| Yaya Sherfedinov | |
| Native Name: | Yaya Şerfedinov |
| Native Name Lang: | crh |
| Birth Date: | 16 March 1894 |
| Birth Place: | Feodosia, Russian Empire |
| Death Place: | Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, USSR |
| Awards: | Honored Artist of the Crimean ASSR Honored Artist of the Uzbek SSR |
Yaya Sherfedinov (Crimean Tatar; Crimean Turkish: Yaya Şerfedinov, Russian: Яя Шерфединов; 16 March 1894 — 29 January 1975) was a Soviet-Crimean Tatar composer, musician, and poet. Born to a poor family in Feodosia, he began playing the violin at a young age. He was a graduate of the prestigious Moscow Conservatory. Before exile from Crimea, he worked in Crimea for the Crimean Radio Committee, the Crimean Tatar State Drama Theater, and the State Song and Dance Ensemble of the Crimean Tatars. When he was not composing new music, he wrote down compliations of many Crimean Tatar folksongs. In exile in Uzbekistan, he continued his musical work, and expanded to writing music for an Uzbek play, working with Uzbek composer Toʻxtasin Jalilov; however, most of his work centered around Crimean Tatar folksongs. His works spanned many themes.[1] [2] [3] [4]