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On the eve of 2026, Bayram Khudainazarov, People's Artist of Turkmenistan, composer, scholar, teacher, and associate professor of the composition and instrumentation department at the Maya Kulieva Turkmen National Conservatory, passed away. He was a man of the highest culture, exceptional tact, and integrity, a true representative of the Turkmen intelligentsia. Always modest and reserved, focused and disciplined, passionate about his work and endlessly devoted to art. A true Master.
Bayram Khudainazarov was one of the stellar "Six" – a group of talented, truly original Turkmen composers who burst onto the musical scene in the 1960s and 1970s. Among them, without a doubt, are outstanding representatives of the artistic culture of Turkmenistan, the national treasure of the Turkmen people - Nury Khalmamedov, Chary Nurymov, Aman Agajikov, Rejep Allayarov, Rejep Rejepov.
...We valued his dedication to his work, his responsible and sensitive attitude toward national heritage. His work reveals a natural connection with the traditions and way of life of his people, a profound knowledge of the art, history, philosophy, and religion of the East, combined with a brilliant mastery of the technological arsenal of a European-educated composer. The synthesis of the cultures of two civilizations—Eastern and Western—is what has always distinguished and continues to distinguish the best Turkmen artists and scholars of the modern era—the 20th and 21st centuries—and what has led and continues to lead them to outstanding creative and scientific achievements.
Bayram Khudainazarov dedicated his entire life to the development of Turkmen culture. Holding various positions in the government, he sought to support young Turkmen artists—composers, playwrights, actors, and directors. Understanding the complexity of scientific research, he assisted both aspiring and established musicologists and art historians. His conversations about Turkmen folk music, his reminiscences about his fellow artists and masters of national art, were always distinguished by historical accuracy and genuine respect for creative individuals. Bayram Khudainazarov was not one for "behind-the-scenes games." Every event or phenomenon was examined from the perspective of his own life and creative experience.
The composer's works, regardless of genre or audience, are always filled with inspiration, purity and nobility of emotion, composure of thought, inexpressible beauty of melodies and harmonies, and classical perfection of form.
Bayram Khudainazarovich's scholarly research is highly respected. He devoted many years to studying the genesis and history of the instrumentation, genres, and forms of ancient Turkmen music. His research has resulted in publications in periodicals and collections of scholarly articles, as well as the 2018 publication of a unique work, "Saz gurallary öwreniş" ("Study of Musical Instruments"). Being a textbook by genre, it contains materials on the instruments of a symphony orchestra, an orchestra of Turkmen folk instruments, and the instruments that form the core of a pop-jazz orchestra.
"My intention was to gather together the basic information about all the instruments used by modern composers," the composer shared. At the same time, the textbook also has a clear scientific focus: it presents fascinating hypotheses about the origin and evolution of Turkmen folk instruments, raising the issues of their reconstruction and further improvement.
At the composition lessons conducted by Bayram Khudainazarovich, he taught: "Yes, knowledge of modern technologies is necessary, but we must avoid mindless infatuation with them. Music, first and foremost, should bring people joy, pleasure, and delight them with the beauty of its melodies!"
And the master tirelessly repeated one more thought: "Don't spare yourself! In music, as in life, the creator must burn! If not you, if not me, who – if not us!" These words encapsulated the life credo of Bayram Khudainazarov – a great Artist and Man.
Zulfiya DZHUMAKULIEVA, Elena OSIPOVA
