Muslim Magomayev
Encyclopedia
Muslim Mahammad oglu Magomayev , "King of Songs" or "Soviet Sinatra" as some refer him was an iconic Soviet and Azerbaijan
i baritone
opera
tic and pop singer of the 1960s
and 1970s
. Magomayev, with his vocal talent and charisma went to a legendary status in Russia
and other post-Soviet countries including his homeland Azerbaijan.
Magomayev was awarded with several honors including People's Artist of Azerbaijan, People's Artists of the USSR (1973), Order of Honour (Russian Federation), Order of the Red Banner of Labour
, Order of Friendship of Peoples
, Istiglal Order
, and Order of "Heart of Darko". Magomayev was also awarded in Chechenya and Poland
Magomayev was an art director of Azerbaijan State Bandstand-Symphonic Orchestra from 1975 and performed concerts in France
, Bulgaria
, Finland
, and Canada
.
Magomayev died on October 25, 2008 in Moscow
from a heart attack and was buried in the Alley of Honors in Azerbaijan
. President of Azerbaijan
Ilham Aliyev
was also presenting in the funeral. The tribute concert, which took place at Crocus City Hall in Moscow featured some of the most important figures of Russian music such as Philipp Kirkorov
, Dima Bilan
, Larisa Dolina
, Valeri Syutkin
, Valeriya
, Joseph Kobzon
, Nikolay Baskov
as well as his student Emin Agalarov
. The concert was broadcasted on Rossiya 1. Magomayev was an infleunce on many important musical figures including Alla Pugacheva
.
, was one of the founders of Azerbaijani-composed music. Magomayev's father, Mahammad Magomayev, who died two days prior to the defeat of Nazi Germany
in World War II
while serving as a soldier in the Soviet Army
, was a gifted scenic designer
; his mother, Aishet Magomayeva, was an actress.
Magomayev 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
, and other styles of popular music. He majored in piano and composition at the Baku Conservatoire.
where he performed within the frameworks of the Days of Azerbaijani Culture. He sang two musical pieces ("He chose to sing arias from Gounod’s Faust, and the song Do the Russians Want War?") in a gala-concert on the USSR's main stage, the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and became a celebrity on a spur of the moment. 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 Theatre
. Muslim earned fame in the USSR as an opera singer with Rossini
's "Barber of Seville". He also became known for his arias from Puccini
's "Tosca
", Hajibeyov's "Koroghlu"
and "Shah Ismayil", which was composed by his grandfather.
In 1964–1965 Muslim was on probation in the La Scala
theatre in Milan
, but turned down the invitation to sing in the Moscow Bolshoi Theater upon his return. Instead, the singer turned to popular music, becoming a pop idol for several generations of music lovers in the Soviet Union. Muslim Magomayev's popularity in the USSR was overwhelming. He quickly became a cult figure and gave three concerts a day filling out huge arenas all across the Soviet Union, while his albums sold millions.
In 1966 and 1969 Magomayev performed in Paris Olympia
with great success. The director of Olympia Bruno Coquatrix
offered him a contract, and Magomayev was seriously considering an opportunity to pursue international career, but Ekaterina Furtseva
refused to grant the Ministry of Culture's permission, claiming that it needed Magomayev to perform at governmental concerts. In 1969 he received MIDEM
Gold Disc Award in Cannes
for the album sales of over 4,5 million units. In 1973, at the very young age of 31, Muslim was awarded the Soviet Union's highest artistic title: People's Artist of the USSR
.
Magomayev was also known as a composer, writing several film soundtracks. In addition, Magomayev acted in films and hosted television
and radio
broadcasts devoted to prominent musicians of the 20th century.
Magomayev moved to Moscow in the early 1970s, where he worked in theater. In 1997, in recognition of Magomayev's professional successes, a Russian astronomical society named a planetoid of the solar system
, 4980 Magomaev
.
. In later life, Magomayev struggled with a serious heart condition. Magomayev smoked cigarettes all his adult life.
, in his flat, from a heart attack. He was buried in the Alley of Honors in his native city of Baku
, next to his grandfather, on October 29. 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.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
tic and pop singer of the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
and 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
. Magomayev, with his vocal talent and charisma went to a legendary status in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and other post-Soviet countries including his homeland Azerbaijan.
