Nury Halmammedov


Nury Halmammedov was a prominent Turkmen composer described as one of Turkmenistan's "greatest sons". His legacy has been commemorated with anniversary events in Turkmenistan and Russia.

Early childhood and education

Nury Halmammedov was born on 20 June 1938 in Daýna village near Baherden, Turkmenistan, to Halmämed Baýlyew and Hangül-Eje Mamedaliýewa. He had a very difficult childhood. According to Jemile Gurbanowa's biography of Halmamedov, his mother died in 1944, and his father moved to Iran with two of the family's four sons, Begmamed and Ashyrberdi, abandoning Nury, his 17-year-old brother, Bayly, and older sister, Artyk. Nury's memories of this time were grim. He recounted at one point,
Bayly committed Nury to the Kara Kala orphanage. In 1947 Nury was transferred to the Baherden boarding school. In 1948 little Nury ran away from the boarding school, boarded a train with three rubles in hand intending to go to Moscow, but ended up in Ashgabat. When discovered by authorities, since he had no papers and could not identify his parents, he was sent to the Baýramaly orphanage. Here he encountered a piano teacher, Olga Krivchenko, and began studying piano.
In 1954, Halmammedov was transferred to Turkmen State Music School in Ashgabat, where he studied under Viktor Khiruntsev and Elena Kulesh. At this school he was introduced to composition by Ashir Kuliyev, and wrote his first piece, "Dance", for piano. Other compositions during this period include "March", "Play", and "Reminisces", as well as pieces for cello and violin with piano.
In 1958 he entered Moscow State P. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory, graduating in 1963. His major adviser was Anatoly Alexandrov, who described Halmammedov as "...devilishly talented..." and "a gifted rarity". While at the conservatory Halmammedov wrote about 30 songs, romances, and choral works, including romances based on the works of Magtymguly Pyragy and Mollanepes. Halmamedov wrote a major piano work during this period, Sounds of the Dutar, published in 1962 and dedicated to the prominent Turkmen dutarist Mylly Tachmyradov. His graduation project was the symphonic portrait "Turkmenia", which premiered at his graduation examination in 1963, performed by the All-Union Radio and Television Great Symphony Orchestra. It was his first symphonic composition.

Career

Halmammedov published at least 175 works between 1956 and his death in 1983. These included musical scores for 30 motion pictures, including 9 animated films, 18 art films, and 3 documentaries. The first of these scores was for Bulat Masurov's 1963 film, :ru:Состязание |Contest. The score for :ru:Карлиев, Алты|Alty Garlyev's Decisive Step followed in 1965. Halmammedov additionally put verse to music, including poetry by Gurbannazar Ezizov, as well as Sergey Esenin and Heinrich Heine. He composed the music for the 1974 opera Görogly. Halmammedov wrote over 40 works for pianoforte. He wrote the libretto and score for the 1983 ballet version of Decisive Step, which was performed at the Magtymguly Theater in Ashgabat.
Halmammedov died in Ashgabat of cirrhosis of the liver and complications of diabetes. He is buried at the Vatutin Cemetery there.

Legacy

A street in Ashgabat is named in Halmammedov's honor, and a stands at the western end of that street. A also stands in his home village, Daýna. An annual music festival in Moscow is held in Halmammedov's honor.

Musical Style

Aleksandrov told Halmammedov when handing him his diploma upon graduation from the conservatory that he should continue to study Turkmen folk music but also should listen as often as possible to other music. In Çerkezowa's words, Halmammedov took this advice and learned he could "find points of contact" between two completely different genres and "harmonically merging two miracles, he created a third."
Halmammedov's work was noted for incorporating elements from both the Turkmen folk musical heritage and the broader classical tradition as taught at the Moscow conservatory. Turkmen singer Medeniýet Şahberdiýewa, who performed many of his works, remarked, "The rhythms of Nury's works are Turkmen, but the harmony belongs to world musical culture."
Vasiliy Larionov noted that Halmammedov's Persian Motifs applied a plot progression characteristic of Turkmen folk dessans: "The action is interpreted in a generalized emotional manner, action is shaped less by the progression of events than by their internal psychological interaction."
Musicologist Jemile Gurbanowa noted the influences of early Franz Schubert on Halmammedov's vocal works, of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Aram Khachaturian on his symphonic works, of Robert Schumann on piano pieces, and of Franz Liszt and Sergei Rachmaninoff on romantic works. She noted as well, however, that national folklore remained his "primary inspiration." Çerkezowa cites film producer Yevgeny Mikhelson's description of Halmammedov's score for one of his animated features, "...the national tone...which ran like a red thread through his entire composition." Soprano and musicologist Darya Rubanova wrote,
The program brochure for the III Moscow International Nury Halmammedov Festival noted, "His music is so naturally and durably woven into the everyday life of the Turkmen people that mothers sing "Lullaby" from Decisive Step to their children, not even suspecting that this music isn't a folk song. Or another example: when someone dies, he is accompanied on his final journey by Halmammedov's mournful melody from the film Bitter Fate".

Personal life

Halmammedov was married twice. He had three children by his first wife, sons Röwşen and Sapar, and daughter Leýli. His second wife and widow was Gülsoltan Klyçewna Halmämmedowa née Ýagmurowa, who for many years headed Turkmenfilm. They had a son, Aşyrberdi. Gülsoltan Halmämmedowa died in August 2019.

Awards

Animated Films

  1. Öýsüz goňurja
  2. Dostlar
  3. Başagaýlyk
  4. Üç dogan we ýaşyl aždarha
  5. Tilki dost, halyň niçik?
  6. Körpe we çörek
  7. Tomzak we garynja
  8. Pil hakda jedel
  9. Düýe name üçin ýandak iýýär?

    Feature Films

  10. Şükür bagşy
  11. Çöl
  12. Aýgytly ädim
  13. Magtymguly
  14. Ofiser walsy
  15. Japbaklar
  16. Mukamyň syry
  17. Geçigaplaň
  18. Kärizgenler
  19. Tejene baryp ýetmek
  20. Kakam gaýdyp geler
  21. Dik aýak
  22. Keçpelek
  23. Atabaýew
  24. Serdar
  25. Ýürek sowgat üçin
  26. Guşgy galasy
  27. Gorkak batyr

    Documentaries

  28. Men we meniň doganlarym
  29. Sahawatly deňiz
  30. Güneşiň astyndaky duşuşyk

    External Links to Music