Saledinov Fikret Useinovich

An outstanding composer and one of the founding fathers of professional Crimean Tatar music

Saledinov Fikret Useinovich

An outstanding composer and one of the founding fathers of professional Crimean Tatar music

THE COMPOSER’S BIOGRAPHY

Saledinov Fikret Usein-oglu was born on 12th July, 1926 in Crimea, in the village Eski-El of the Bakhchisaray district. His father was the сhairman of a sofkhoz (state farm), his mother was ahousewife. The parents noticed that from the age of 3 he began tapping his favorite rhythms on a tin can (they were very surprised and happy). Young Fikret, having once heard the sound of the violin, fell in love with it and he set his heart upon learning how to play it himself. By the time he was 11 years old, he made a violin out of plywood, with strings out of telephone wires, and the bow made from horse tail. Teaching himself, he was a natural. Self-study books for violin were his only source. The word spread about the boy-musician as a performer of Crimean Tatar folk music. People took a liking to him and would invite him to various celebrations, where he performed by himself. Then he graduated, having attended 7 years of secondary school. Uncle Ablyakim Ilmii Arif-oglu happily gifted him a violin. Then the war began. During the occupation in Crimea, Germans would take away young girls and boys to Germany for forced labor. Fikret worked at Osterreich Neider Donomst (Amstetten Holzfabrik, fabricant — Opfer wiser). There he met his future wife – Mukhteremova Sebiya, who worked in Osterreich Stads Foizberg Obendorfsglakfabrik, with whom he lived for 63 years and had 11 children. On their return from Austria, they did not return to their homeland, as deportation to Uzbekistan – specifically to the city of Samarkand – was awaiting them. From 1946-1955 he worked at the factory “Red engine” — as a packer, polisher, grinder man. At the same time, he performed for workers on the stage, while playing the violin.

In 1955 he went to Tashkent and worked in the Tashkent tool factory as a temporary laborer. In 1956 he returned to Samarkand and again started working as a grinder man at the factory “Red engine”. On March 12, 1957 a competition was held, which was attended by 98 people who came from different regions of Uzbekistan — to the ensemble “Haytarma”. Following the listening and viewing of the artists it was decided to enroll the musician Saledinov Fikret in Uzgosestrada as a musician, the first violin of the Crimean Tatar ensemble. Touring around the cities began.

From 1958 to 1980 he worked in 3 music schools in the cities of Margelan and Fergana. He lead 2 orchestras on a voluntary basis, tuned pianos in children’s music schools (DMSH) and at people’s homes, crafted 50 violins out of pine and mahogany (he knew all the secrets of boiling glue) and handmade fiddle bows in his studio as well as restored people’s violins. He played at weddings with his two elder sons (all the children are musicians).

In 1959 he entered the Ferghana music school and graduated as an extern after two years. In 1961 he entered the Tashkent Conservatory. In August 1961 he married Sebiya, who also became a Saledinova (with 8 children).

All works were composed in the city of Margelan in the Fergana valley in 1957-1980, away from his  homeland. Perfectly feeling the specific character of the instruments, the composer contributed to the disclosure of their expressive and coloristic potential. His music is temperamental, cheerful, sometimes sad, attracting with the freshness of harmonies and orchestral colors, imbued with intonations and rhythms of Crimean Tatar songs and dances. It is folk art, love for Crimea that were the source of deep originality of the composer’s work — a man of rare talent and bright original individuality.

The works of Fikret Saledinov are diverse in their content and genre. His creative portfolio consists of piano, vocal, instrumental and violin works, sonatas, serenades, concerts for various instruments, music for the theater, works for the ensemble of violinists and for symphonic, wind orchestras, for kindergartens, DMSH, music schools, conservatories. In total, there are more than 400 of his works. He also wrote about 50 poems in his native language.

Since 1980 he moved with his family to the village Novooleksiyivka of the Genichesk district, Kherson region (Ukraine). He was not able to return home. From 1980 to 2002 he worked as a teacher in children’s music schools in Krasnogvardeysk (went to work to Crimea), Novoalekseevka, Genichesk, Komarovo. In every possible way he tried to go to various levels of authority to perform his works, but all unsuccessfully.

Only in 2001 the Board of the Crimean Republican branch took Fikret Saledinov in the Ukrainian-wide musical union of the association of composers. At that time, he turned 75 years old.

In 2002, he went down with a stroke (he lost his memory for written and musical literacy) due to overworking (he manually rewrote voice parts from manuscripts).

