Leonid Petrovich Derbenyov ( rus, Леони́д Петро́вич Дербенёв, p=lʲɪɐˈnʲit pʲɪˈtrovʲɪdʑ dʲɪrbʲɪˈnʲɵf, a=Lyeonid Pyetrovich Dyerbyenyov.ru.vorb.oga; 12 April 1931 – 22 June 1995) was a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

lyricist A lyricist is a writer who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income derives ...

widely regarded as one of the stalwarts of the 20th century

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and Russian pop music.

Biography

Leonid Derbenyov was born in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. During the

German-Soviet War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...

he lived in the village of Ulovo,

Vladimir Oblast Vladimir Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Vladimir, which is located east of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, the oblast's population was 1,443,693. The UNESCO World Heritage L ...

. His first ever poem appeared in ''

Pionerskaya Pravda ''Pionerskaya Pravda'' (Пионе́рская пра́вда) is an all-Russian newspaper. Initially it was an all-Union newspaper of the Soviet Union. Its name may be translated as "Truth for Young Pioneers". History The newspaper was foun ...

'', the author being a seventh-grade schoolboy at the time. Having graduated from the Moscow Law Academy in 1954, Derbenyov worked as a lawyer for various organizations, writing poetry. Some of his works were published in ''

Komsomolskaya Pravda ''Komsomolskaya Pravda'' (; ) is a daily Russian tabloid newspaper that was founded in 1925. Its name is in reference to the official Soviet newspaper '' Pravda'' (English: 'Truth'). History and profile During the Soviet era, ''Komsomolskaya ...

'', ''

Izvestia ''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, r=Izvestiya, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in February 1917, ''Izvestia'', which covered foreign relations, was the organ of the Supreme Soviet of th ...

'', ''

Moskovskij Komsomolets ''Moskovskij Komsomolets'' (''MK''; ) is a Moscow-based daily newspaper with a circulation approaching one million, covering general news. Founded in 1919, it is famed for its topical reporting on Russian politics and society. History The news ...

'' and other periodicals. From 1959, Derbenyov, a highly prolific writer, created more than two thousand poems, hundreds of which became song lyrics. Among the composers he worked with were Alexander Flyarkovsky,

Arno Babajanian Arno Harutyuni Babajanian (January 22, 1921November 11, 1983) was a Soviet and Armenian composer and pianist. He was made a People's Artist of the USSR in 1971. Biography Babajanian was born in Yerevan on January 22, 1921. By age 5, his musical ...

Aleksandr Zatsepin Aleksandr Sergeyevich Zatsepin (; born 10 March 1926) is a Soviet and Russian composer, known for his soundtracks to movies, notably comedies directed by Leonid Gaidai. People's Artist of Russia (2003) and Hero of Labour of the Russian Federat ...

Maksim Dunayevsky Maksim Isaakovich Dunayevsky (, born 15 January 1945 in Moscow) is a Soviet and Russian composer. People's Artist of Russia (2006). He is the artistic director and chairman of the artistic council of the Moscow Regional Philharmonic since 2015. ...

and

Vyacheslav Dobrynin Vyacheslav Grigoryevich Dobrynin (, born Antonov (); 25 January 1946 – 1 October 2024) was a popular Russian composer and singer also known as ''Doctor Shlyager''. He was awarded the People's Artist of Russia in 1996.

.Леонид Дербенёв сочинял будущие хиты на Маломосковской
/ref> Derbenyov's lyrics became hits for many Russian pop stars and rock groups, among them Muslim Magomayev ("The Best City on Earth"),

Alla Pugacheva Alla Borisovna Pugacheva (, ; born 15 April 1949) is a Russian singer and songwriter. Her career began in 1965 and continues to this day, although she retired from performing in 2010 after the international concert tour "Dreams of Love". For her ...

("This World", "Song About Me", "Kings Can Do Anything", "You Are in the World", "White Door),

Mikhail Boyarsky Mikhail Sergeyevich Boyarsky (; born 26 December 1949) is a Russian actor and singer. He is best known for playing swashbucklers in historical adventure films; the role of d'Artagnan in the 1978 Soviet adaptation of Alexander Dumas' ''Thre ...

