Alexandra Nikolayevna Pachmutowa

Alexandra Nikolayevna Pachmutowa

Alexandra Nikolajewna Pachmutowa ( Russian Александра Николаевна Пахмутова ; born November 9, 1929 in Beketowka (now part of Volgograd )) is a Soviet and Russian composer.

Life

Pachmutova composed her first melodies as a child. At the age of 14 she was admitted to the music school at the Moscow Conservatory . She later studied composition with Vissarion Schebalin at the Moscow Conservatory, which she graduated in 1953. In the following years she composed several instrumental concerts and cantatas. But she was best known as a song composer. Her best-known song cycles are: "Taigasterne" ( Таёжные звёзды ), "The constellation of Gagarin" ( Созвездье Гагарина ), "Embracing the sky" ( Обнимая небо ). She also composed numerous children's songs , film music and Estrada hits. In total, the number of songs she composed amounts to over 400.

Pachmutova was also very active politically. Since 1968 she was secretary of the Union of Composers of the USSR. From 1980 to 1990 she was a member of the RSFSR Supreme Soviet.

Pachmutowa is married to the poet Nikolai Dobronrawow , who is also the author of most of the lyrics of her songs.

Awards

• State Prize of the USSR 2 × (1975, 1982)
• People's Artist of the RSFSR (1977)
• People's Artist of the USSR (1984)
• Hero of Socialist Labor (1990)
• Order of Lenin 2 × (1979, 1990)
• Order of the Red Banner of Labor 2 × (1967, 1971)
• Order of Friendship of Peoples (1986)
• Order of Merit for the Fatherland 2nd Class (1999)
• Order of Merit for the Fatherland 1st Class (2009)
• Order of Merit for the Fatherland 3rd Class (2014)
• State Prize of the Russian Federation (2015)
• Order of Saint Andrew the First Called (2019)

Pachmutowa is an honorary citizen of Volgograd, Bratsk and Moscow .

Web links

• Official website of Alexandra Pachmutova (Russian)
• Pachmutova's biography on www.warheroes.ru (Russian)