Daughter Elmira promised her father to publish his writings and to organize an evening. In 2005, his first work was published – the “Sonata g – moll for violin and piano”, that was performed in 2008 by Temur Wahabov on the Vienna stage in Austria. Daughter Elmira gave him 1000 copies of the Sonata for his birthday and Fikret Saledinov’s memory for written and musical literacy came back from joy.

On 22 of December 2005, his daughter Elmira organized a creative evening for her father in Simferopol in the Crimean Tatar drama theatre and by that time, published 9 more collections of his essays (50 works). After the creative evening, having arrived home, Fikret took a clean sheet of musical paper and in one breath began to compose a new work. Sadly, he did not finish, because in 10 days — on the 2 of January 2006 his heart stopped beating.

On 1 of April 2006 (3 months later), his daughter Elmira organized the second evening in Moscow (in the House of Asadullaev’s) in the memory of the composer Fikret Saledinov, where she was the host and spoke about his creative and personal life.

On April 17, 2008, in the TV program “Evening diligence” the composer’s daughter spoke live about her father’s life and career.

On July 7, 2009, his daughter Elmira became a rights holder of the works of her father. On September 18, 2009 she became a member of the Russian copyright society (RAO). She signed a contract and recorded all the works of Fikret Saledinov.

On 25 August 2011, in the Tatar academic state theatre of opera and ballet named after Musa Jalil, in Kazan, during the Days of Moscow in the Tatarstan Republic — the chamber orchestra “MOSCOW VIRTUOSOS” (conducted by Vladimir Spivakov) performed the work of Fikret Saledinov – the Waltz “Melevshe” together with the world’s classical composers.

On January 16, 2017, the Gala concert “Hey, Guzel Kyrym!” at the Moscow International house of Music took place. The first part was devoted to the work of Fikret Saledinov, preparations were made by his daughter Elmira (script, choreography, rehearsal with the orchestra, all published works), with the support of the Moscow Crimean Tatar community and the company “Dilyaver”. The Grand symphony orchestra of Moscow “Russian Philharmonia” (conductor Yuri Tkachenko) performed 7 of the works of Fikret Saledinov: Waltz “Melevshe”, “Agyar ava ve Haytarma” , “Baar sesleri” , “Yaylada” , “Haytarma Fantasia” , “Vatan azretligi”, 3 pieces of which were performed for the first time, though they were written 60 years ago (“Baar sesleri” , “Yaylada” , “Vatan azretligi “). The host of the evening was the granddaughter of the composer – Mambetova Elvina.

OUR PROGRESS

2100
HANDWRITTEN PAGES FOUND. MANY OF THEM REQUIRE URGENT RESTORATION
50
WORKS WERE RELEASED IN THE FORM OF COLLECTIONS AND MUSICAL SCORES, 391 REMAINED
16
WORKS WERE RECORDED BY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS AND INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS
3
PUBLIC EVENTS WERE HELD: A MUSIC EVENT IN SIMFEROPOL, A MUSIC EVENT AND THEN A CONCERT IN MOSCOW

Video

Audio

“Агъыр ава ве хайтарма” (modern adaptation)

September 13, 2017, Fikret’s daughter founded a non-commercial organization “Charitable Foundation for the revival of Fikret Saledinov’s artistic legacy”.

Immediate objectives of the foundation:

  1. To release a collection of Fikret Saledinov’s works (391 pieces).
  2. To produce a documentary with tentative title «The outstanding Crimean composer».
  3. To create a collection of Fikret Saledinov’s poems with his memoirs and an illustrated album «The path of one life 1926-2006»
  4. To produce a full-length feature film «Fikret Saledinov (about Mr. Saledinov’s complicated life)».
  5. To hold a concert in 2021 on the occasion of the 95-years anniversary of an outstanding composer.

You can support the foundation and wire any sum you wish to the banking details below.

BANKING DETAILS

Intermediary Bank SWIFT: CITIUS33
Intermediary Bank Name: Citibank N.A., New York, NY
Beneficiary Bank SWIFT: CBGURUMM
Beneficiary Bank Name: VTB 24 (PJSC), Moscow, Russia
Beneficiary Account: 40703840514030000001
Beneficiary Name: BLAGOTVORITELNYI FOND VOZROZHDENIIA TVORCHESKOGO NASLEDIIA FIKRETA SALEDINOVA
Beneficiary Address: 143911, MO, G.BALASHIHA, MKR.1 MAIA, D.27, KV.273

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Contacts

Non-profit organization “Foundation for the Revival of the Creative Heritage of Fikret Saledinov”

27-273, MKR.1 MAIA, BALASHIKHA, Moscow Region, Russia, 143911

The president of the fund – Elmira Mambetova

Phone: +7 (917) 588-69-24

E-mail: elmira.saledinova@mail.ru

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