Nikitin Sergei Yakovlevich

Born March 8, 1944 in Moscow. Father - Nikitin Yakov (1908 - 1956). Mother - Vera Nikitina, S. (1913 g. born.). Wife - Tatiana Nikitina Hashimovna (1945. born.). Son - Alexander Nikitin (1971. born.).

When asked how he became a bard, and with what he had all started in the song, Sergei Nikitin usually responds: "It felt like myself to sing Bulat Okudzhava". Beginning, in general, for that time (the end of 1950) is quite common. And sometimes the same question he responds somewhat differently: "I have it all went from guitar". And with the guitar, too, at first it was all just "normally": found a friend, . which showed, . as it come from the notorious "three chords", . - Many are beginning to master the foundations accompaniment from that, . adding over time to the first three five, . twenty-five, . hundred twenty-five and so on - depending on individual needs, . perseverance, . Well, . naturally, . abilities.,

. The singularity is Nikitinsky case is not about that, . that he quickly mastered the "very many" different chords, . and especially not in, . that the structure of his guitar turned out to be (in general, . accident) Custom - semistrunka, . but with decreased a half step and the second high fifth string,
. Just almost as soon Nikitin picked up the guitar (as he then was still a schoolboy), it became apparent that this is a wonderful and totally unique musician - that is, "by God". Strictly, . a virtuoso in the true sense of the word, he became the latest (and not such a rare phenomenon - the guitar virtuoso), . but at the earliest sound recordings of his guitar sound as professional, . as now, . - And just as unmistakably recognizable, . because it is impossible not to recognize this characteristic, . firm "Nikitinskii" sound, . - Something from the category of "events", . then, . what, . probably, . in principle impossible to learn, . even mastered all the right chords with the most correct fingering,
. Yet again it trying to play many - some enthusiasts have even specifically for this learns sly Nikitinskii system (although, . himself, he easily passes from him and the standard "seven", . and "six"; can domra, . balalaika, . banjo, . yes even the harp, . not to mention the usual piano),
. It would seem, purely technically, for any sufficiently "advanced" guitarist in Nikitinsky accompaniment there is nothing supernatural complex. But no, still no one has so failed. Lack of imitators, and Nikitin is still one.

Despite a strong musical ability, after leaving school he went to study at MSU, at Department of Physics (1962 - 1968). Physics in the years generally been "held in high esteem, and talented young people rushed right place, at the front edge of scientific achievements. At this wave, Sergey and chose the profession of physics - and never even felt sorry. Although most likely, pass it in time through the normal child music school, the other options but to continue to learn from a professional musician, has not appeared to. But it did not happen. Good or bad, . now argue senselessly, . nevertheless suggest, . what the natural sciences university education and many years of work in academic institutions - the Institute of Organic Chemistry (1971-1980, . Protein Chemistry Laboratory) and the Institute of Biological Physics (1980-1987, . Laboratory of Physical Biochemistry), . among scientific and technical intelligentsia (and mostly intellectuals "shestidesyatnicheskogo" batch) played a very important role in shaping not just Nikitina composer, . - He-he, . Being a musician from birth, . would, . probably, . whatever, . - A composer-bard, . working with high poetry at the deepest level of interaction, . interpenetration of two elements: music and words, . - When the music is not just worthy of poetry and adequate to them, . but is capable of discovering new facets, . enriched with new or hidden meanings to the pores,
. Professional composers, . successfully worked on this "field", . in general has always been not so much - you can call George Sviridov, . Michael Tariverdiev, . Vladimir Dashkevich, . a perfect vocal cycles based on poems by classical poets, but perhaps, . except some, . become very popular, . ballads and songs from movies, . These works remain the property of their narrow circle of connoisseurs of vocal chamber music (not necessarily at the same time and are admirers of poetry itself).,

