Today marks the 95th anniversary of the birth of Shamshi Kaldayakov, a composer whose songs became the soul of Kazakh music. His melodies still soar in the skies of his native land, awakening the brightest feelings. "Teriskey", "Toy in Otrar", "Kogildir Kokshe", "Moyinkumda"... These songs were loved by the people from the first notes and have long lived in their hearts. Each of them holds a special story that has become part of the national memory.

"Song About Mother"

Warmth, gratitude and endless love of a son for his mother - the composer managed to express all this in music. When Shamshi's name was already thundering throughout the country, his mother became seriously ill. Learning about this, he dreamed of giving her an eternal song. But in the fall of 1961, she passed away. Then, to the verses of the lyricist Gafu Kairbekov, a heartfelt song about his mother was born, which forever remained in the hearts of listeners.

"White Bow"

Light, tender, full of youthful charm - this song became a symbol of first love. Once, Shamshi's friend, Karajan Abilazimov, invited him and the poet Mukhtar Shakhanov to his wedding. "What could be better than a song as a gift?" they decided. This is how the song "Ak bantik" appeared. The name was born by itself: the bride had just graduated from school and on her wedding day she was still like that girl with white ribbons in her hair.

"Dungan Girl"

Together with the poet Sabyrkhan Asanov, Shamshi traveled around the Zhambyl region. During the trip, several songs were born, including "Dungan Kyzy". In one village where Dungans lived, the composer met a young beauty whose smile inspired him to create this touching melody.

"Gypsy Serenade"

In 1963, during a difficult period in his life, Shamshi met gypsy girls on the street who told him fortunes and invited him to live in their camp. There he met Izolda, a girl with burning eyes. They spent several months together, but soon the camp went to Tajikistan. Seeing her off, Shamshi saw tears in her eyes and felt as if his heart had been taken away. The melody "Gypsy Serenade" came to him in the same minute.

"Tamdy Beauty"

At the invitation of the respected public figure Kani Amandykov, Shamshi visited the Tamdy district of Uzbekistan, a place where the Kazakh language, traditions and songs have been carefully preserved for centuries. Residents greeted him with warmth and respect, organized meetings, sang, danced, and shared stories. At the farewell evening, looking into the shining faces of the people, the composer promised: "I will write a song for you - "Tamdy Aruy". And he kept his word.