriving in Moscow, Muslim saw his photograph in the Ogonyok magazine with the note: “A young man from Baku conquers the world.” And in the fall he and T. Akhmedov’s orchestra were invited to Central television. After the program, Magomayev began to be recognized - this was the first recognition, but real fame came later. After Helsinki, Muslim returned to Baku and entered the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theater as an intern.

The turning point in the singer’s biography was March 26, 1963. The Decade of Culture and Art of Azerbaijan was held in Moscow - the best gathered in the capital artistic groups republics, recognized masters and aspiring youth. Concerts in which Muslim participated took place in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. He was received very warmly. The young singer performed verses of Mephistopheles from Gounod’s Faust, Hasan Khan’s aria from national opera"Kor-ogly" by U. Gadzhibekov, "Do the Russians want war." Something happened to the audience when he came on stage at last concert, broadcast on television, and sang the song "Buchenwald Alarm", which in his excellent performance shocked the audience, and Figaro's cavatina. After the cavatina, performed in Italian, the audience began chanting and shouting “bravo”. E. A. Furtseva and I. S. Kozlovsky were sitting in the box, who also continuously applauded. Muslim nodded to conductor Niyazi and repeated the cavatina in Russian.

On March 30, 1963, TASS information appeared in the newspapers from a concert of Azerbaijani artists, where it was reported: “The greatest, one might say, rare success went to Muslim Magomayev. His excellent vocal abilities and brilliant technique give reason to say that a richly gifted young artist has come to the opera.” . The press responded very actively to Magomayev’s success - enthusiastic assessments, analysis of the performance, but the most valuable thing for the singer was the feedback from the ticket holders Kremlin Palace, who wrote on the concert program: “We, the ticket holders, unwitting witnesses to the delights and disappointments of the audience, rejoice at your success in such a wonderful hall. We hope to hear you and your Figaro on our stage. Long voyage for a big ship.” After his performance during the decade, which had such a resonance, Muslim Magomayev was offered a solo performance at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. Subsequently, life developed in such a way that the singer often had to do something first: record opera arias at the Melodiya company in the studio (in the building of the Anglican Church on Stankevich Street), accompanied by a symphony orchestra conducted by Niyazi, master digital recording with sound engineer V. Babushkin .

On November 10, 1963, many people flocked to the building of the Moscow Philharmonic. Only later did Muslim learn that there were so many people wanting to attend his concert that the fans demolished front door to the lobby. As he began to sing, he managed to notice that the hall was sold out and people were standing in the aisles. The concert went better than the singer expected. Bach, Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Gadzhibekov. Instead of the 16 songs announced in the program, that evening Muslim sang 23: in an unplanned third part, he performed Italian and modern songs. The lights had already been turned off, and a crowd of fans was still standing at the proscenium. Muslim sat down at the piano - and it was time for the stage: “Come prima”, “Guarda che Luna”, A. Celentano’s twist “Twenty-four thousand kisses”. Subsequently, Magomayev began to organize concerts exactly this way: from classical works And variety numbers. TO symphony orchestra a guitar, drums and bass were added - and the orchestra turned into a pop-symphonic one. The demanding K.I. Shulzhenko recalled: “As soon as Magomayev appeared, it became a phenomenon. He was head and shoulders above all the young people. Everyone liked him madly.” It was on that day that Muslim Magomayev felt that his doubts had been overcome and his youthful timidity would never return.

In 1964, Muslim Magomayev went on an internship at the La Scala theater in Milan together with Vladimir Atlantov, Yanis Zaber, Anatoly Solovyanenko and Nikolai Kondratyuk. Italy is a country of countless treasures of art, the birthplace of bel canto, and this not only had a beneficial effect on Muslim’s performing abilities, but also significantly expanded his spiritual horizon. He forever remained a supporter of the Italian school of singing, admiring the work of Beniamino Gigli, Gino Becchi, Tito Gobbi, Mario del Monaco. Magomayev himself was excellent at the arias of Figaro and Scarpia, Mephistopheles and Onegin. In Milan, Muslim had a favorite record store where he purchased records. During his internship, he met the director of the theater, Signor Antonio Ghiringelli, who belonged to to the young singer with special attention and sympathy. Vocal classes were conducted by maestro Genarro Barra, a famous singer with enviable energy and love of life. Enrico Piazza, who once assisted the great Arturo Toscanini, became a teacher-tutor for learning opera parts. During Muslim's internship, he worked at La Scala as a consultant and accompanist. For his classes, Magomayev chose the opera “The Barber of Seville.”

