"The roosters are crowing"
Composer Alexandra Pakhmutova. 1961 Photo: kompozitor.su
Alexandra Pakhmutova, Nikolai Dobronravov (behind her), Joseph Kobzon (second from right), Fred Yusfin (left) at the construction site of the future Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power station. 1961 Photo from the family archive of Pakhmutova and Dobronravov. Photo: trud.ru
Alexandra Pakhmutova. Photo: pakhmutova.ru
Alya Pakhmutova sat down at the piano for the first time when she was not yet four. I tried to pick up melodies heard in movies and even compose them. The gifted girl's first teacher was her father, an amateur musician. He worked at a timber mill near Stalingrad, where the family lived, and independently mastered the piano, balalaika, violin, and harp. He also taught his daughter to music. After the first year of classes, the first piece of music was born - the piano piece “The Roosters are Crowing” .
When Alya was nine, she was already playing the first movement of Mozart’s Fortieth Symphony four hands with her dad at Becket’s club. The war that came soon added to the repertoire. To raise morale in military units and hospitals, a 13-year-old girl performed military songs on the accordion.
In 1943, Alexandra Pakhmutova entered the music school at the Moscow Conservatory, and two years later, as the best student, she performed a scherzo from a piano sonatina of her own composition in the documentary film “Young Musicians.”
Biography of Alexandra Pakhmutova. Children of war
After returning from evacuation, Alexandra Nikolaevna and her family found their hometown in ruins. There was a lot of disabled enemy military equipment around the settlement. Sometimes it was possible to find a German accordion in such landfills. The girl mastered this instrument, since it was almost impossible to get a piano at that time.
However, even at such a young age, Alexandra Pakhmutova had already begun to think about her future purpose. She wanted to devote her life to music. Therefore, the girl often jokingly told her parents that she needed to go to study in Moscow or Leningrad, and that if her parents did not send her there, she would fly away with her pilot acquaintances, with whom she had allegedly already agreed on this.
"Motor boat"
A special song in the composer’s creative biography. The beginning of a creative union, which 60 years ago became a family union. Alexandra Pakhmutova and Nikolai Dobronravov met on the radio in a children's broadcasting studio. Pakhmutova wrote music for radio shows, Dobronravov, while working at the Youth Theater, read his poems in “Pionerskaya Zorka”. The composer and poet were given the creative task of writing a song for the upcoming holidays. “Motor Boat” appeared and a new family, which, as it is sung in this song - “we will travel around the entire native land,” traveled around the whole country. We started with a honeymoon trip to Abkhazia.
Songs serve as a travel diary for a creative couple. “Belovezhskaya Pushcha” - musical impressions of visiting a unique reserve. The song gave rise to a legend - about the tears in the eyes of the Italian ambassador during the performance by the Great Children's Choir of the All-Union Radio. The impressionable Italian said that he had never heard anything better than this song and “Ave Maria” by the Milan Children’s Choir in his life. The whole country loved the melody.
The beginning of family life
Alexandra Nikolaevna Pakhmutova never hid her personal life, and proudly shared the details of her biography, telling what an amazing family she has, in which children are an untouchable topic. The artist met her husband at the age of 27 at the All-Union Radio Station on a children's broadcasting channel.
Nikolai Nikolaevich, who works at the Moscow Theater for Young Spectators, read poetry in the “Pioneer Dawn” program. Alexandra was invited to write musical accompaniment for these lines. Their collaboration began with the children's song “Motor Boat.”
Nikolai Nikolaevich Dobronravov, a well-known songwriter in the modern world, was only a year older than his chosen one. They were connected not only by music, but also by strong feelings that still cause “white envy” among their work colleagues.
Thanks to music, Pakhmutova met her husband, Nikolai Dobronravov.
Having met in the spring, already in the fall of 1956, the young people went to the registry office, entering into an official marriage. The wedding took place in August. It was incredibly hot outside, which suddenly gave way to heavy rain. Alexandra Nikolaevna was happy about this weather, because they say that rain on a wedding brings happiness to the newlyweds.
Even then, while standing in a long line at the registry office, the artist drew attention to the list of services provided by the organization. It was then that Alexandra Pakhmutova realized that she and Nikolai now had a family and a common biography, because the spouses would have children together, who would be registered here.
Alexandra Nikolaevna and Nikolai Nikolaevich are happy spouses
And later, sometime in the distant future, a death will be registered in this building. Such thoughts greatly frightened Alexandra, and she tried to quickly throw them out of her head. She spoke about her thoughts in an interview much later, having already become an elderly and very famous woman.
The wedding took place modestly and without inviting guests. The bride did not wear a standard white dress, but a beautiful pink suit, which her mother and sister sewed. Then the newlyweds went on a romantic trip to the shores of the Black Sea in Abkhazia. There they stayed with Aunt Dobronravova, who happily provided the relatives with a room.
Songs for films
A similar fate awaited hundreds of works by the composer. Songs full of special harmony have become an integral part of many films. It is impossible to imagine the film “Girls” without the lines of Mikhail Matusovsky and the perky melody of Pakhmutova. Of course, “it would probably be boring in the world without girls,” and “Old Maple” is often mistakenly classified as a folk song.
“Three Poplars on Plyushchikha” is also the song “Tenderness” . Although initially Alexandra Pakhmutova was not too keen on writing a song for “the aunt who came to the market to sell meat.” But I saw Doronina and Efremov’s eyes... The melody was born literally in a few steps - from the Gorky Studio to the taxi stand. The song was loved by both the audience and the astronauts, who knew firsthand how “the stars give their tenderness.”
