"GOOD-BYE BAKU, I WON'T SEE YOU AGAIN"

No-one had expected this. You believe that the people you love sincerely will live forever. Morning, Saturday, 25 October. The news of the death of a great Azerbaijani singer and composer, rumbled like thunder from a clear sky. Muslim Magomayev is dead - this sounds like a sentence. Time cannot be stopped, preserved or circumvented. It is an unalterable fact. It is bitter.

Is it possible to come to terms with it? No. And no matter how much we may say to ourselves that Muslim Magomayev will live forever, we understand somewhere deep inside that this is just consolation. What a pity. The news of his death is being written way too early. He was only 67. He could still have been delighting us with his very existence, although Muslim Magomayev's voice has not been heard from the stage for quite some time. He was a great Azerbaijani. And it gives one an enormous sense of pride to come from the same country as he did, especially at a time when national self-identity is so important and necessary. He was born in Baku. And it was him that scores of Muscovites came to see in late October. They came to pay their respects and to express their love. He had so many admirers! And not just in Moscow. Throughout the world.

This is when one clearly understands that childhood is over. The words "Oh, Azerbaijan, my dear motherland" from the song sung by Muslim Magomayev are going through one's mind for the hundredth time and take on a completely new significance - a sense of irrecoverable loss and bereavement, the value of which one is only beginning to comprehend. Oh, if it were possible to summon back the blithe image - Muslim Magomayev, young and handsome, wearing a white jacket and singing against the background of old Baku. Muslim Magomayev. And the young mother staring at the TV and beckoning us to come and watch him, telling us who he is with such great pride that love for this man becomes part of oneself, although as kids we barely understood anything. And this is unforgettable.

Only later did we understand the pre-eminence of Muslim Magomayev and, at the same time, the bitterness that this great Azerbaijani lived in Moscow, not in Azerbaijan. It is too bad, we used to say. But isn't the depth of one's personal qualities determined by one's freedom? By towering above universally accepted stereotypes? Aren't we proud today that Muslim Magomayev was a true citizen of the world and that such people come from Azerbaijan? The great Mstislav Rostropovich, also born in Baku, was a citizen of the world too, wasn't he?

One can never forget the celebration of Muslim Magomayev's 60th birthday which, on the instruction of the National Leader of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, was held in Baku. They were friends. And the true love of Heydar Aliyev for this man was in the air during the ceremony at the Republican Palace. Heydar Aliyev, already experiencing health problems, talked about Muslim Magomayev for two hours,: his talent, life and his extraordinary personal qualities. The sincerity of this friendship could not be questioned, although certain "well-wishers" repeatedly attempted to do so. The singer was often reproached for this love from one of the USSR leaders. He was called a victim of fate, and he deserved that.

After Muslim Magomayev died, all the Russian TV channels began showing documentary films about the great Azerbaijani singer. Loss does bring people together. This was the personal position and mission of the great baritone Muslim Magomayev - to sing for people, regardless of their ethnic background; to sing from the bottom of one's heart and to sing about love. It will be a long time before we see the like of Muslim Magomayev again. The last song he composed, to the lyrics of Russian poet Sergey Yesenin, was called "Good-bye Baku, I won't see you again". It would appear that the great baritone sensed his approaching demise, understanding that he wouldn't see his native Baku alive. 

Moscow and Baku bade farewell

The funeral service for Muslim Magomayev in the Russian capital was held at the Tchaikovsky concert hall, where the singer frequently performed, on 28 October. Hundreds of people came to bid farewell. At 08:00, a long line began building up along Bolshaya Sadovaya Street. There were no vacant seats in the concert hall as the service began. "As soon as the doors opened, the singer's admirers flowed into the concert hall to the accompaniment of his songs. People placed flowers at the podium. The coffin containing Muslim Magomayev's body was placed in the centre of a stage full of roses," the Russian media reported. Muslim Magomayev's songs were played, while images of the famous Azerbaijani singer were displayed on two screens. The singer's songs "My compass" and "You won't be, won't be" were played before the official ceremony which was hosted by Honoured Art Critic of Russia Svatoslav Belza. The ceremony ended with a performance by the Pyatnitskiy chorus. Attending the ceremony were Russian Culture Minister Aleksandr Avdeyev, Art Director of the Variety Theater Gennadiy Khazanov, USSR People's Artist Vladislav Pyavko, Art Director of Helicon-Opera Dmitriy Bertman, as well as Lev Leshchenko, Iosif Kobzon, Maya Plisetskaya, Roman Viktyuk, Tamara Gvertdtsiteli, Alla Pugacheva, Aleksandra Pakhmutova and other Russian artists. Among organizers of the ceremony were the All-Russian Congress of Azerbaijanis, the Government of Moscow and the Moscow Philharmonic Society.