Magomayev was awarded with several honors including People's Artist of Azerbaijan, People's Artists of the USSR (1973), Order of Honour (Russian Federation), Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
The Order of the Red Banner of Labour was an order of the Soviet Union for accomplishments in labour and civil service. It is the labour counterpart of the military Order of the Red Banner. A few institutions and factories, being the pride of Soviet Union, also received the order.-History:The Red...
, Order of Friendship of Peoples
Order of Friendship of Peoples
The Order of Friendship of Peoples was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons , organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in strengthening of inter-ethnic and international friendship and cooperation, for...
, Istiglal Order
Istiglal Order
Istiglal Order , is an Azerbaijani award presented by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Istiglal means Sovereignty in Azerbaijani.-History and status:...
, and Order of "Heart of Darko". Magomayev was also awarded in Chechenya and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
Magomayev was an art director of Azerbaijan State Bandstand-Symphonic Orchestra from 1975 and performed concerts in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Magomayev died on October 25, 2008 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
from a heart attack and was buried in the Alley of Honors in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. President of Azerbaijan
President of Azerbaijan
The country of Azerbaijan is a presidential republic, with the President of Azerbaijan as the head of state, and the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan as head of government...
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...
was also presenting in the funeral. The tribute concert, which took place at Crocus City Hall in Moscow featured some of the most important figures of Russian music such as Philipp Kirkorov
Philipp Kirkorov
Philipp Bedrosovich Kirkorov is a Bulgarian-born Russian singer and producer living and working in Moscow.-Biography:Philipp Kirkorov was born on April 30, 1967 in Varna, Bulgaria. His father is Bulgarian singer of Armenian and Belarusian ethnicity Bedros Kirkorov. His mother, Victoria, is...
, Dima Bilan
Dima Bilan
' is a Russian actor and pop singer . Bilan represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Never Let You Go", finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008 in Belgrade, with the song "Believe". He has had several Russian no. 1 hits....
, Larisa Dolina
Larisa Dolina
Larisa Aleksandrovna Dolina is an Azerbaijani-born prominent Russian jazz and pop singer and an actress...
, Valeri Syutkin
Valeri Syutkin
Singing professionally since 1982, he gained popularity as a member of the rock band Bravo.In 2008, he was awarded the honorary title "Merited Artist of the Russian Federation".-References:...
, Valeriya
Valeriya
Valeriya is a stage name of Alla Yurievna Perfilova , a Russian singer.-Early years:Valeriya was born on the April 17, 1968 in a small town Atkarsk in middle Russia in a family of classical musicians. She studied piano at the only musical school in the town where her father Yuri Ivanovich was a...
, Joseph Kobzon
Joseph Kobzon
Iosif Davydovich Kobzon is a Soviet and Russian singer, known for his crooner style.-Early life:Kobzon was born to Jewish parents in the mining town of Chasiv Yar, in the Donbass region of Ukraine....
, Nikolay Baskov
Nikolay Baskov
Nikolay Victorovich Baskov is a popular Russian tenor singer. He's famous for performing both classical operatic arias and pop music songs.He is meritorious and people's artist of the Russian Federation. He is people's artist of Ukraine...
as well as his student Emin Agalarov
Emin Agalarov
Emin Araz oglu Agalarov , simply known under the stage name Emin, is an Azerbaijani singer-songwriter and businessman. He writes and performs songs in English. Emin went to fame with his debut album Still which sold over 100,000 copies worldwide...
. The concert was broadcasted on Rossiya 1. Magomayev was an infleunce on many important musical figures including Alla Pugacheva
Alla Pugacheva
Alla Borisovna Pugacheva or Pugachova , born 15 April 1949), is а Soviet and Russian musical performer. Her career started in 1965 and continues to this day...
.
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 HajibeyovUzeyir Hajibeyov
Uzeyir bey Abdul Hussein oglu Hajibeyov was an Azerbaijani and Soviet composer, conductor, publicist, playwright, teacher, translator, and social figure from Azerbaijan. He is recognized as the father of Azerbaijani classical music and opera...
, was one of the founders of Azerbaijani-composed music. Magomayev's father, Mahammad Magomayev, who died two days prior to the defeat of Nazi Germany
Victory Day (Eastern Europe)
Victory Day or 9 May marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the Second World War...
in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
while serving as a soldier in the Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
, was a gifted scenic designer
Scenic design
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
; his mother, Aishet Magomayeva, was an actress.
Magomayev 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
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and other styles of popular music. He majored in piano and composition at the Baku Conservatoire.
