The creative path of Mukan Tulebaev

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

This year marks the 105th anniversary of the birth of the great Kazakh composer Mukan Tulebaev. The life of this brilliant man was not long, but it was bright and eventful. At birth, he was given the name Mukhamedsalim. And Mukan is an affectionate nickname bestowed on him by friends and relatives. It was his composer who chose to sign his works. Tulebaev was born in 1913 in a small village in the Almaty region.

Mukan's childhood

Mukan Tulebayev inherited his incredible talent from relatives on his mother's side. His mother herself composed songs, performed them. All her life she was the soul of the company at various holidays and gatherings in their small village. And to play the first musical instrument, the Kazakh dombra, Mukan was taught by his maternal uncle.

Father Tulebaev also had a gift for music. He was considered a connoisseur of Kazakh folk music. And in general, in the house where the boy grew up, a creative, relaxed atmosphere always reigned. The boy learned to play the dombra when he was only 6 years old. And his uncle always took him with him to various local holidays in order to please the people with cheerful songs. And, apparently, since he grew up in such a musical environment, he chose the profession of a musician.

Author's songs Mukan Tulebaev began to compose literally at school age. After receiving primary education, the young man worked in the village council in the village, and then went on to study further at the pedagogical college. He did not have time to finish it, because his father died when he was in his third year, and he had to return home in order to take care of his family. Then he got a job as an accountant in his own village and took an active part in local creative life, in amateur circles, performed at concerts and so on.

All his young years, he often played at wedding celebrations. There is such a story that once Mukan Tulebaev, whose photo you can see in the article, was invited by a musician to a wedding party where a young girl was married to an old man by her fourth wife so that her family could improve their financial situation at the expense of that money, which Kazakhs usually pay for the ransom of the bride. Mukan was a fair man, he sang a song composed right there on the go, in which he accused the brother of this girl of wanting to improve his financial situation at the expense of the happiness of his young sister. Then the girl's relatives began to cry out loud, hug her, and the wedding was upset. Like thisThus, with the help of his magnificent musical and poetic gift, Mukan saved a young beautiful girl from an unhappy marriage.

Study in Moscow

Turn in the biography of Mukan Tulebaev occurred in 1936. He was noticed at a rather large local music competition. And together with other talented, according to the jury, participants were sent to the next stage in Alma-Ata. He so impressed the jury at this competition that already in August of the same year he went to study in Moscow, at the Academy. Pyotr Tchaikovsky. It must be said that Mukan did not even know musical notation, however, he wrote very good quality songs.

It is during his studies at the academy that the future greatest composer of Kazakhstan develops a true musical aesthetic taste. Living and studying in Moscow made it possible for Mukan to attend theaters and listen to chamber classical music. What he loved about music formed the basis of Tulebaev's classic Kazakh grand opera called Birzhan and Sara.

Initially, Tulebaev entered the vocal department, but after a while he had to transfer to the composition department, because he had problems with his lungs. There he gets acquainted with a new musical instrument for himself - the piano. And he wrote the first truly professional work exactly when he transferred to study as a composer. This work was a romance, which in Kazakh is called "Keshki kok". Translated into Russian, it means "Eveningblue." The author of the words of this romance is the poet Ilyasov. And this was Mukan's first step, when he brought something new to the Kazakh song, made it much more difficult than in the folk version.

War period

When the Great Patriotic War began in 1941, Tulebaev, like many young people of that time, rushed to the front to defend his homeland. But he did not pass the medical board due to his chronic lung disease. And already in August 1941 he had to return to Almaty.

Despite the fact that he could not physically participate in hostilities, the songs of Mukan Tulebaev supported the spirit of soldiers and civilians who remained to work in the rear to bring victory closer. He dedicated his songs to both contemporary heroes and heroes of the past. Also during the war, Mukan co-wrote several patriotic operas with well-known composers, including "Abay", "Tulegen Tokhtarov" and "Amangeldy".

Post-war life

Further years of life lead Tulebaev to triumphant success. He creates many of the greatest works and raises Kazakh national music to the highest level. Of course, the crowning achievement of Tulebayev's work is the opera "Birzhan and Sara", in which the cult actress of Kazakhstan, Kulyash Baiseitova, rode on stage on real horses. Since then, by the way, no one breaks this tradition. And the opera is staged on the best stages of the world as an example of one of the brilliant creations of mankind.

Unfortunately, Tulebaev passed away quiteearly in 1960. And it was all his lung disease that was to blame. But, despite this, he left a huge bright mark on world culture.