HE LIVED SHOCKING, HE LEFT AND SHOCKED

Before him, the Azerbaijani music community also had Muslim Magomayev - an outstanding composer, musician, conductor and public figure. On 17 August 1942, a boy was born in the family of the composer's son Mahammad Magomayev. They gave him his granddad's name - Muslim as though they were aware of his future fate.

Musical abilities were bestowed on Magomayev from above. Although his father had not received musical education, he played the piano and sang with a pleasant voice. Mahammad Magomayev was a talented theatre painter. But the war did not let his dreams come true - he was killed at the front in 1943.

Muslim grew up without knowing that his father would never return. He learned about it only after he turned 10.

His mom Aysat Ahmadovna was a good drama actress with a beautiful voice. When her husband went to the front, she lived with the Magomayev family. And after Mahammad's death, she returned to her native Maykop.

In his childhood, Muslim proved to be a worthy son of the Magomayev family. At the age of three, he sat at the grand piano of his grandfather. At the age of five, he wrote his first work. In 1949, he was brought to the music school at the Baku Conservatory. At the age of eight, everyone talked about the unusual voice of Muslim. At the age of nine, his mother took him to the Vysshiy Volochek Theatre where she worked. But a year later, she sent him back to Baku.

The song "Marina", which he composed in the 6th grade under the influence of love, is still known today. He first appeared onstage at the Sailors' Club at the age of 14. But long before that, Muslim had his own permanent stage - he sang for friends in one of the courtyards of Baku. At the age of 15, he was invited to sing in clubs, schools, colleges and even at the Baku Boulevard...

Life went on, and events followed one another. The trip to the 8th World Youth Festival in Helsinki in 1962 brought him good luck. From the festival where he was sent on the recommendation of Niyazi, Muslim returned with a medal. Ogonek magazine published a note about him - "A young man from Baku conquers the world".

His performance during the Days of Culture of Azerbaijan in Moscow in 1963 brought him closer to the peak of fame. By the middle of the 1960s, he was known not only in the USSR, but also in several foreign countries.

His first solo concert was held at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in November 1963. His performance in the Kremlin Palace gave the audience a new star of Soviet music with a unique baritone.

In the same year, he became a soloist of the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theatre. He dreamt of studying in Italy. It was with difficulty that he got an attachment to Milan's La Scala theatre. In the Soviet Union, only those with an irreproachable biography were sent to study abroad. And Muslim's biography said: "Divorced, was expelled from the pioneers' organization at school and was not a member of the Komsomol." But he achieved what he wanted. Muslim's trip to Milan was widely publicized in Azerbaijan, and even a film was made about him.

...But the tough laws of the Soviet period stalked him in Milan. Muslim always felt that he was controlled. One day, he invited an Italian girl to a cafe. After the girl left, he was approached by a man who demanded that he leave her alone. It turned out that one of the members of the group followed him everywhere, informing Moscow about everything.

The same tough Soviet laws did not allow him to sing in La Scala - ballet dancers of the famous Milan theatre who were on attachment in Moscow were not allowed to appear onstage at the Bolshoi Theatre, and in response, Muslim lost his chance of going onstage at the Italian theatre. Such difficulties continued to stalk him - his tours were banned, and he was forced to turn down many proposals.

Appreciating freedom most of all and recognizing no borders and frames, Muslim lived in his own world.

After completing his attachment, he turned down an invitation to the Bolshoi Theatre and returned to Baku. "The Bolshoi Theatre requires discipline, and I am not a disciplined person," freedom-loving Magomayev confessed to Komsomolskaya Pravda ahead of his 60th birthday.

In 1968, he completed his education at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory. In 1966-1969, he was invited to France. He had a tour at the famous Parisian theatre Olympia. Director Bruno Coquatrix offered Muslim a contract that could bring him worldwide recognition. But Soviet Minister of Culture Furtseva, who had helped Magomayev to get into La Scala, vetoed it.

After returning from France, Muslim was summoned to the Interior Ministry - he had received a triple fee from the organizers of the concert without the permission of the Ministry of Culture. He was barred from television and live performances for six months. But after a few months when the anniversary of the KGB was marked, Andropov personally called Furtseva and asked her to provide a live performance by Muslim.