The performance “The Girl from the West” by G. Puccini left an unforgettable impression on the singer - in main party Cowboy Johnson was performed by the young and already famous Franco Corelli. Vivid impression The performance of Giuseppe di Stefano also remained. It was in Milan that Muslim heard Mirella Freni in La Bohème, met Robertino Loretti and former Italian partisans, the main ones among whom were the dentist Signor Pirasso and Nicola Muchacha. Friendly looked after Soviet trainees and hospitable family Luigi Longo, son of the secretary of the Italian Communist Party. During his second internship at La Scala, Muslim prepared the role of Scarpia in Puccini's Tosca. His colleagues during the trip were Vladimir Atlantov, Hendrik Krumm, Virgilius Noreika and Vahan Mirakyan. On April 1, 1965, the trainees performed a concert on the small stage of the theater - La Piccolo Scala. Muslim sang, among other songs, “Along St. Petersburg”. The hall was full and the reception was wonderful. So, on a Russian note, to the cries of the Italian “bravo,” his Italian epic ended. Based on records brought from Italy, Magomaev made a series of programs about Italian opera singers for the radio station "Yunost" and recorded an entire album with the State Chamber Orchestra of Azerbaijan under the direction of Nazim Rzayev early music with works of composers of the 16th-18th centuries.

In the summer of 1966, Muslim Magomayev first came to France, where he was scheduled to perform on the stage of the famous Olympia Theater as part of large group Soviet artists. The newspaper "Russian Thought" wrote: "The young singer Muslim Magomayev was sent from Baku and represents Azerbaijan. He performs last number, and the audience does not want to let him go, giving him a more than well-deserved ovation. But when Magomayev sings Figaro’s aria in Italian in an exceptionally beautiful baritone, with excellent diction, excellent pronunciation and appropriate liveliness, the audience literally begins to go wild. Then he sits down at the piano and, perfectly accompanying himself, sings in Russian “Razin’s Stenka” and “Moscow Evenings” - two things that would seem to set the teeth on edge even among the French, but in his performance everything is interesting.”... After 3 years Magomayev will visit Olympia again, but this time with the Leningrad Music Hall.

While in Baku, Muslim graduated from the conservatory in a year. He studied easily, harmonized melodies perfectly, and for the piano exam he prepared Mozart’s Sonata in C major arranged for four hands, Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp minor, the first two movements of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata and played the program so that the members of the commission said: “U We have the feeling that we are taking an exam not in the vocal department, but in the piano department." So many people came to the state exam of People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR Muslim Magomayev that no hall could accommodate everyone. I had to open the windows and doors; people listened to their idol from the street. At his final exam, he sang works by Handel, Stradella, Mozart, Schumann, Grieg, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff.

Soon Muslim Magomayev was back in France - in Cannes, where the next International Festival of Recordings and Music Publishing (MIDEM) was taking place. Muslim participated in the competition in the “Pop music” section. The records he recorded sold a fantastic 4.5 million copies. The singer from the USSR received the "Golden Disc". Muslim Magometovich has two such disks in total - he received the second one at the 4th MIDEM in early 1970.

At the end of the summer of 1969, the IX International Pop Song Festival took place in Sopot. Muslim Magomayev was sent from the USSR. For the singing competition, he chose Krzysztof Sadowski's song "On This Day", presenting it as a beautiful melodic song in the Italian spirit, and received 1st prize. At the 2nd song competition of the participating countries, Muslim performed “Heart in the Snow” by A. Babajanyan. The song was received wonderfully, but according to the terms of the competition, one performer could not receive two awards at once. Having received the 1st prize as a performer, Muslim Magomayev broke the tradition of the Sopot Festival, becoming the second singer in the entire history of the competition to win the main award. He visited Sopot again as a guest at the 10th anniversary festival, held in 1970.

