Mukhtar Ashrafi

Mukhtar Ashrafovich Ashrafi^[a] (11 June [O.S. 29 May] 1912 – 15 December 1975) was a Soviet Uzbek composer. He was awarded the title People's Artist of the USSR in 1951.^[1] He became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1941 was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1943 and 1952.^[2] He is known as the author of the first Uzbek opera “Buran” (together with Sergei Vasilenko) and the first Uzbek symphony.^[2]

His daughter Muqadamma was a noted medievalist.^[3]

Mukhtar Ashrafi was born on 29 May (11 June) 1912 in Bukhara.^[4] He grew up in the family of his father, a famous Bukhara singer and musician Ashrafzhan Hafiza.^[5] At the age of seven, Ashrafi began to play Uzbek folk instruments improvising on the dutar.^[2] In 1924, he entered Oriental Music School in Bukhara.^[6] In 1928, Ashrafi graduated a dutar class in Bukhara and entered the Samarkand Institute of Music and Choreography.^[2]

From 1934 to 1936, he studied in a composition class of Sergei Vasilenko at the Moscow Conservatory.^[4] In 1934, Ashrafi wrote Komsomol and pioneer songs, and in 1935-1936, he wrote lyrical songs on the words of Ruzuli, working on his first opera at the same time.^[5]

Together with his teacher, Sergei Vasilenko, Ashrafi wrote the first Uzbek opera “Buran” that was staged in 1939, starting the history of Uzbek Opera and Ballet Theater.^[5]

In 1941-1944, Ashrafi studied composition at the Leningrad Conservatory.^[7] In 1948, he graduated from the conducting faculty of the Leningrad Conservatory as an external student.^[4]

In 1942, Ashrafi created the first Uzbek heroic symphony.^[8] From 1943 to 1947, Ashrafi was a director of Alisher Navoi Uzbek Opera and Ballet Theater.^[6] Since 1944 Ashrafi was a teacher, and since 1953 - a professor at the Tashkent Conservatory.^[4]

In 1964-66 he was a director, artistic director and chief conductor of the Samarkand Opera and Ballet Theater, and since 1966 - a director, artistic director and chief conductor of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater of the Uzbek SSR in Tashkent.^[7]

From 1971 to 1975, Ashrafi was rector of the Tashkent Conservatory.^[2]

Ashrafi is the author of the books "Indian Diaries" (in Russian and Uzbek), "Music in my life", numerous articles in magazines and periodicals.^[6]

He died on 15 December 1975 in Tashkent.^[9]

• People's Artist of the USSR (6 December 1951)^[10]
• People's Artist of the Uzbek SSR (1939)^[11]
• Stalin prize 2nd class (1943)^[12]
• Stalin prize 3rd class (1952)^[13]
• State Hamza Prize (1970)^[14]
• Two Order of Lenin (6 December 1951^[15] and 12 June 1972)^[16]
• Two Order of the Red Banner of Labour (22 December 1939^[17] and 18 March 1959)^[18]
• Order of the Badge of Honour (31 May 1937)^[19]
• Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" (25 December 1944)^[20]

In 1976, Tashkent Conservatory was named after him.^[7] On the occasion of the 70th birthday of Ashrafi, on 11 June 1982, a museum was opened in the house where he lived and worked from 1967 to 1975.^[8] In 2019, a memorial evening of Ashrafi was held in the assembly hall of the Union of Composers and Bastakors of Uzbekistan.^[21]

Operas

• Buran (1939, with S. Vasilenko)^[4]
• Grand Canal (1941, with S. Vasilenko)
• Dilaram (1958)
• Heart of a Poet (1962)

Ballets

• Love Amulet (1969)
• Timur Malik (1970)
• Stoikost' (1971)
• Love and Dream (1973)

Orchestral works

• Symphony No. 1 "Heroic" (1942; awarded Stalin Prize)
• Symphony No. 2 "Glory to the Victors" (1944)
• Kantatu o Schast'ye (1952; awarded Stalin Prize)
• Oratorio Skazanie o Rustame (1974)
• Music for theater, films, etc.

Ashrafi was accused of plagiarism in 1959, and Dmitri Shostakovich concluded that the allegations were true.^[22][23][24]

• Rakhmanov, M. (9 June 1972). "Мелодии новой жизни". Pravda Vostoka (in Russian). p. 4.
• Tatybayeva, A. (9 June 1992). "Маэстро Ашрафи". Vecherny Tashkent (in Russian). p. 2.
• Jumayev, T. (9 June 1972). "Ижодкорнинг йўли". Sovet Oʻzbekistoni (in Uzbek). p. 4.