Celebrating the Legacy of Azerbaijani Composer - Uzeyir Hajibeyov
(1885-1948)
Azerbaijanis
credit Uzeyir Hajibeyov as the "Father of Composed Classical
Music in Azerbaijan", since he established the direction that
defines contemporary music today. Hajibeyov gave Azerbaijanis an
enormous national and cultural legacy which epitomises and defines
much of their national identity today - an enormously rich synthesis
of East and West, and an unmistakable blend of the traditional and
modern as well.
Hajibeyov did this primarily in two ways: first, by insisting that
traditional modal music could, and should, be transcribed and written
down as notes (instead of simply being performed as improvisation);
and secondly, by fusing Eastern traditional elements (melodies,
modes and the use of instruments like the tar, saz, kamancha and
zurna) with Western genres such as opera, symphonic orchestra, cantatas,
chamber and choral music. What emerged was a unique synthesis of
sound that can be recognized as distinctly Azerbaijani.
Azerbaijanis marvel that one person accomplished so much in a single
life time—composer, educator, publicist, satirist, statesman
and administrator. And the more we research his life, the more we
agree. We love Hajibeyov's music. We hope you'll enjoy our Web site
and tell your friends, especially those who may not yet be familiar
with his music. We hope the world will come to know him both as
a composer of genius and as a compassionate, concerned human being.
In the future, we hope to continue to "grow" this web
site. We'd like to add as many major works - operas, musicals, cantatas,
choral works, orchestral, chamber and piano works as possible along
with supportive written material. We welcome your ideas and suggestions.
Please write us and share your impressions and insight.
