From his parents, he inherited a restless romantic nature. The most famous work of our hero is a text to music that is considered folk music in our country.
It is difficult to imagine a humble poet, but this man was just that. He liked to delight his fellow countrymen with works that glorified his native city and its inhabitants. A patriot and a minister of muses lived a long life, and Khabarovsk remembers him.
Childhood
Arkady was born in 1930 in Kiev. The boy's parents were young, they were carried away by the projects of the first Soviet five-year plans, which promised to make a fairy tale come true. When the opportunity arose to go to work in distant Khabarovsk, the Fedotov family quickly made a decision. To move to the Far East, to a city where an airfield had recently appeared, new quarters were being built - this was the dream of many romantics.
The boy grew up in a city on the Amur River and considered this land to be his home. Here he attended school, which he graduated with good grades. He liked humanitarian subjects, but he did not dare to receive an education in this area. He was awarded a diploma in 1944, when every honest person made a contribution to the victory over the Nazis with his own hands. The teenager made a choice in favor of a vocational school.
Youth
Our hero got down to work already in peacetime. He worked as a turner at a military factory. The young patriot at the age of 18 was drafted into the army and served in the airfield construction troops. Here he was able to demonstrate his talent. The soldier took part in amateur performances with pleasure, played various instruments, sang, and could compose a song himself.
The fighter's successes in the art of music were so high that the command transferred him to the regimental orchestra. When his compulsory military service ended, Fedotov went to study at the Tallinn School of Music in the class of wind instruments. After graduation, the young man returned home and began to make a career in the song and dance ensemble of the Far Eastern Military District. He played French horn in the orchestra, and in his free time he composed author's songs. He sent his works to local newspapers, which published the work of aspiring poets.
Love
Arkady met Zhanna Trifonova and fell in love with her. A military musician would be a welcome husband for many girls, but this beauty refused to marry our hero. She had her own sad page in her biography. Immediately after school, the girl married the guy she loved passionately, and she was wrong. The husband started drinking, beat his wife. Divorce put an end to all these disasters. Jeanne was afraid that the new marriage would bring her suffering.
For 10 years, the couple lived without formalizing their relationship. Arkady Fedotov was able to convince his beloved that her personal life can be happy. The woman agreed to marry him, and then regretted for a long time that she had doubted her feelings and postponed the wedding ceremony. The spouses did not have children.
Legendary march
Arkady Fedotov's interest in the well-known Farewell of a Slav woman arose in 1965. This piece of music was written back in 1912 by Vasily Agapkin for Russian volunteers who were sent to fight against the Turks in the Balkans. Later, various authors provided the music with verses. The old march outlived oblivion and returned to the audience on worn-out gramophone records from the time of the Great Patriotic War. The melody inspired Fedotov.
In 1967, the Khabarovsk poet presented his version of the words. The publication of the sheet music with the text aroused the interest of the musicians, and the song was performed at events dedicated to the Victory. In the dashing 90s, the new government did not like the fact that the song contains a mention of the Soviet Union. The work was edited, but left in the repertoire of the orchestras. The scandal played a positive role. The composers of the Khabarovsk Territory learned that a poet lives next door to them, and began to cooperate with him.
Confession
Fedotov loved his native land and did not think about personal glory. In 1990, Khabarovsk celebrated its 110th anniversary. The veteran of the military orchestra in collaboration with Matvey Zhuravlev made a gift to his beloved city - the song "Where the gray-haired Cupid rustles." The first collection of his poems "The Time of Ledum" was published in 1991, followed by other author's editions. Soon the poet became famous among his fellow countrymen, his rhymes were awarded a number of prizes. In 1997 he became a member of the Union of Russian Writers.
In the city, Arkady Fedotov was known not only as a songwriter. He actively participated in cultural life and maintained friendships with local amateur activists. Having retired, our hero became an employee of the Sobolenko House of Veterans. Among the events that were held there, the old man liked the meetings of the literary and musical club "Muses by Candlelight" most of all.
Death
In 2009, the health of the middle-aged talent deteriorated. First, his appendicitis was removed, and then cancer was discovered. Arkady Fedotov was not going to give up, he underwent chemotherapy and restored his health at home. His wife supported him in everything. She helped her husband go for walks and not miss the meetings of her favorite club in the House of Veterans.
Tragedy struck in November 2018. Arkady Fedotov felt very bad, and Zhanna decided to call a doctor. Unfortunately, the medics arrived too late. Unhappy Jeanne cannot come to terms with the loss of her beloved and is sure that the poet's life could have been saved.
