The musical heritage of the composer of the Republic of Mari El Erik Sapaev is well known to all lovers of folk music, songs and theatrical performances on the stage of the National Opera and Ballet Theater. The compositions of the talented author are full of sounding melodies, listening to which, one plunges into the epic past, the green of the forests and the murmur of rivers. It is a pity that the talent was not able to give us everything that was stored in his soul and could come out in music books.
Biography
Erik Sapaev was born in the capital of the Republic of Mari El, the city of Yoshkar-Ola in 1932, on March 4th. The father of the future composer was from a peasant family, a teacher by education, and devoted his activities to administrative activities. Nikita Nikiforovich Sapaev had remarkable organizational skills. Eric's father began his work as a teacher in a village school and made a career to a solid position in the Mari party apparatus.
During the years of political repression, Eric's father was arrested, the family suffered the fate of many tragically deprived people. A poor and harsh life began in an atmosphere of general rejection of the family as an enemy of the people. Vera Evdokimovna, Eric's mother, was supported only by her husband's nephew, who actually became the boy's second father. The family of the repressed second secretary of the regional committee left for the outback - the Novotoryalsky district, where the village of Chobykovo, the small homeland of his father, was located.
Erik Sapaev has shown interest in creativity since childhood. He participated in the school amateur performances, with pleasure was the editor of the wall newspaper. Most of all, Eric fell in love with music and playing musical instruments, especially since this training was given to him very easily. The violin, balalaika, accordion easily revealed their secrets to an enthusiastic young man and he learned how to masterfully perform Mari folk melodies on these instruments.
Musical career
After school, Eric entered the pedagogical school, as he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. However, the fateful meeting with Georgy Sergeevich Gusev influenced his further choice. Gusev taught at a music school, where he lured the failed teacher after listening to musical numbers performed by Eric.
In 1952 Sapaev graduated from college as a violinist. Already in the years of study, a talented guy began to compose music. He was especially good at melodic songs. After receiving a specialized education, Eric remains to teach violin and devotes himself wholeheartedly to his hobby. He became a real composer. Even an authoritative commission from the Ministry of Culture and the Composers' Union was impressed by the young musician's art.
Contribution to the development of culture
Plunging headlong into cultural life, Eric listens to symphonic music and jazz, songs and operas, classical and modern instrumental with the same feeling. Under this impression, the composer writes his famous Symphonietta. His plays are recorded on the radio. Sapaev was praised by the venerable masters of music - Eshpay, Khachaturian, Kabalevsky, Khrennikov.
Eric receives a conservatory education. He became known as the author of the first full-scale opera "Akpatyr" in the history of musical art of Mari El.
The sudden untimely death cut off the flow of Erik Sapaev's creativity. He ended his life very young. He was only 31 years old …
The residents of Mari El have forever fixed the memory of their talented fellow countryman - the National Opera and Ballet Theater and the children's music school in the village of Novy Toryal were named after him.