Musical career
"He was 19 when he first performed, at an international youth music festival in Helsinki, the Finnish capital." In 1962, at the age of 20, Magomayev first appeared in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
where he performed within the frameworks of the Days of Azerbaijani Culture. He sang two musical pieces ("He chose to sing arias from Gounod’s Faust, and the song Do the Russians Want War?") in a gala-concert on the USSR's main stage, the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, and became a celebrity on a spur of the moment. 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 Theatre
Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre
The Akhundov Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is a theatre in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was built in 1911.-History:...
. Muslim earned fame in the USSR as an opera singer with Rossini
Gioacchino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini was an Italian composer who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music, chamber music, songs, and some instrumental and piano pieces...
's "Barber of Seville". He also became known for his arias from Puccini
Giacomo Puccini
Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire...
's "Tosca
Tosca
Tosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
", Hajibeyov's "Koroghlu"
The Opera of Koroglu
Koroğlu is an opera in five acts by Uzeyir Hajibeyov to a libretto in Azerbaijani by Habib Ismayilov, with poetry by Mammed Said Ordubadi. The libretto is based on episodes from the Epic of Köroğlu, a heroic legend prominent in the oral traditions of the Turkic peoples...
and "Shah Ismayil", which was composed by his grandfather.
In 1964–1965 Muslim was on probation in the La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
theatre in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, but turned down the invitation to sing in the Moscow Bolshoi Theater upon his return. Instead, the singer turned to popular music, becoming a pop idol for several generations of music lovers in the Soviet Union. Muslim Magomayev's popularity in the USSR was overwhelming. He quickly became a cult figure and gave three concerts a day filling out huge arenas all across the Soviet Union, while his albums sold millions.
In 1966 and 1969 Magomayev performed in Paris Olympia
Paris Olympia
The Olympia is a music hall in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber....
with great success. The director of Olympia Bruno Coquatrix
Bruno Coquatrix
Bruno Coquatrix, was born in Ronchin, Nord on 5 August 1910 and died in Paris on 1 April 1979, buried in the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery . He is mainly known as the owner and manager of the music hall Paris Olympia...
offered him a contract, and Magomayev was seriously considering an opportunity to pursue international career, but Ekaterina Furtseva
Ekaterina Furtseva
Yekaterina Alexeyevna Furtseva was probably the most influential woman in Soviet politics and the first woman to be admitted into Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union...
refused to grant the Ministry of Culture's permission, claiming that it needed Magomayev to perform at governmental concerts. In 1969 he received MIDEM
Midem
-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
Gold Disc Award in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
for the album sales of over 4,5 million units. In 1973, at the very young age of 31, Muslim was awarded the Soviet Union's highest artistic title: People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
.
Magomayev was also known as a composer, writing several film soundtracks. In addition, Magomayev acted in films and hosted television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
broadcasts devoted to prominent musicians of the 20th century.
Magomayev moved to Moscow in the early 1970s, where he worked in theater. In 1997, in recognition of Magomayev's professional successes, a Russian astronomical society named a planetoid of the solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
, 4980 Magomaev
4980 Magomaev
4980 Magomaev is an outer main-belt asteroid discovered on September 19, 1974 by L. I. Chernykh at Nauchnyj.Its named after legendary Azerbaijani singer Muslim Magomayev.- External links :*...
.
Personal life
Magomayev was married when he was 19, 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 SinyavskayaTamara Sinyavskaya
Tamara Ilyinichna Sinyavskaya is a Russian mezzo soprano from the Bolshoi Theatre.She was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR in 1982, which her husband, Azerbaijani singer Muslim Magomaev, had received in 1973. In 1997, 4981 Sinyavskaya was named in her honor.-External links:***...
. In later life, Magomayev struggled with a serious heart condition. Magomayev smoked cigarettes all his adult life.
Last period of his life
In 1998 Magomayev officially stopped his musical career and had only few performances with his wife. He died on October 25, 2008 in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, in his flat, from a heart attack. He was buried in the Alley of Honors in his native city of Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
, next to his grandfather, on October 29. The funeral ceremony was attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...
, 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.
External links
- Times Online Obituary. Muslim Magomaev: popular singer known as the "Soviet Sinatra".
- Muslim Magomaev's website
- ITAR-TASS. Moscow pays last respects to famous singer Muslim Magomayev
- Muslim Magomaev on YouTube
- "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.