Fatma Muhtarova Russian and Soviet opera singer Date of Birth: 26.03.1893 Country: Azerbaijan

Biography of Fatma Mukhtarova

Fatma Mukhtarova, a Russian and Soviet opera singer, was born in Urmia, in northwestern Persia (now West Azerbaijan in Iran), to a Persian father, Abbas Rzaev, a street singer, and his wife, Sara Khasenovich, a Polish-Lithuanian Tatar. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Russia and settled in Rostov-on-Don. In 1901, Mukhtarova's father contracted tuberculosis and died at the age of 28, and her mother remarried Sattar Mukhtarov, a street musician and immigrant from Persia. The family lived in poverty and wandered through cities in Russia until they finally settled in Saratov in 1910. Here, Mukhtarova's mother apprenticed her to street singers. Soon, under the name "Kati the street musician," dressed in Ukrainian attire, she successfully performed on the streets, squares, and factory passages of Saratov, accompanied by a tambourine and accordion. One of her first listeners was a young Lidia Ruslanova, a factory worker who was moved by the girl's singing and gave her all the money she had. Soon, an article about Kati Mukhtarova's talent by journalist Arkhangelsky appeared in the "Saratovskiy Vestnik." She was taken under the wing of cellist Kamensky, the son of opera singer Maria Kamenskaya. However, in the new household, Mukhtarova was given the role of a servant and only allowed to dine with the guests from "society." Offended by such treatment, Mukhtarova left the Kamenskys and continued to give charity concerts in cities and villages in the Saratov province, raising money for her musical education, on the advice of Arkhangelsky. In 1912, she attempted to enroll in the newly established Saratov Imperial Conservatory but was rejected due to her "hoarse voice from singing in the cold with a range of less than an octave." However, Mukhtarova caught the attention of famous opera singer Mikhail Medvedev, who offered to teach her and corrected her voice in just two weeks. Thus, Fatma Mukhtarova became one of the first students of the Saratov Conservatory. During this period, she lived with her parents and supported her family by performing in other cities across the country, contrary to the rules of the conservatory. During one of her tours in 1913, Mukhtarova ended up in Baku, where she caught the interest of opera singer Huseynkuli Sarabski. Learning about Mukhtarova's difficult financial situation, Sarabski convinced Baku oil industrialist and patron Murtuza Mukhtarov (a namesake of the singer) to provide assistance to the young singer, to which Mukhtarov responded positively and allocated the necessary funds. Mukhtarova's first professional performance was in the drama "The Stake of Prince Matvey" at the City Theater. After graduating from the conservatory in 1914, Mukhtarova married Saratov lawyer Alexander Malinin (with whom she soon had a daughter named Leyla) and moved to Moscow. Through her brother-in-law Boris, she managed to get an audition with Fyodor Chaliapin, and later Sergei Zimin, and accepted an offer to work at Zimin's Opera Theater. In this theater, she performed with Chaliapin in the opera "Boris Godunov" and also mastered the role of Carmen, which became her most vibrant and memorable role. In 1918, Mukhtarova returned to Saratov with a group of soloists and performed as Carmen for the first time on December 31, 1918, at the Saratov Opera Theater. After the Revolution, Fatma Mukhtarova performed in various theaters in Ukraine, the Volga region, and the Southern Caucasus. Newspapers noted her extraordinary naturalness and emotional depth in her portrayal of Carmen. During her tour in Baku in 1924, Georgy Nelep, who played the role of Jose, accidentally stabbed Mukhtarova's back with a knife, almost three centimeters deep, which was discovered only during the actors' bow, when blood was running down her skirt. In 1936, she was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Georgian SSR. From 1938, she became a soloist at the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater. In 1940, Mukhtarova was honored with the title of People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR. She retired from the stage in 1954 but continued to teach young Azerbaijani soloists of the theater. Her last concert took place at the Georgian Opera and Ballet Theater.