All day long on 28 October, songs by Muslim Magomayev were played in the Moscow underground as passengers could listen to such well-known songs as "Melody", "Nocturne", Thank you for everything" and "Bella Ciao". 

After he stopped singing, all of Magomayev's admirers had the opportunity to communicate with the great singer through his web-site. The Russian media reported that during the days of mourning a huge number of messages of condolence were sent to his web-site. "The site is currently closed; it couldn't cope with the workload. All your messages left here will be saved," was the notice on http://www.magomaev.info. The number of visitors to the site increased several times to several thousand people a day.

After the farewell ceremony in Moscow, a special charter flight, provided by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev with a government delegation headed by Acting Deputy Prime Minister Elcin Afandiyev, delivered the coffin with the singer's body to Azerbaijan. The Russian media had reported earlier that Muslim Magomayev would be buried at Moscow's Vagankovskoye cemetery. Baku and Moscow "can't share the great singer", the Russian media were saying. However, it transpired on 28 October that Muslim Magomayev would be buried in Baku. 

The farewell to Muslim Magomayev in his motherland began on the morning of 29 October. Hundreds of his compatriots came to the building of the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Society, named after Muslim Magomayev Senior, the great singer's grandfather, early in the morning. At the entrance to the building, they were met by a huge portrait depicting the young Muslim Magomayev smiling to Bakuvians for the last time. 

As soon as the doors opened, the singer's fans proceeded to the concert hall. The coffin was placed at the centre of a stage full of roses. There were wreaths from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev on either side of the coffin. There were so many wreaths that there was not enough room for them in the big hall, and some of them had to be taken outside to the Philharmonia Park. The farewell ceremony was attended by President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. The singer's widow, opera singer Tamara Sinyavskaya was also at the ceremony.

The farewell ceremony for Muslim Magomayev, who was always prominent among Soviet singers, was covered by a great many of the world's media agencies. A Russian delegation arrived in Baku to pay its respects to the great singer. It included film director Yuliy Gusman, well-known Russian singer Oleg Gazmanov, the Russian president's special envoy for international cultural cooperation, Mikhail Shvydkoy and director of the Moscow international trade centre, Valeriy Serov.

People who had come to the Philharmonia, afraid that they wouldn't be able to bid farewell to their icon, tried to jump the queue to get inside. Those who failed to do so formed a huge line along the streets of Baku through which the great singer was taken to the Alley of Honour. Actors are seen off with applause and the Baku audience paid their final respects in this way to the singer. People chanted "Bravo", as bunches of flowers were thrown ahead of the procession. Muslim Magomayev was buried in the Baku where he was born and grew up.

Biographical milestones 

Muslim Magomayev was born in Baku into a family of people of the arts. His grandfather, Muslim Magomayev, was a renowned composer and conductor. In his early years Muslim Junior decided to follow in the footsteps of his elders: he went to the conservatoire school and then to music school.

His first major success was in 1962 at a festival in Helsinki. Several months later he produced a furore at a concert of Azerbaijani singers in Moscow. Magomayev's performance was met with a storm of applause. On that day the singer's talent was acclaimed by Yekaterina Furtseva and Ivan Kozlovskiy. "His outstanding vocal talent and remarkable technique suggest that a young and gifted actor has entered the world of opera", the media wrote.

In 1963 he gave a concert to a full house at the Moscow conservatory. Besides Bach, Handel and Mozart, the singer also sang variety songs. This became his style for many years: the first half of the show would be opera and the second variety songs. In fact, some of his admirers could never accept the fact that popular songs eventually superseded classical ones.

In the 1960s he received training at Milan's La Scala and toured the Soviet Union with Tosca and The Barber of Seville. He rejected an offer to enter the Bolshoi Theatre Company. Also in the 1960s he experienced tremendous success on the sage of the French Olympia, he won the Golden Record in Cannes and first prize in Soppot and he also had a successful tour of the USA. Magomayev rose to national stardom. The whole country adored him, including the leaders of the country, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Andropov. Not a single New Year celebration passed without his participation.

The singer's popularity did not fade in the 1990s either, when scores of young singers emerged. Magomayev was loved and appreciated at all times. Several years ago, by his own decision, he quit singing. He refused to make an exception on his 60th birthday, or when asked by friends and senior officials. "It is better to leave early than late!" he explained, although he had no problems with his voice. He added that he had sung about love all his life and there was nothing else he wanted to sing about. He sang about love and he loved life, and it was very early for him to leave life.