During his trips to Poland, Muslim looked for his father's grave. And with the assistance of the Polish-Soviet Friendship Society, it was possible to find a mass grave in the city of Chojna, Szczecin Voivodeship. 27 years after the death of his father, the son was able to visit his grave - this was in the spring of 1972. And on August 17, 1972, Muslim Magometovich’s friend Robert Rozhdestvensky presented him with a priceless gift on his thirtieth birthday - the poem “Father and Son.” Later, composer Mark Fradkin wrote music for it, but Muslim did not perform this song - it was personal, not for the public. He dedicated a song to his father, also written to the poems of his friend, Gennady Kozlovsky. The song "The Last Chord" was included in the film "Muslim Magomayev Sings".

Another film is dedicated to Muslim Magometovich - “See you again, Muslim,” which was filmed based on a recording of Neapolitan songs. Together with A. A. Babajanyan they created wonderful songs - “Waiting”, “Beauty Queen”, “My Destiny”. Magomayev was also gifted with his songs by another long-time friend, O. B. Feltsman. “Return of the Romance”, “With Love for a Woman”, “Lullaby”, “Loneliness of a Woman” were remembered by the listeners. Muslim Magomayev was always interested in giving songs a new sound. He was one of the first to perform in a new way “Dark Night”, “Scows full of mullets”, “For three years I dreamed of you”, “Why is my heart so disturbed”, “Merry Wind” and “Captain”. The famous singer had the opportunity to work with wonderful performers. In "Tosca" he sang with Maria Biesu, in "The Barber of Seville" - with the diva of the Kirov Theater Galina Kovaleva. When Magomayev performed Scarpia in Leningrad, E. E. Nesterenko sang the part of the Jailer.

At the Baku Philharmonic, which bears the name of his grandfather, Muslim Magometovich met Tamara Ilyinichna Sinyavskaya. Perhaps there was some kind of sign in this: the Philharmonic is like a family abode of the Magomayevs, in which the spirit of their ancestors lives. Even before Sinyavskaya left for Italy, Magomayev became a regular at the Bolshoi Theater - he listened to all the performances with her participation, gave the biggest and beautiful bouquets... And then there was a test of feelings by separation - Tamara Sinyavskaya went for an internship in Italy for six months, and Muslim called her every day. It was at that moment that “Melody” arose... When A. Pakhmutova and N. Dobronravov showed Magomayev new song, he liked it immediately, and after a few days it was recorded. Tamara Ilyinichna was one of the first to hear it on the phone in distant Italy. Muslim Magometovich admits that he could not marry another woman - he and Tamara Ilyinichna have true love, common interests and one thing...

Muslim Magomayev always had full-fledged foreign tours. He was the first of the Soviet pop artists to go to the USA through the State Concert. Toured around big cities: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles. The audience received the artist very warmly. Muslim Magometovich often visited this country in connection with his work on a book about the legendary Mario Lanza. When he broadcast a series of 5 radio programs dedicated to the work of this great performer and shared with listeners his plans to write a book about him, many selfless helpers responded. In 1989, Muslim Magomayev and Tamara Sinyavskaya received an invitation to take part in the annual evening dedicated to the date of the singer’s death (October 7, 1959). They were greeted with unusual joy - for the first time in 30 years after Lanz's death, artists from the Soviet Union participated in the evening in his memory.

Magomayev expressed all his love for Lanza, the great singer of the 20th century, in the first book written about him in the USSR, which was published in 1993 by the Muzyka publishing house. After stories about Mario Lanza, a lot of people came to the radio letters of thanks from radio listeners, and it was decided to continue the cycle. There were programs about other outstanding singers - Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano. After some time, Magomayev was offered to do the same thing, only for television - this is how a series of programs with Svyatoslav Belza “Visiting Muslim Magomayev” appeared. They talked about Mario del Monaco, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli. Last job in this cycle there was a story about the great conductor Arturo Toscanini.

The discography of Muslim Magomayev includes 45 records, dozens of recordings published in the popular music magazine"Krugozor", as well as 15 CDs:

"Thank You" (1995),

"Arias from operas and musicals. Neapolitan songs" (1996),

"Stars Soviet stage. Muslim Magomaev. The Best" (2001),

"Love is my song. Land of dreams" (2001),

"Memories of A. Babajanyan and R. Rozhdestvensky" (series "Stars that do not go out", 2002),

"Muslim Magomayev. Favorites" (2002),

"Arias from Operas" (2002),

"Songs of Italy" (2002),

"Concert in the hall named after P. I. Tchaikovsky, 1963." (2002),

"Great performers of the 20th century. Muslim Magomayev" (2002),

"With Love for a Woman" (2003),

"Performances, musicals, films" (2003),

"Rhapsody of Love" (2004),

"Muslim Magomayev. Improvisations" (2004),

"Muslim Magomayev. Concerts, concerts, concerts" (2005).