("Everything Will End", "City Flowers", "Robinson", "I Will Take an Express Train"), Lev Leshchenko ("Native Land", "Goodbye"),

Masha Rasputina Masha Rasputina (Russian: Маша Распутина, born Alla Nikolayevna Ageeva, Russian: Алла Николаевна Агеева) is a Russian pop singer, who went through her peak of popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2003, she scored ...

("Himalayas", "Me and You", "I was Born in Siberia", "Music Around", "You Are Not My First Love", "Live, Country!"),

Philipp Kirkorov Philipp Bedros Kirkorov (, ; ; born 30 April 1967) is a Bulgarian-born Russian pop singer. Kirkorov's career began in 1985 with participation in the Soviet musical TV show "Wider Circle". Since 2000, he has maintained public interest in his pe ...

("Atlantida", "You, You, You", "Sky and Earth"),

VIA Via or VIA may refer to the following: Arts and entertainment * ''Via'' (Volumes album), 2011 * Via (Thalia Zedek album), 2013 * VIA (music), Soviet and Russian term for a music collective Businesses and organisations * Via Foundation, a Cz ...

Vesyolye Rebyata Vesyolye Rebyata (, which means "''Merry Lads''") was a Soviet Union, Soviet VIA music, VIA (vocal instrumental ensemble) band formed in 1968, in Moscow. It became one of the most successful and best known VIA bands of all time. Its debut album ...

("If You Love", "Not a Minute's Rest", "Don't Worry, Auntie"), VIA

Samotsvety Samotsvety (, which means "''Semiprecious Stones''") is a Soviet VIA band formed in 1971, in Moscow. It became one of the more successful and better known VIA bands, recording a number of hits and serving as a springboard to fame for several Rus ...

("All That is in My Life"), VIA Leysya, Pesnya ("Where Have You Been?"), and VIA

Zemlyane Zemlyane () is a Soviet and later Russian rock band, formed in Leningrad in 1978. Most of their lyrics deal with risk, courage, and masculinity. In 2009, Zemlyane's 1980s hit " Trava u doma" () became the first official anthem of the Russian s ...

("Believe, Earth"). Songs with Derbenyov's lyrics were also part of well-known soundtracks for a number of Russian hit films, including "There is But a Moment" from '' The Sannikov Land'' and "The Song about Bears" from ''

Kidnapping, Caucasian Style ''Prisoner of the Caucasus or Shurik's New Adventures'' () is a 1967 Soviet romantic musical comedy film dealing with a plot revolving around bride kidnapping, an old tradition that used to exist in certain regions of the Northern Caucasus. T ...

''. In 1978, Derbenyov became an International Song Contest in

Sopot Sopot (; or ) is a seaside resort city in Pomerelia on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea in northern Poland, with a population of approximately 40,000. It is located in Pomeranian Voivodeship, Pomerania Province and has the City with powiat ri ...

' laureate. His songs won the annual "Song of the Year" competition in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1973. Derbenyov died on Thursday 22 June 1995 in Moscow from stomach cancer. He was buried at the Vostryakovskoye cemetery. On Friday 22 November 2002 a memorial sign bearing the name of Leonid Derbenyov was installed at the Square of Stars next to the Russia Concert Hall.

Selected songs

* '' Pesenka o medvedyakh'' (1966, from the film ''

'')

Family

Spouse Vera Ivanovna Derbenyova (born January 13, 1935), employee of the Central Research Institute of Railway Transport. Daughter Elena (born September 30, 1960) is a translator, teacher of foreign languages. Granddaughter Elizaveta (born 1983), great-grandson Miroslav (born 2010).Сайт памяти Леонида Дербенёва
/ref>

References

External links

* 1931 births Soviet male poets 1995 deaths Russian male poets 20th-century Russian poets Russian lyricists 20th-century Russian male writers Translators to Russian Deaths from stomach cancer in Russia {{Russia-poet-stub