Mark Anatolievich Minkov (; 25 November 1944 – 29 May 2012) was a Soviet and Russian music composer. His music is featured in a number of

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

s, stage performances, and

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

s. He composed the scores for more than a hundred

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

and

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

s, including ''

Investigation Held by ZnaToKi ''Investigation Led by ZnaToKi'', or ''Investigation Led by Experts'' (, translit. ''Sledstvie vedut ZnaToKi'') was a popular 1971-1989 Soviet detective TV-series with two Russian series (2002 and 2003) for a total of 24 episodes. Main chara ...

'' (1985), '' We Are from Jazz'' (1983) and '' Neznayka with Our Court'' (1983). On May 29, 2012 Mark Minkov died at the age of 68. He was buried at Vostryakovsky cemetery.

Early life and career

Minkov 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 ...

USSR 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 ...

. He attended the Merzlyakovki Conservatory School where he studied composition under Nikolay Sidelnikov. He then studied under

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet Armenians, Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered one of the leading Music of the Soviet Union#Classical music of the Soviet Union, Soviet composers. Khachaturian was born and rai ...

at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

in 1964. A song by Minkov based on the lyrics ''Invisible struggle'' ( translit. Nezrimiy Boi - ''If somebody, somewhere among us, sometimes...'') by Anatoly Gorokhov is featured in almost all the series. It became an unofficial

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

of the

Soviet Militia ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, 3=mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə, 5=, ) were the police forces in the Soviet Union until 1991, in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), and in the Non-Aligned Movement, non-aligned Socialist Federal Republic ...

. In 2001, he was awarded the MVD Russian Interior Ministry award for the music theme to the Sledstvie vedut znatoki.

Awards and honours

* 1970 – member of the Composers Union * 1981 – member of the Cinematographers Union * 1989 – Honored Artist of the RSFSR * 1999 – Golden

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is conside ...

Medal for "his contribution to the development, preservation and multiplication of the national cultural traditions, help and support of the creative

intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the i ...

, and development and forming of newer styles and directions in culture". * 2001 – winner of the award of the

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the i ...

of the Russian Federation for the music for the TV movie "The investigation is conducted by experts" (Russian: "Следствие ведут знатоки"). * 2003 –

People's Artist of Russia People's Artist of the Russian Federation (, ''Narodnyy artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the Russian Federation, is an honorary and the highest title awarded to citizens of the Russian Federation ...

* Honoured Cultural Worker of Russia Federation * Laureate Awards of the All- Union and International composer contests * President of the Russian Cinematic Composers Guild * Member of the Russian Cinematic Academy

Nika Award The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars. In 2022 nominees were announced, b ...

Personal life

He was married to Galina Andreevna Minkova. Son is Andrey (born 1975).

References

External links

* 1944 births 2012 deaths Russian male composers Musicians from Moscow Soviet film score composers Male film score composers Moscow Conservatory alumni People's Artists of Russia Soviet Jews Russian Jews 20th-century Russian male musicians {{Russia-composer-stub