Azerbaijani Music

Azerbaijan is an ancient land, located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea at the southeast extremity of the Caucasus. Modern Republic of Azerbaijan was created in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The original national culture of Azerbaijan goes back into centuries and has absorbed the traditions of the east and the West.

Azerbaijani music was developing through the centuries. The traces of ancient music of Azerbaijan were found in a number of monuments, excavated in time of archeological digs, as well as in rock carvings of Gobustan dated 18-3 millennium B.C. Folklore book “Kitabi Dede Gorgud” written in the 8th century, works of medieval poets Nizami and Fizuli provide full coverage of medieval music art, music genres and music instruments. Azerbaijan gave the world a great theorist of music, Safiatdin Urmovi. His famous “Treatise of Music” written in 13th century became a handbook of musicologists.

The classical music of Azerbaijan is called mugam, and is usually a suite with poetry and instrumental interludes. UNESCO proclaimed the Azerbaijani mugam tradition a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7, 2003. Another popular form of traditional music is ashug’s music. Ashuqs are traveling bards who sing and play the saz, a form of lute. Their songs are semi-improvised around a common base.

Since the late 19th century Azerbaijani music started fusing with Western traditions. Uzeyir Hajibeyov laid the foundation of the culture of modern professional music of Azerbaijan and created a synthesis of composer creations and folklore music. In 1908 Uzeyir Hajibeyov staged the opera "Leyli and Medjnun", thus, laying the foundation of opera not only in Azerbaijan but in the entire Muslim East and became the founder of the genre of mugam-opera.

The 1930s-1960s were marked by the rise in Azerbaijan music. That period accounted for the establishment of collectives, symphonic orchestras, chorus, dance ensembles, etc.

In the post war period the national music experienced a new growth. The music of Azerbaijan was the success not only in the country but also world-wide. The ballet "Seven Beauties" by Gara Garayev composed in 1952 opened a new stage in the history of Azerbaijani music. It played a crucial role in the development of ballet in Azerbaijan as it founded the new musical dramaturgy in the ballet art of Azerbaijan.

Another famous Azerbaijan composer Fikret Amirov entered the history as the founder of a unique genre of symphonic mugam. The composer developed the theme, momentum and other stylistic peculiarities of mugam from the symphonic point of view. Vividness of the play of orchestra, genre diversity and profundity of characters, peculiar of Amirov's symphonic creations, were reflected in different works of that period.

Pop and jazz music was developing successfully in Azerbaijan as well. Vagif Mustafazade made a great contribution to the development to jazz music of Azerbaijan. He was the founder and the leader of ensembles "Sevil" and "Mugam " and took the first place in the eighth International jazz contest in Monte-Carlo, 1978.

If you would like to learn more about Azerbaijani music, please come to visit our school. Our program includes the works of Azerbaijani composers.