At one time, Muslim Magomayev gave preference to the stage and brought new rhythm and style to it. As often happens with talented people, famous singer He is multi-talented: he is not only an excellent singer and actor, but also writes music for theater and cinema, composes songs, sculpts, draws, and has literary abilities. Muslim Magometovich has been drawing since childhood, most often according to his mood. While in Baku in the summer, day after day he painted sunsets on the sea - his soul rests at the easel. Muslim Magomayev managed to realize another long-standing dream - to create a pop orchestra. First he worked with the famous big band under the leadership of L. Merabov, and then gathered the best jazz musicians. The Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra had a base in the Moscow Palace of Culture of the Likhachev Automobile Plant - the musicians gave 20-30 concerts a month.

Another hobby of Muslim Magomayev is film music, which he writes mainly for the films of Eldar Kuliev. In the mid-1980s, the film director conceived a film about the poet and thinker of the Middle Ages Nizami and invited Muslim to play this role. The film was shot in Azerbaijan and Samarkand. Two-part Feature Film It turned out beautiful - everything about it is exquisite, ornamentally beautiful, truly oriental. Poetry, philosophy, fluidity of thoughts, actions, reflections on life, love and death. Muslim Magomayev played the role of his great compatriot in a movie for the first time.

In the mid-1980s, the director of the Yaroslavl Drama Theater named after F. Volkov, Gleb Drozdov, invited Magomayev to write music for the play “A Bird Gives Birth to a Bird.” Muslim Magometovich wrote a song that received the same name as the play, which he later recorded on the radio. The premiere of the play was a success. Subsequently, Drozdov invited Magomayev to write music for the play "Yaroslavna" based on "The Tale of Igor's Campaign." In the depths of his soul, Muslim Magometovich had long wanted to test his strength in the Russian theme, and as a result, interesting musical numbers turned out. Echoing each other, intertwining into a Russian wreath, three themes sounded: Yaroslavna’s lament, which was recorded by Tamara Sinyavskaya, Boyan’s song (aka the Presenter of the performance) performed by Vladimir Atlantov, and Prince Igor’s aria, which was recorded by Muslim Magomayev. The premiere took place in August 1985. The performance was not performed on the stage of the theater, but near the walls of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, where the manuscript “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” was discovered in the 18th century. These walls became the best decoration.

Everyone loves Muslim Magomayev. At one time, L. I. Brezhnev listened with pleasure to his song “Bella, ciao,” and Shah Farah, after her official visit to Baku, invited the singer to take part in the celebration of the anniversary of the coronation of the Shah of Iran. Good and warm relationships long years connected Muslim Magomayev with the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Azerbaijan SSR G. A. Aliyev. Muslim Magometovich was even elected as a deputy Supreme Council Azerbaijan. He received letters with various requests, sent them to the appropriate authorities, and tried to help people. Living in Moscow, I specially came to sessions in Baku.

The life principle of Muslim Magomayev is “Don’t wait, don’t be afraid, don’t ask.” Among all the other advantages, it is also necessary to add the fact that Magomayev’s soul never tires of working. He keeps in touch with his many fans via the Internet and likes to “work magic” on recordings in his home studio. For his anniversary in 2002, a collection of 14 CDs was released, giving an idea of ​​how much the great singer did for our art.

Muslim Magomayev is proud of his homeland, loves it and always says that Azerbaijan is his father and Russia is his mother. He never forgot his Baku courtyard and the boulevard on the shore of the warm Caspian Sea. Muslim Magometovich often comes to Baku as if it were a holy land. For Baku residents, their city is not just a place of birth, it is something more. A Baku resident has a special character, individuality, and a special lifestyle. Having been born, having received a good education, having taken his first steps in the profession on the beautiful land of the great Nizami, Khagani, Vurgun, Hajibekov, Bul-Bul, Niyazi, Karaev, Behbutov, Amirov, he came to Moscow very young, and she instantly made him famous and surrounded with love.

