Eshpai Yakov Andreevich: biography, works

Many know the songs of the composer Andrew Eshpai: "And the snow is on," "Seryozhka with Malaya Bronnaya" - he wrote more than a hundred songs and romances. But this is the son of the hero of the article, which will be discussed later.

Jacob Eshpai: nationality - the Marian

Correctly his surname at birth sounded Ishpaykin. And he was born in 1890 in the village of Kokshamary, which is located where the river Kokshaga flows into the Volga. From generation to generation in this family, musical ear and ability to sing and play were transmitted, first on the harp, then on the harmonica. When the young man changed his name, he was called Eshpai Yakov Andreevich. As a child he listened attentively to the way the grandfather played and grandmother sang lullabies and folk songs, playing along on the harp. His father, aunts and uncles also played the harp. And their children were carried away by the harmony. But Ishpaikins owned not only the harmony. In their family were an uncle, a teacher from Ufa, and a cousin, a teacher from Birsk, who played the violin. When everyone gathered together on summer vacation, singing and music did not end. Moreover, other relatives who came to know Concertino also came and knew how to organize singing in chorus. And such music affects the soul sphere, elevates the person. All together, a huge company, went on picnics, went boating on Kokshara, made walks in meadows and forests, but also mowed the hay too. In the autumn everyone was leaving, and in the village, except for Yakov, there were two more boys. They ran into the woods for mushrooms, played an ocarina flute, which was given to them by one of their uncles. In such an atmosphere filled with the joy of life and music, Eshpai Yakov Andreyevich grew up playing from five years on a violin he mastered independently.

Study

At first the boy studied in a rural school, then in a district school. In it, he played the violin in the orchestra and became assistant conductor in the school choir.

And the years fly by

The young Eshpai Yakov Andreevich had already become a teacher. He works in the village of Kukshenery, and in the neighboring village Alekseevsky teaches singing. But he does not find understanding and support and therefore leaves work. On the advice of a cousin, he leaves for Kazan and enters the music school. Eshpai Yakov Andreevich, despite the fact that there is no money, no material support, still ends two branches: theoretical and regent. After graduation, all his work is directly connected with music. Even in 1915, when he was drafted into the army, he was sent to a military band. And in 1917 he was elected to the Soviet of Soldiers' Deputies in Petrograd.

In the native Kokshamary

And again he is a teacher, and again he is surrounded by music. And in my own village, in the teachers' seminary, and in the technical school in Kozmodemyansk. In it he organizes a quartet and speaks to listeners with classical works, anticipating the performance by stories about their authors. There is a 1925 year. He is already married to Valentina Konstantinovna, who is fond of collecting Mari, Chuvash and Mordovian songs. They have a son Valentine, and then a second child appears, Andrei, who in the future will become a famous and beloved composer. Meanwhile, the birth of the composer Jacob Espai is taking place. He will process the folk song, and the violin and piano will develop her theme.

Moscow

At 37, Jacob Eshpai, whose biography makes a turn, again sits down on the student's bench. Only now it happens in the Moscow Conservatory. Here he seriously deals with the composition and works as a researcher of native Mari music. In 1931 he created the "Mari Suite", which will be the beginning for all subsequent Mari symphonic works. He and his friends sought ways to develop Mari folk music in new genres and forms.

Continuation of great work

Arriving in Yoshkar-Ola in 1933, Yakov Eshpai teaches theoretical disciplines in the technical school of arts and simultaneously searches for ways of creating the Mari opera. He writes articles as a musicologist, and for thirty years he remains the only one in this field. At the same time, Eshpai conducts serious research work on the study of Mari folklore. During the war, when the eldest son died at the front, J. Eshpai wrote a thesis on the Mari folk instruments. And in the meantime the son Andrey - the future composer grows up. So is the biography of Jacob Eshpai - from a village boy to a musician and a theorist, a candidate of art history. Throughout his life, Eshpai (1890-1963) will faithfully serve the Mari music. His creative burning was awarded with awards: the Red Star Order and the Badge of Honor, with two medals. Composer, folklorist, teacher is buried at the Vvedensky cemetery in Moscow.