Ramzan Paskayev
Encyclopedia
Ramzan Paskayev (born March 16, 1947 in Taraz
, Kazakhstan
) is a legendary Chechen
accordionist and folk musician. He is regarded by many as the contemporary successor to late Chechen accordionist Umar Dimayev
.
to Chechen
parents on March 16, 1947. His family been sent to Kazakhstan
as a result of the forced deportations
of the Chechens
and Ingush
to Central Asia
on February 23, 1944. Ramzan's father Sultan worked as a truck driver
and gathered wheat on a collective farm to help support his family. Sultan had managed to bring a German
accordion
from his home in Chechnya
, and during evenings the young Ramzan would constantly bother his father to play the accordion out of curiosity.http://www.ob-gaz.ru/071/071_08.htm
However, Paskayev recalls that the greatest influence on his career would be the songs of the legendary Chechen accordionist Umar Dimayev
: Umar had managed to perform on radio stations in Kazakhstan, and although the radio transmissions would last barely fifteen minutes, the exiled Chechens would gather at the homes of radio owners to listen to Umar's broadcasts. His folk songs reminded the Chechen people of their lost homeland, which the bereaved Chechens longed to return to. At the end of the transmission, the men would hide their wet eyes, and the mothers cried quietly. Ramzan would later speak of Dimayev's music: "They were philosophical tones. Nothing like it in the Chechen folk art exists. Umar Dimayev remained an unbeatable virtuoso
. That was the time when I had developed a strong desire to become like Dimayev. Now I realize that no one can match him."http://www.ob-gaz.ru/071/071_08.htm
By the mid-1950s, De-Stalinization
had allowed the Chechens and Ingush to return to their native homelands, and the Paskayev family moved to Grozny
, the Chechen capital. Throughout his youth, Ramzan had developed his musical abilities, and in 1960 the young Ramzan was invited into the House of Folklore amateur ensemble
. He worked in the ensemble writing melodies, and had decided to receive a vocational education
from that group. Also during his youth, Ramzan met with his idol, Umar Dimayev: Dimayev handed Ramzan his accordion, and although Ramzan's feet couldn't yet touch the ground when he sat on his chair, Ramzan surprised the entire audience with his small performance. Umar declared, "He will inevitably become an accordionist." From their encounter, Ramzan later recalled, "His face showed a gracious smile. I think he had realized that I had copied his style." http://www.ob-gaz.ru/071/071_08.htm
In 1962 Paskayev was invited to speak at Baikal TV, and after delivering his speech he became widely known throughout the Chechen-Ingush ASSR. He spent much of his youth performing with adults, and wasn't seen playing with other children. That year he also performed at the Great Kremlin Palace and met with Soviet leader
Nikita Khrushchev
. The following year, Ramzan was also invited into the "Vaynah" dance ensemble.
In 1967 Paskayev was called to active duty
in the ranks of the Soviet Red Army. However, he was transferred to a
military garrison ensemble after the intervention of fellow musician Aslan Gugiev. Afterwards Ramzan would enroll in a professional education at a college in Grozny
and then the Krasnodar
Institute of Culture. He would join an orchestra, and work there until 1983, when he would return to "Vaynah".
With the start of the First Chechen War
Paskayev would move with his family to Moscow
. He later commented, "I moved to Moscow from despair. Here, my creativity has become a facelift. As an adult, I became aware that the music is the foundation of our people. Without music, life is impossible. It must rally people to help us live and build. Living in Moscow, I issued six discs. And I realized that was responsible for our musical heritage. Folk art is a very serious genre, and it must be handled with care. During the war years, we lost all music. Many unique records were destroyed, which had its historical value. They simply burned, crushed. It is necessary to restore and re-write the wealth of musical collection that we had."http://www.ob-gaz.ru/071/071_08.htm
Ramzan Paskayev is highly regarded by many Chechens for his ability to remember countless Chechen folk tunes by heart, which are regarded as the cornerstone of the restoration of Chechen music
. He had groomed his son Ruslan, also a talented accordionist, to follow in his footsteps, but on October 12, 2004, Ruslan, a university student in Grozny
, was found dead in the nearby village of Kalinina. His corpse showed signs of blows and tortures, and he had been shot in the head. Ruslan's murder was touted as another example of extrajudicial execution by Russian forces.http://www.peacereporter.net/dettaglio_articolo.php?idpa=&idc=3&ida=&idt=&idart=166
Currently, Paskayev writes music, and was assisted by the late Said Dimayev
. His works are included in the repertoires of orchestras in Dagestan
, Kabardino-Balkaria
, and North Ossetia, and is regarded as one of the best musicians of Chechnya
.http://www.chechnyafree.ru/html/Ramzan.htm
Taraz
Taraz , is a city and a center of the Jambyl Province in Kazakhstan. It is located in the south of Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, on the Talas River...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
) is a legendary Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
accordionist and folk musician. He is regarded by many as the contemporary successor to late Chechen accordionist Umar Dimayev
Umar Dimayev
Umar Dimayev was a legendary Chechen accordionist and folk musician. His sons - Ali, Valid, and Said - are professional Chechen musicians.-Biography:Umar was born into a family of peasant farmers on October 1, 1908 in Urus-Martan...
.