. Nikitin same, . from the first performance of once Okudzhava songs and Gorodnitski to own big concert program entitled "We sing poems" - the representative of a tradition of singing and listening to poetry, . tradition, . it is rooted in the environment of the university and scientific and technical intelligentsia, and the widespread under the title "art song",
. Here poetry has long won the privileged position of principal, a leading component, essentially as a basis and the ultimate meaning of the creative process. And bards, composers who write music not for his poetry, have done for this state of affairs no less than "complete" the authors, singing his own poetry. And here the contribution of Sergei Nikitin, soon became a leader in all areas of art song composer, it is difficult to overestimate. Suffice it to recall just a few of his songs (all the years of creative activity of their written about 400), . become, . as is particularly clear now, . over time, . milestones in the development of the genre: "Dialogue with the Christmas tree" and "Dream of the passing train" (vs. NE,
. Levitansky), Shakespeare's Sonnets "(translated from. Marshak), the cycle of "historical" songs of Tsar Ivan and separations Singer "(verses D. Samoilova), "Snow go" (verse B. Pasternak), "The Times did not choose" (verses A. Kushner), "Translate me through the Maidan" (poems in. Korotich translation S. Moritz), "The parking" and "When we were young" (vs. NE. Moritz), "Brich-Mulla" (verses D. Sukharev), a cycle of songs based on poems by Mr.. Shpalikov, "Ilia" and "Loud beep" (poems about. Chukhontsev), "Grasshoppers" and "taken away from me" (verses A. Tarkovsky), "vain" (verse A. Feta) ...

. Apart from writing his own songs Nikitin, . himself an excellent performer, . While still a student at the university organized and then headed the famous performing groups, . be done to promote and popularize the works of the genre,
. The first one (1963-1967) - male quartet composed of C. Nikitin P. Smirnova, B. Geller and A. Monakhov (later in. Khait) arose on the basis fizfakovskoy propaganda team, to which Nikitin was on the 1 st the same year at the university. The repertoire of the quartet in addition to the student of folklore and song of faculty authors ( "calling card" of the quartet was written by a physicist Sergei Krylov, "Winter Tale", . soon dispersed by the country as an anonymous "popular" songs), . also included the song Julia Kim, . Alexander and Alexander Gorodnitski Dulov,
. Created later quintet, lasted until 1977 and also composed of physics students: Sergei and Tatiana Nikitina, K. Santakreu IN. Ulin, H. Turkin - sang almost exclusively to classics of the genre, and even in some sense "made it" his magnificent performance by introducing a common culture lingua franca of these songs in everyday life. Several generations of students, and then the rest of the population is to vote Nikitinsky quintet first learned and immediately liked "Sentimental march" (B. Okudzhava), "I love you, my rain" (In. Egorov), "When I came to this earth" (H. Guillen - G. Khristoforov), and "Amazon" (verses P. Kipling), "Horses in the Ocean" (verses B. Slutsky), "Smugglers" (verses E. Bagritsky) and other songs of Victor Berkovskaya, which in those years did not speak himself from the scene. In 1972, the quintet became the winner of the 3rd International Festival of political song in Berlin. For all the successes of the collective talents were primarily an arranger and his labor leader - Sergei Nikitin, received the 1978 Moscow Komsomol Prize in Literature and Art "for the creation and performance of songs."

. In "kvintetskie" years established and performing duo of Tatiana and Sergey Nikitin, still exist
. Creative Alliance supporters, . people, . close in spirit, . proved very successful and fruitful, . where Tatiana has always played an important role in him not just a partner for the stage - it is the principal advisor, . very first listener and "judge" (and sometimes direct and co-author) written,
. In the performance of the duo of Tatiana and Sergey Nikitin recorded more than a dozen LPs and CDs with songs like the very C. Nikitina (including "the music of Vivaldi", . 1994; Favorites, . 1994; Big secret for a small company, . 1995; Golden Brich-Mulla,, . 1996; Field of Dreams, . 1998, "The Times did not choose", . 1999 and others), . and with the songs of other authors ( "Time of Love", . 1997 - songs of Bulat Okudzhava, "our conversation", . 1999 - Alexander Dulov songs, "For me this is what happens", . 1999 - songs based on poems E,
. Yevtushenko and others).