Dedication songs
Yuri Gagarin was a friend of Alexandra Pakhmutova, and the song “Eaglets Learn to Fly” . The composer dedicated a vocal cycle of five works—energetic and lyrical—to the space pioneer. "Constellation of Gagarin" . A story about heroic astronauts and ordinary people. “You know what kind of guy he was” - touching lines about the human charm and enthusiasm of the first cosmonaut.
“Melody” is a musical dedication for Muslim Magomayev to Tamara Sinyavskaya, who at that moment was on an internship in Italy. Magomayev called every day and even sent flowers. It was at this moment that a song by Pakhmutova and Dobronravov appeared in the singer’s repertoire... Tamara heard it on the phone.
The song is like a souvenir
Alexandra Pakhmutova brought new songs from literally every trip. Especially if the trips are on assignment. For example, to Siberia - from the Komsomol Central Committee. In the early 60s, a creative group went “to this taiga region”: composer Alexandra Pakhmutova, poets Nikolai Dobronravov and Sergei Grebennikov, singer Joseph Kobzon. We supported young people at Komsomol construction sites from Irkutsk to Bratsk. As a result, a whole cycle of heroic-romantic songs “Taiga Stars” , including the legendary “The main thing, guys, is not to grow old in your heart .
Alexandra Pakhmutova now
Now Alexandra Pakhmutova remains an active participant in the cultural life of the country. The composer annually attends music festivals, where he appears as a guest or jury member.
A competition-festival of her songs “Nadezhda” is taking place in Nizhny Novgorod, in the final of which the author herself heads the panel of judges. Pakhmutova also oversees the “White Steamship” musical project, which takes place in cities of the Far East.
In addition to Pakhmutova, this competition for children from disadvantaged families and the disabled is supported by Nikolai Dobronravov, opera singer Anna Netrebko, and actor Sergei Yursky.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and composer Alexandra Pakhmutova, awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree © Alexey Nikolsky/Press Service of the President of the Russian Federation/TASS
Published by TASS Monday, December 22, 2014
Alexandra Pakhmutova and Vladimir Putin
In November 2020, Alexandra Pakhmutova celebrated her 90th birthday with a creative evening, which took place on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. The anniversary concert was attended by friends and colleagues of the married couple Pakhmutova and Dobronravov - Lev Leshchenko, Alexander Gradsky, Tamara Gverdtsiteli, Sergei Bezrukov and others. The composer herself, as at many other performances, was at the piano, accompanying the artists performing her songs.
Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated the composer. The head of state announced that she was awarded the country's highest award - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. In Volgograd, the opening of a monument was timed to coincide with the anniversary, which represents the figure of a girl playing the accordion.
In the composer’s hometown, a meeting took place with her fans, who presented Pakhmutova with a gift of previously unknown photos of her parents, which Alexandra Nikolaevna was pleasantly surprised by.
In May 2020, the premiere of the film “Strong Armor” took place, in which the song “Kursk Bulge” by Pakhmutova and Dobronravov was performed.
More than songs
While still at the conservatory, Alexandra Pakhmutova wrote works for the symphony orchestra. At the end of the 50s of the twentieth century, German music critic Karl Fritz Bernhardt noted the originality and content of the young composer's Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra. At the Bolshoi Theater, the ballet “Illumination” was staged to Pakhmutova’s music.
Alexandra Pakhmutova is the author of many instrumental works: “Russian Suite” , overtures, concerts for orchestra, music for the bell ensemble and Ave Vita orchestra, musical cycles for the films “Battle for Moscow”, “O sport, you are the world!”.
The film about Soviet athletes with music by Pakhmutova is stored in a special video library of the International Olympic Committee. And the song “Goodbye, Moscow ,” full of lyrics and nostalgia, gave the Moscow Olympics a particularly touching note. Like almost every song by Pakhmutova. Even if the melodies are based on poems about the Komsomol, this song will certainly reveal both love and spring.
Music career
In the capital, she enters a music school, which was organized at the capital's conservatory. Alexandra studied piano and was an active member of the composers' circle. Pakhmutova's teachers were famous composers. The girl completed her studies and continued her studies at the composer training department. The biography firmly connected Sasha with music. Composer's skill grew year by year. The genres were very diverse, orchestral music and music for ballet were created.
Famous films, loved by Soviet viewers, were recognizable by the music sounding in them.
Music became not just a hobby, it turned into the meaning of Pakhmutova’s life. Alexandra Nikolaevna's real fame came from songs written for the most famous pop performers. Vadim Mulerman, Lev Leshchenko, Maya Kristalinskaya were the first stars to perform the composer’s songs. The composer's successes were recognized with many awards.
Alexandra enjoyed writing for children; many of her compositions, about forty of which were performed by children’s ensembles, were heard in Soviet cartoons. The stage of the Soviet period was replenished with new interesting songs of different genres. Subsequently, they all turned into real hits. Despite her enormous busyness, Pakhmutova finds time for social work. From the moment of its creation until the abolition of the Union of Composers of the Soviet Union, she was its permanent secretary (for 23 years).
Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, People's Artist of the RSFSR and the Soviet Union, many orders and prizes are evidence of the high recognition of the composer's talent. Nowadays there is no longer that huge number of songs and compositions that were created as if on an assembly line. It's not because the talent has dried up. Not at all like that, melodies are born, Alexandra Nikolaevna attends concerts, only now she likes a quiet, calm family life.