Biography
Paskayev was born in TarazTaraz
Taraz , is a city and a center of the Jambyl Province in Kazakhstan. It is located in the south of Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, on the Talas River...
to Chechen
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
parents on March 16, 1947. His family been sent to Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
as a result of the forced deportations
Population transfer in the Soviet Union
Population transfer in the Soviet Union may be classified into the following broad categories: deportations of "anti-Soviet" categories of population, often classified as "enemies of workers," deportations of entire nationalities, labor force transfer, and organized migrations in opposite...
of the Chechens
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
and Ingush
Ingush people
The Ingush are a native ethnic group of the North Caucasus, mostly inhabiting the Russian republic of Ingushetia. They refer to themselves as Ghalghai . The Ingush are predominantly Sunni Muslims and speak the Ingush language...
to Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
on February 23, 1944. Ramzan's father Sultan worked as a truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
and gathered wheat on a collective farm to help support his family. Sultan had managed to bring a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
from his home in Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, and during evenings the young Ramzan would constantly bother his father to play the accordion out of curiosity.http://www.ob-gaz.ru/071/071_08.htm
However, Paskayev recalls that the greatest influence on his career would be the songs of the legendary Chechen accordionist Umar Dimayev
Umar Dimayev
Umar Dimayev was a legendary Chechen accordionist and folk musician. His sons - Ali, Valid, and Said - are professional Chechen musicians.-Biography:Umar was born into a family of peasant farmers on October 1, 1908 in Urus-Martan...
: Umar had managed to perform on radio stations in Kazakhstan, and although the radio transmissions would last barely fifteen minutes, the exiled Chechens would gather at the homes of radio owners to listen to Umar's broadcasts. His folk songs reminded the Chechen people of their lost homeland, which the bereaved Chechens longed to return to. At the end of the transmission, the men would hide their wet eyes, and the mothers cried quietly. Ramzan would later speak of Dimayev's music: "They were philosophical tones. Nothing like it in the Chechen folk art exists. Umar Dimayev remained an unbeatable virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
. That was the time when I had developed a strong desire to become like Dimayev. Now I realize that no one can match him."http://www.ob-gaz.ru/071/071_08.htm
By the mid-1950s, De-Stalinization
De-Stalinization
De-Stalinization refers to the process of eliminating the cult of personality, Stalinist political system and the Gulag labour-camp system created by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Stalin was succeeded by a collective leadership after his death in March 1953...
had allowed the Chechens and Ingush to return to their native homelands, and the Paskayev family moved to Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
, the Chechen capital. Throughout his youth, Ramzan had developed his musical abilities, and in 1960 the young Ramzan was invited into the House of Folklore amateur ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
. He worked in the ensemble writing melodies, and had decided to receive a vocational education
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
from that group. Also during his youth, Ramzan met with his idol, Umar Dimayev: Dimayev handed Ramzan his accordion, and although Ramzan's feet couldn't yet touch the ground when he sat on his chair, Ramzan surprised the entire audience with his small performance. Umar declared, "He will inevitably become an accordionist." From their encounter, Ramzan later recalled, "His face showed a gracious smile. I think he had realized that I had copied his style." http://www.ob-gaz.ru/071/071_08.htm
In 1962 Paskayev was invited to speak at Baikal TV, and after delivering his speech he became widely known throughout the Chechen-Ingush ASSR. He spent much of his youth performing with adults, and wasn't seen playing with other children. That year he also performed at the Great Kremlin Palace and met with Soviet leader
General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the title given to the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. With some exceptions, the office was synonymous with leader of the Soviet Union...
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
. The following year, Ramzan was also invited into the "Vaynah" dance ensemble.
In 1967 Paskayev was called to active duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
in the ranks of the Soviet Red Army. However, he was transferred to a
military garrison ensemble after the intervention of fellow musician Aslan Gugiev. Afterwards Ramzan would enroll in a professional education at a college in Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
and then the Krasnodar
Krasnodar
Krasnodar is a city in Southern Russia, located on the Kuban River about northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai . Population: -Name:...
Institute of Culture. He would join an orchestra, and work there until 1983, when he would return to "Vaynah".
With the start of the First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
Paskayev would move with his family to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. He later commented, "I moved to Moscow from despair. Here, my creativity has become a facelift. As an adult, I became aware that the music is the foundation of our people. Without music, life is impossible. It must rally people to help us live and build. Living in Moscow, I issued six discs. And I realized that was responsible for our musical heritage. Folk art is a very serious genre, and it must be handled with care. During the war years, we lost all music. Many unique records were destroyed, which had its historical value. They simply burned, crushed. It is necessary to restore and re-write the wealth of musical collection that we had."http://www.ob-gaz.ru/071/071_08.htm
Ramzan Paskayev is highly regarded by many Chechens for his ability to remember countless Chechen folk tunes by heart, which are regarded as the cornerstone of the restoration of Chechen music
Music of Chechnya
The music of Chechnya has a long history.-Native musical instruments:*The pondur is the oldest of musical instruments of the Chechens, consisting of three strings and a wooden casing...
. He had groomed his son Ruslan, also a talented accordionist, to follow in his footsteps, but on October 12, 2004, Ruslan, a university student in Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
, was found dead in the nearby village of Kalinina. His corpse showed signs of blows and tortures, and he had been shot in the head. Ruslan's murder was touted as another example of extrajudicial execution by Russian forces.http://www.peacereporter.net/dettaglio_articolo.php?idpa=&idc=3&ida=&idt=&idart=166
Currently, Paskayev writes music, and was assisted by the late Said Dimayev
Said Dimayev
Said-Emin Umarovich Dimayev was a Chechen composer. His father Umar Dimayev was a legendary accordionist and folk musician, and his brothers Ali and Valid are professional Chechen musicians.-Biography:...
. His works are included in the repertoires of orchestras in Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...
, Kabardino-Balkaria
Kabardino-Balkaria
The Kabardino-Balkar Republic , or Kabardino-Balkaria , is a federal subject of Russia located in the North Caucasus. Population: -Geography:The republic is situated in the North Caucasus mountains, with plains in the northern part....
, and North Ossetia, and is regarded as one of the best musicians of Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
.http://www.chechnyafree.ru/html/Ramzan.htm