Шаляпин Федор Иванович

Fyodor Ivanovich Chaliapin is a Russian opera and chamber singer (high bass), actor, director, memoirist, and artist.

Early years

Born on February 1 (13), 1873 in Kazan in the family of peasant Ivan Yakovlevich from the village of Syrtsovo and Evdokia Mikhailovna from the village of Dudinskaya, Vyatka province.
He received his primary education at the Vedernikova private school, then studied at the Fourth Parish School in Kazan, later at the Sixth city Primary two—grade School.
Since childhood, he had a beautiful voice (treble), sang in the church choir from the age of 9.
I tried myself in different crafts: He was an apprentice shoemaker, turner, and carpenter.

Early career

1889 — began his artistic career in the drama troupe of Vasily Serebryakov as an extra.
On March 29, 1890, he made his stage debut: he performed the role of Zaretsky in P. I. Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin" (staged by the Kazan Society of Lovers of Performing Arts).
He performed in Ufa (in the choir of S. Y. Semenov's troupe‑Samara), in Tiflis (under the direction of singer D. A. Usatov).

The heyday of creativity

1895 — joined the troupe of the Mariinsky Theatre (St. Petersburg‑St. Petersburg), where he performed the roles of Mephistopheles in "Faust" by S. Gounod and Ruslan in "Ruslan and Lyudmila" by M. I. Glinka.
1896 — at the invitation of S. I. Mamontov, he joined the Moscow Private Opera.
1899 — became the leading soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre (Moscow).
1901 — gave 10 triumphant performances at La Scala (Milan, Italy), made a concert tour of Europe.
He performed leading roles in operas by Russian and foreign composers, became famous for his extraordinary acting skills and vivid vocal abilities.

After 1917

1918-1921 — Artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre.
1918 — was the first artist to receive the title of People's Artist of the Republic.
1915 — played the role of Ivan the Terrible in the film drama Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible.
1917 — acted as a director, staging the opera by D. Verdi "Don Carlos" at the Bolshoi Theater.

Emigration

July 1922 — went on tour abroad (including to the USA), where he stayed to live.
He performed successfully in Europe and America, recorded about 300 arias, songs and romances.
1927 — stripped of the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR and the right to return to the USSR (the decree was revoked in 1991 as unjustified).
1932 — starred in the title role in the film "The Adventures of Don Quixote" (directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst).
He has toured the Far East (China, Japan, Manchuria): He gave 57 concerts in 1932-1936.

Personal life

He was married twice:
His first wife was the Italian ballerina Iola Tornagi (marriage since 1898).
His second wife is Maria Valentinovna Petzold.

Creative heritage and hobbies

Besides singing, Chaliapin:
he was engaged in painting, graphics, sculpture (his portraits, self-portraits, drawings and caricatures have been preserved);
He proved himself as a memoirist.;
He was an avid collector of weapons.

Recent years and memory

In 1937, he was diagnosed with leukemia.
He died on April 12, 1938 in Paris, and was buried at the Batignolles Cemetery.
In 1984, the ashes were transported to the USSR and reburied at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
The title of People's Artist was returned in 1991.
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (for his contribution to the recording industry).

Famous songs from the repertoire:

"Along St. Petersburg Street"
"Dubinushka"
"Because of the island on Strezhen"
"When I served as a coachman at the post office"
"Linden tree"
"Spring is not coming for me"
"Black eyes"
"Hey, let's go"