For a long time Nikitini combined the active concertizing with research scientists, biophysicists (both finished graduate school and subsequently - the candidate of physical and mathematical sciences). In 1990, . leaving science, . Tatiana became head of the department of culture of the October Executive Committee in Moscow, . then - Deputy Prefect of the Central District, . and from 1992 to 1994 worked as Deputy Minister of Culture of Russia (then the minister was Evgeny Sidorov),
. In the end, tired of fighting the order on the administrative front of national culture to put it mildly, indifferent to the culture of bureaucracy, she went to work in the Italian companies involved in art-business. Her "foreign" activities in many ways is still linked to national culture, in particular, it organizes the exhibitions and organizes all sorts of advertising for our artists in the West.

. In 1987, several years before Tatiana Nikitina, parted with physics and Sergey are fully switched on the creative activity
. For a time he was in the State Theater Studio Oleg Tabakov, . zaveduya it part of Musical, . studied musical accompaniment performances, . wrote the music for a variety of productions, . including "Twelfth Night", . "Castruccio" (1988), . "I want to act in films" (1990) and others,
. Since 1995, he - a free artist and is implementing its own projects. Was published collection of songs by Sergei Nikitin "Seasons do not choose" (compiled in. Romanov).

But generally a composer Nikitin's work in film and theater, began long before he formally assumed the status of a professional musician. For the first time it happened in 1967 when his student, undergraduate, then director of the Theater-Studio MSU Pyotr Fomenko invited to write music for the play "The man resembling himself, or even Mikhail Svetlov". Nikitin himself remembers this as a very important event for himself, . - Not to mention communicating with interesting people, . who came to the performances and visited the rehearsal studio Fomenko (among them were, . example, . Yuli Kim and Peter Yakir, . Lilya Brik, . Konstantin Simonov and Leonid Utesov), . This work became his first experience of conscious immersion in the creative world of poetry and the poet's personality, . the verses which compose music (the latest such "immersion" happening with verses Yunny Moritz, . David Samoilov, . Gennady Shpalikov, . Dmitry Sukharev ...),
. The result is a cycle of songs based on poems Svetlov, but the main thing - from that time have begun serious Nikitina his poetry, the relation to her not just as a source of texts for the songs, and, in the words Yunny Moritz, "a knight service" to her.

. Nikitin's first work in film - a TV movie "Sea Gate" (1974), for which co-authored with Victor Berkovskii and Yuri Vizbor (which owns poetry) was written a few songs
. All participants of this work have a close friendship, a natural extension into the creative field: they then repeatedly soavtorstvovali to write music and songs for various television and films, performances and radio. In conjunction with. Berkovskaya, in particular, has written music for productions of "Mary Poppins" (Theater Yermolova, 1976) and "Horses" (MDG, 1977), to the musical "Ali Baba and the 40 songs of the Persian bazaar" (scenario B. Smekhova, first staged in 1979), "The Great Doctor's Tale" (radio play on the tale to. Capek, 1977), and Nikitin's songs on verses SW. Vizbora entered into a series of television documentaries studio "Ekran" ( "Murmansk-198", "North Pole", "Earth, flying off for a long time", etc.). In addition. Nikitin is a composer (and the author voiced there songs) are still a number of television and film: "Almost a funny story" ( "Screen", . 1977), . "Moscow does not believe in tears" ( "Mosfilm", . 1979), . "Old New Year" ( "Screen", . 1980), . Travel on the old car "(" Mosfilm ", . 1987), . few cartoons ( "The Tale of Lost Time", . Big secret for a small company, . "The boy was, . owl flew "and" Wolfskin ") and the play" Crazy Jourdain (Central Puppet Theater, . 1983),
.

