Turgun Alimatov

Turgun Alimatov (Uzbek: Turgʻun Alimatov; 20 January 1922 – 17 December 2008) was one of the leading Uzbek classic music and shashmaqam virtuoso and composer, an eminent figure of 20th century folk and classical music. The People's Artist of Uzbekistan, The Pride of Uzbek nation, was an unparalleled master performer of tanbur, dutar, and sato. Alimatov is well loved by the Uzbek public. His image is associated with national pride. A broad musical community knows Alimatov first and foremost as a superior player of tanbur, dutar, and sato. He has found a new style and technique of performance on the dutar, sato, and tanbur which became popular around Uzbekistan, and his way of playing in these instruments is followed by many performers. Alimatov’s music is used in many Uzbek houses to put to sleep babies and kids, also in hospitals and treatment centers in Uzbekistan. Alimatov was born in Tashkent and lived there through the 1990s. He never took formal music lessons, instead he learned music from his father and by listening to music on records and radio. In doing so, he broke with traditions and developed his own style, despite scepticism from older musicians. He learned the dutar at the age of nine and the tanbur at the age of 15. He began performing in 1939, becoming well known to the Uzbek public by playing violin at Tashkent's Muqumi Thetare and joining the Tashkent radio station in 1948 where he performed in a succession of ensembles until 1982. Alimtaov is solely responsible for reviving the art of playing the sato (bowed tanbur), as it had completely died out in Uzbekistan for a number of decades when he took it up in 1957. Thus he had never heard any examples of sato playing, instead he was inspired by listening to Indian music on short wave radio. Like most Uzbek musicians, Alimatov's played shorter folk melodies that are derived from lengthy classical maqam. However, he distinguished himself by playing folk melodies in a classical style. From 1991, he started his solo tour programs in US, UK, Germany, and France becoming the first Uzbek musician by his solo concerts abroad. His art and creative work has not until now been the subject of serious study by ethnomusicologists. In 1991, Turgun Alimatov was awarded as The People’s Artist of Uzbekistan, one year later in 1992, he received the Order of The Great Contribution. Turgun Alimatov played for himself and always played the songs he wanted to perform, simply because he enjoyed playing. He didn't prepare himself for the life of professional musician and never followed the music career. Music for him was not a profession. On December 17, 2008 Turgun Alimatov died at the age of 86 remaining one of the best and the most successful musicians in world music history. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.