Asya Bakhish Sultanova (16 October 1923 – 22 November 2021) was an Azerbaijani composer[1] who is best known for her works for children and her collaboration with singer Muslim Magomayev.
[2] Her teachers included Evgeny Golubev and Vissarion Shebalin, who encouraged her to incorporate Azerbaijani folk tunes in her music.
[4] Sultanova married, then divorced, musician and actor Vladimir Shainsky.
[6] They collaborated on three songs, and she introduced him to Armenian composer Arno Babajanyan.
[4] In 1967, Sultanova was awarded the title “Honored Worker of Azerbaijan.” During an interview in 2014, she estimated that she had composed 80 songs, and discussed her current project, “Ode to Friendship of Peoples.” She said, “Peace is needed on Earth - that’s what matters.”[4] Sultanova composed music for texts by Gabriel El-Registan, Elchin Safarli, and others.