Abay Kunanbayev
(1845–1904)
Abay Kunanbayev [Abígh Kunanbáyiff] (7-29/8-10-1845, Chingiz Mountains [now Semipalatinsk distr.]; 6-23/7-6-1904, same). Kazakh poet and folk comp. who popularized works by Krylov, Lermontov, and Pushkin, setting their poems to music. His songs have been collected by Khamidi, Yerzakovich , Zatayevich , and Zhubanov and have been quoted in works by several Soviet composers, including Brusilovsky, Shabel'sky, Skorul'sky, and Velikanov. Khamidi and Zhubanov have also collaborated on an opera Abay…