Robert Rozhdestvensky wrote: “I was present at many concerts in which Muslim Magomayev sang, and there was never a case when the presenter had time to name the full name of the artist. Usually after the name “Muslim” such applause is heard that, despite the most powerful speakers and all the efforts of the presenter, the name “Magomayev” is hopelessly drowned in the enthusiastic roar. They are accustomed to the fact that his name alone has long become a kind of landmark of our art. And also to the fact that any opera aria, any song. in his performance it is always an expected miracle."

Order of Friendship of Peoples (1980),

Order of "Independence" (Azerbaijan, 2002) - for great services in the development of Azerbaijani culture,

Order of Glory (Azerbaijan, 1997),

Badge of honor "For services to Polish culture"

Badge "Miner's Glory" III degree,

People's Artist of the USSR (1973),

Honored Artist of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic,

Order "Heart of Danko", awarded for outstanding achievements in the development of Russian culture,

Honored Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR,

People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (1971).

P.s.

Muslim Magomayev died on October 25, 2008 at the age of 66 from coronary heart disease. Condolences were expressed on the death of a truly great artist statesmen Russia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Belarus. Many famous cultural and artistic figures who knew Muslim Magomayev closely and worked with him also expressed their condolences. On October 28, 2008 in Moscow, in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, and on October 29, 2008 in the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic named after. Farewell ceremonies for the singer were held in Baku for Muslim Magomayev (senior). On the same day, he was buried in the Alley of Honor in Baku next to his grandfather. Thousands of people came to say goodbye to Magomayev. The coffin with the body of the deceased was carried out to the sounds of the song “Azerbaijan” written and performed by him. The funeral procession was attended by the country's President Ilham Aliyev, the singer's widow Tamara Sinyavskaya and daughter Marina, who flew in from the United States.

On October 22, 2009, a monument to Muslim Magomayev was unveiled at his grave in the Alley of Honor in Baku. The author of the monument is folk artist Azerbaijan, rector of the Azerbaijan State Academy of Arts Omar Eldarov. The monument was made in full height, and the white marble for it was delivered to Baku from the Urals.

On August 14, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree “On perpetuating the memory of Muslim Magomayev.” According to the order, a memorial plaque was installed on the house where the singer lived on July 6, 2011, and one of the capital’s schools was named after Muslim Magomayev.

The Moscow City Duma Commission on Monumental Art decided to erect a monument to Muslim Magomayev in the park on Leontyevsky Lane, opposite the building of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow. The monument was to be erected at the expense of Crocus International JSC with subsequent donation to the city. On February 3, 2010, the solemn ceremony opening of the foundation stone at the site of the future monument. The authors of the monument are sculptor Alexander Rukavishnikov and architect Igor Voznesensky. On September 15, 2011, the monument to M. Magomayev was inaugurated.

Opened on October 25, 2009 concert hall named after Muslim Magomayev in Crocus City (Moscow).

SHARES

Muslim Magomayev is one of the most famous singers in Soviet Union. The whole country listened to Muslim Magomayev’s songs, and his foreign tours brought in huge income. He was an idol of both government officials and ordinary people.

• The date of birth of the great artist is August 17, 1942. He was born in Baku during the most difficult period of the Great Patriotic War. His mother was Aishet Magomayeva, a famous dramatic actress. Muslim's father died at the front;
• Muslim Magomayev's ancestors included people of different nationalities. He himself said this: “Azerbaijan is my father, Russia is my mother.” Uncle Jamal's house became his home forever. His uncle replaced his father and largely contributed to the fact that Muslim developed a love for music;
• Muslim had a nanny, Grunya, who took him to Orthodox church and told him about religion. He was fond of reading science fiction, he especially liked Jules Verne and his novel Nautilus.

School of Music

In 1949, Muslim entered a music school. Already at the age of eight, he amazed those around him with his unusually pure and in a beautiful voice. At the age of 9, he and his mother went to Vyshny Volochok. He lived there for some time and returned to Baku. His mother remarried and he had a brother and sister.

The beginning of a passion for singing

At Uncle Muslim’s house, he enjoyed listening to outstanding works by world singers. He was interested in the following singers:

1. Battistini.
2. Tito Ruffo.
3. Caruso.
4. Gigli.

By the age of fourteen, Muslim’s voice became very beautiful and expressive. Now he performs the “Song of the Caspian Oil Workers” at school concerts. He communicates a lot with performers and composers, and begins to write songs and romances himself.

