Alexander Zatsepin: biography
Name: Alexander Zatsepin
Date of Birth: March 10, 1926
Age: 91 years old
Place of Birth: Novosibirsk
Growth: 170
Activity: Composer, People's Artist of the Russian Federation
Family status: widower
Alexander Zatsepin: biography
On March 10, 2016, the legendary Soviet and Russian composer Alexander Sergeevich Zatsepin celebrates his anniversary. He is 90 years old, during which the great musician managed to do a lot for domestic and world art. A huge number of songs and instrumental compositions written by Zatsepin have been loved by people all over the world for over 60 years.
The future composer was born in Novosibirsk, the capital of Siberia. His parents had nothing to do with art. Father Sergei Dmitrievich was a surgeon, but he was repressed when Sasha was still at school, so his son was raised by one mother, Valentina Boleslavovna, who worked as a teacher of Russian language and literature.
Back in the war years, Zatsepin entered the Novosibirsk Institute of Railway Engineers, but in 1945 he was expelled from the university and drafted into the armed forces. Then this event seemed to the young man a tragedy, but in fact everything turned out perfectly. In the army, he independently learned to play musical instruments, and the talent manifested itself so clearly that Private Zatsepin was transferred to the Novosibirsk Army Song and Dance Ensemble.
The musical experience was not in vain, and after being transferred to the reserve, Alexander becomes an employee of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic. But since he was tormented by the lack of professional education, Zatsepin submits documents to a music school. He was not accepted there for the original reason. The examination committee considered that the young man had already outgrown the level of a secondary educational institution, and sent Alexander Sergeevich to the Alma-Ata Conservatory.
In 1956, Zatsepin defended his thesis, which turned out to be the ballet "Old Man Hottabych", performed on the stage of the Alma-Ata Opera and Ballet Theater. By distribution, he ended up at the Kazakhfilm film studio and since then his creative path will be inextricably linked with the world of cinema and television.
Music and songs
The first film to which Alexander Zatsepin wrote music was the comedy Our Dear Doctor. Then about 10 more soundtracks followed, and the composer worked in the capital of Kazakhstan, and he went to Moscow to record the finished compositions, since the equipment on the ground did not meet the necessary standards. As a result, the head of the Moscow Symphony Jazz Orchestra, Viktor Knushevitsky, suggested that Zatsepin move to the capital for good.
At first, it was difficult for Alexander in Moscow, he even worked as an accordionist in restaurants. But then fate brought him together with the director Leonid Gaidai, who was gaining momentum, and this meeting turned out to be significant for both men. Zatsepin writes a number of songs for the new films "Operation Y" and "Prisoner of the Caucasus", as a result of which he literally breaks into the musical Olympus. More than 50 years have passed since then, and people still listen and sing with pleasure the light songs “Wait, steam locomotive”, “Song about bears” and “If I were a sultan”.
Later, the composer's assets included works on such paintings as "June 31", "Sannikov Land", "Diamond Arm", "Twelve Chairs", "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes Profession". His songs could be heard not only in the films themselves. Their fairly large circulation of individual records was published by the recording company Melodiya, and the discs are instantly swept away from store shelves by enthusiastic admirers.
It is impossible not to note the creative unions of Alexander Sergeevich. Since 1965, he collaborated with songwriter Leonid Derbenev. Together they wrote more than 100 hits, and most of them became so popular that the listener simply got used to seeing the names Zatsepin and Derbenev standing side by side and no longer perceived one without the other. From this period, one can single out the romantic composition "Looking for You" from the movie "June 31", the cheerful "Song of Cupid" from the comedy "It Can't Be!", the parody tango "Help Me" from "The Diamond Arm" and many other hits.
Another important union for the history of Russian pop music occurred when Alexander Zatsepin met the singer. Their interest in each other was not accidental. Pugacheva was already a very sought-after performer, and all Soviet composers dreamed of working with her. And Zatsepin was famous not only for his bright melodies, but also for his modern arrangements, which he made on his own equipment. By the way, Alexander Sergeevich is an avid radio amateur and assembled all the equipment on his own.
Tandem Zatsepin / Pugacheva gave the world such hits as "Where does childhood go", "This world", "The half-educated magician" and many others. Their collaboration continued until the release of the famous melodrama The Woman Who Sings. The author of the songs that thundered throughout the country in this film was Alexander Sergeevich, but after the film, disagreements arose between the singer and the composer and their joint work ended there.
In 1982, Alexander Zatsepin moved to France permanently, after which attacks began on him at home. Printed publications criticized all those favorite songs that until recently were extolled to the skies. They began to be called vulgar, meaningless and superficial. Only at the very end of the 80s did the composer return to Russia and to domestic cinema. He wrote the soundtracks for the new films "Where is the nofelet?", "She with a broom, he is in a black hat", "Private detective, or Operation "Cooperation".
Of the latest works of the legendary creator, the music for the military drama "In June 41st" and the detective series "Red Chapel" stand out. During his long creative life, Alexander Zatsepin wrote over 300 songs and became the author of more than 120 soundtracks. For a huge contribution to the culture of the country in 2003, he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation.
Personal life
Alexander Zatsepin was married four times. With his first wife, actress Revmira Sokolova, he met back in Novosibirsk. In the family in 1954, the son Eugene was born, who followed in the footsteps of his father - he wrote music and poetry, but at the age of 24 the young man died suddenly. Zatsepin was not with Revmira for long and soon married a second time to the pianist Svetlana, with whom he lived until her death in 1982. They had a daughter, Elena, who now lives in Switzerland.
After the death of his second wife, Alexander left for Paris, as he married the French artist Genevieve. But this marriage was not happy and broke up after 4 years. Upon returning to Moscow, the composer met his last wife, Svetlana Morozovskaya, whom he was introduced to by his own grandson, the son of Elena's daughter. Svetlana was a piano teacher for a boy who was preparing to enter a music school. Alexander and Svetlana lived for more than 20 years, but in 2014 Zatsepin was widowed again.
Songs
- Song about rabbits
- Half-Taught Wizard
- There is only a moment
- I am looking for you
- Where does childhood go?
- Love alone is to blame
- Island of bad luck
- Song about bears
- Wait, locomotive
- This world is not invented by us
- sand castle
Selected discography
- 1965 - Operation "Y" and other adventures of Shurik
- 1966 - Prisoner of the Caucasus, or Shurik's New Adventures
- 1968 - Diamond Hand
- 1968 - Film, film, film
- 1971 - Twelve chairs
- 1973 - Sannikov Land
- 1973 - Ivan Vasilievich changes his profession
- 1978 - The woman who sings
- 1978 - June 31
- 1981 - The mystery of the third planet