In 1969, Magomayev won an award at an international festival in the Polish city of Sopot. At a festival in Cannes, he was awarded the Golden Plate. In 1975, he was appointed artistic director of the Azerbaijan State Symphonic Orchestra, with which he gave concerts in many cities of the Soviet Union, as well as in France, Canada, Bulgaria, Poland, Finland and Iran.

 Linking his life to pop music in the 1970s, Muslim Magomayev became famous as a singer and toured the cities of the Soviet Union, giving concerts on squares. Television broadcast his concerts without any restrictions, and his records were produced in enormous editions.

He wrote music for a film directed by his friend Eldar Quliyev. Then he received orders from film director Gleb Drozdov and composed music for the play Yaroslavna based on "The Word about Igor's Regiment". In the play, he played the role of Prince Igor and Tamara Sinyavskaya - that of Yaroslavna. The first meeting with Tamara, with whom he did not part until the end of his life, took place in Baku where she had arrived on tour. At the end of the year, Muslim went on attachment to La Scala. After his return, he gave a concert at the Kremlin Palace. Tamara, who was still married at the time, was not present at the concert. She came later to see her love for the last time. But after this meeting, they never parted.

Later, Muslim moved to Moscow where he continued his career. His voice charmed residents of the Soviet capital. The leader of the country himself - Leonid Brezhnev - was a fan of Muslim. Most of all, he loved the song "Bella Ciao" devoted to Italian partisans.

Prominent Moscow composers specially composed songs for Muslim's voice. Pop music took a leading place in his career. However, the wide range of Muslim's voice allowed him to show his skills in various fields - in cinema, opera and onstage.

In 1971, a concert film dedicated to him was shot - "Muslim Magomayev Sings". In 1973, at the age of 31, he was awarded the honorary title of People's Artist of the USSR.

In the 1970s, there appeared new names in Soviet pop music. Then he suddenly announced his departure from the stage. The news was met with great regret. Fans spent hours standing in the yard of his house, hoping to see him at least in the window.

Muslim lived in a three-room suite at a hotel for five years: his registration in Azerbaijan did not allow him to get an apartment in Moscow. He had countless friends and acquaintances, but he did not like to ask.

Singer Muslim Magomayev was loved around the world. Each city he visited on tour opened its arms to him. But the most beautiful city for the renowned singer was his native Baku - a city of his sweet memories and most intimate feelings. Muslim Magomayev loved Azerbaijan more than anything, glorifying it with the words - "You are the mother of my mother, Azerbaijan". And Azerbaijan idolized its famous compatriot.

In 2002, Muslim Magomayev was awarded the Order of Istiqlal in connection with his 60th anniversary.

With age, the famous singer developed health problems. He was said to be suffering from cancer. In 2008, he was unexpectedly taken to the Bakulev hospital in Moscow. But even in those difficult times, he never forgot his fans and comforted them.

And on 25 October 2008, news came about the death of Muslim Magomayev after a severe and prolonged illness. In Moscow, the farewell ceremony for the great singer was held at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. The next day, Magomayev's countrymen bid farewell to him at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Society in Baku named after his grandfather. He was buried at the Avenue of Honour in Baku where the ashes of his grandfather lie.

Time is steadily distancing us from him. But the legendary singer continues to remind us of himself and win the hearts of people with his unique voice.

While preparing a new album of his friend Muslim Magomayev, Mikhail Gusman said that composer Mikhail Tariverdiyev wrote the music to the film "The Seventeen Moments of Spring" for Muslim's voice. But then, for some unknown reason, the director chose Iosif Kobzon as the singer. The Russian press reported that Soviet censors had rejected Magomayev's baritone, saying that one's eyes watered from such a performance, while one should not cry about the film about Stirlitz. At Gusman's request, Tamara Sinyavskaya found this performance in the archives of Muslim Magomayev. Who knows how many more unknown memoirs of the great master are stored in the memory of his friends, acquaintances and fans...

In commemoration of his friend, singer Eldar Quliyev said: "They say time is the best healer. But I still cannot come to terms with the loss of Muslim." We find solace in the voice and beautiful performance of Muslim Magomayev, listening to which we feel proud.