Having dropped out of music school, Magomaev entered a music school. There he communicates with famous accompanists and participates in the production of the student concert “The Barber of Seville.” Muslim’s first marriage to his classmate Ophelia dates back to this time - she became the mother of his daughter Marina.

The singer's work in the USSR

• Muslim gradually gains popularity. He is recruited into the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Baku Air Defense District. He gives concerts in Grozny. Then he is invited to perform in Moscow, in the Central House Soviet army named after Frunze;
• The peak of Magomayev's career was in 1963. At that time, the Decade of Culture and Art of Azerbaijan was held in Moscow. Muslim performed at the Kremlin Palace of Congresses. His repertoire then included arias of Mephistopheles from “Faust” by Gounod, Hasan Khan from the opera “Kerr-Ogly” by Hajibeyov. Spectators listen to his performances with delight, and the press considers him a richly gifted young artist. On November 10, 1963, Magomayev performed at the Moscow Philharmonic, and there were so many spectators that the hall could not accommodate everyone;
• the singer is under the special patronage of the Secretary of State of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, and he always helps in especially difficult situations.

Foreign tours of Magomayev

1. Finland. In 1963, Magomayev attended the Eighth International Festival of Youth and Students in Helsinki. Success awaits him there. A newspaper is published in Moscow with his photograph and a description of his concert activities.
2. 1964 - Magomayev goes on an internship at the La Scala Theater in Milan. There he comprehends the treasures of Italian culture, studying with the famous singer Mario del Monaco. He gives concerts in Italy, where he performs Russian songs. After returning to the Soviet Union, he created a series of programs about Italian opera singers for the Yunost radio station.
3. 1966 - Muslim Magomayev first comes to France, to Paris, where he is given the opportunity to perform on the stage of the Olympia Theater. Listening to him, the audience begins to go wild. In France, he also visits Cannes, where the International Festival of Recordings and Music Publishing is taking place at this time. Discs with recordings of the works he performed sold 4 and a half million copies. In Paris, he was offered to stay forever and work in the theater. But Magomayev did not want to, he did not see himself outside the Soviet Union.
4. 1972 - Magomayev visits Poland with concerts. There he establishes connections with the Polish-Soviet Friendship Society.
5. In 1989, he was one of the first Soviet citizens to come to the United States. There, together with Tamara Sinyavskaya, he takes part in a concert, dedicated to memory artist Mario Lanza. He tours Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. In America he receives recognition from people.

The most outstanding songs of Muslim Magomayev

• "Beauty Queen" was written by composer Arno Babajanyan. The words to the music were written by Anatoly Gorokhov. The song is about a man for whom his beloved is a beauty queen. Just in the sixties of the last century, a beauty contest was held in Yerevan, and the participating beauties inspired Arno Babajanyan to write this composition, which was then brilliantly performed by Muslim Magomayev;
• Magomayev recorded songs for the film “Seventeen Moments of Spring,” but in the end, director Tatyana Lioznova chose the voice of Joseph Kobzon to dub the film. His repertoire included such popularly beloved songs as “Scows full of mullets”, “Moscow Evenings”, “Dark Night”, “Victory Day”, “The Best City on Earth”;
• Magomayev has more than 600 opera and pop compositions to his credit. And also a book about the singer Mario Lanza.

Retirement

1. At the age of 56, Magomayev decided to leave the stage. Many were perplexed when they learned this. He said about his decision this way: “It’s better to leave half an hour earlier than five minutes later.”
2. Now Magomayev began creating an orchestra. And in 1975 he became the director of the state pop and symphony orchestra, which he successfully led for fourteen years. With the orchestra he visited all corners of the Soviet Union, in countries such as France, Bulgaria, Poland, and Canada.
3. In 1998, the singer learned that he was sick with coronary artery disease. His heart could not withstand heavy loads. Therefore, he finally stopped his activities, became a homebody, and corresponded with fans through his website. He became interested in painting and often went fishing with his wife.

He died on October 25, 2008, and was buried in Baku. Many cultural and artistic figures expressed their condolences over the artist’s death. A year later, a monument was erected at the singer’s grave, and a memorial plaque was installed on the house in Baku where he lived. A street in Baku was named after the singer. The monument to Muslim Magomayev was erected in Moscow, opposite the Azerbaijani Embassy building.

The name “Muslim Magomayev” was given to one of the ships of the military fleet in Baku.

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