Several pieces of music for the theater Nikitin wrote with poet Dmitry mate, his close friend and constant collaborator, who made the author of the libretto. Two of them were delivered to various theaters in our country and abroad. The opera-vaudeville on the story A.P. Chekhov's "Proposal" was held in 1989 in the Theater "third area" and then in 1990 he was placed in the Theater School of modern play "under the title" A cho-thou in a frock coat? " (and continues to successfully go there for more than 10 years), performance was also in the Tver regional theater and the City Theater del Altmark Stendal (Germany),
. The second play - a farce "Actors from one another" - staged in the Theater of Nations in 1996.

. And continuing cooperation with television: in 1999, the channel "Culture" conducted a long series of case record shows Sergey Nikitin, . held in the House-Museum of Bulat Okudzhava in Peredelkino, a series of programs with these actions have repeatedly been shown on the screen.,

. Another "priority" field of activity, in that Nikitin never spared no effort and time - is something that can be boring to call "work with children, but that performance Nikitinsky always turns into a veritable feast
. In his life is something like "public pressure" - as in any pedagogical staff, he never was, so that experience in teaching has not acquired. But a song about a pony, written in verse Yunny Moritz in 1965, when the author was a student, and still remains a "run" for children and their parents - experience is quite substantial. And other songs Nikitina for children - and he wrote them all my life - just as good fortune: they are like children, and those happy to listen and sing their own (indeed, "former children, too!). Many of the most famous Nikitinskii children's songs (from those "Pony", . that "girls rolled" - to "beloved pony", . one of the last) are written in verse Yunny Moritz: "Vanya shepherd", . "Elephant, . elephant and the elephant ", . Big secret for a small company, . "The dog is biting", . - So, . sure, . "Rubber hedgehog" - a hit of all time "from two to five",
. "Hilling" children are not limited to purely compositional work: Nikitin regularly arranges for them to play big concerts, festivals, . which invites "good and different, poets and musicians, . where the sound is not only a bard, . but classic, . and jazz, . and folklore, . serve young musicians and actors,
. For more than 10 years in the Palace of Children and Youth Creativity on the Sparrow Hills monthly pass so-called "Nikitinskii meeting" - club, . going where kids (from 3 years old) with their moms and dads, . to listen to good music, . podpet guests on the stage (and even podplyasat, . especially happy doing a very small).,

. Over the years, kind of bard Sergei Nikitin, . surrounded by kids, . enthusiasm, . though not very neatly, . tightening of the immortal "hedgehog", . has become a familiar ( "What is good children's audience, . - He was joking, . - Every five years a new generation grows up - and again calls "about the hedgehog"), . - But for some time he increasingly began to appear on stage and also surrounded by young professionals,
. Students and graduates' Gnesinka and Conservatory, . flute (current winner of the All-Russia and international competitions flutist Tatyana Larina had once participated in the "Nikitinskii meetings" as a "young talent"), . cellists, . pianists, . string "Moscow Quartet" - all these young musicians interested in working with Nikitin, . perform his music and just perform together in concerts of classical project, . he has attracted in recent,
. Perhaps, . very soon the sound of classical instruments in the works of art song, . still predominantly "guitar", . become commonplace - a genre develops, . and tireless creative search bard and composer Sergei Nikitin, . continues to work, . search, . create, . pulling the new young forces, . - Well established process.,

. Sergey Nikitin - Honored Artist of Russia (1995), a member of the Union of theatrical figures of Russia (1992), a member of the All-Russia Music Society (1994)
. In 1997, Tatiana and Sergey Nikitin became winners Tsarskoselskaya Art Prize - with a remarkable phrase "For long-term commitment to Russian poetry". But perhaps the award, which Nikitin most cherished - Bulat Okudzhava poem, written to his 50 th anniversary and dedicated to Sergei Nikitin:

. Emblem he old ditty,

. And yet he is not an artist.

. He is all of us familiar with the guitar

. Yet he is not a guitarist.

. Quite a few songs we sang,

. Spoyuschy more than one,

. He is a physicist, to verse prikipevshy,

. Scientist in love with string.

. How to fit him this sweater!

. How accurate accompaniment! ..

. He first of all - a composer

. But the main thing - intelligent.

. 1994

. Lives and works in Moscow.