Shamshi Kaldayakov

Şämşı Qaldaiaqov (/ʃæmˈʃiː ˌkældəˈjækɒf/; 15 August 1930 – 29 February 1992) was a Kazakh composer. He was born Şämşı Donbaev (/dɒnˈbaɪɛf/), but ran away from school and changed his name to avoid the police.^[1] He started playing music aged 17 and mainly wrote songs in a waltz style,^[1] but in 1956, he composed the music to the patriotic song My Kazakhstan.^[2] It was adopted in 2006 to be the Kazakhstan national anthem by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev after a few modifications in the lyrics.^{[citation needed]}

Şämşı Qaldaiaqov
Background information
Birth name	Jamshid Anapiya uly Donbaev
Born	(1930-08-15)15 August 1930 Shauyldyr aul, Otyrar District, Kazakh SSR, USSR
Died	(1992-02-29)29 February 1992 (aged 61) Almaty, Kazakhstan
Occupations	Composer Singer