Uzeyir Hajibeyli
Uzeyir Hajibeyli was born in Azerbaijan on September 18, 1885, and grew up in the cultural capital of the ancient Azerbaijani Khanate of Karabakh — Shusha.
Major accomplishments include:
- establishing a unique tonality of the Azerbaijani classical music by combining Eastern and Western musical traditions
- linking the language of the Azerbaijani mugham (intricate art form that ties poetry and music in distinct modes) with Western forms and genres
- writing the first opera in the Islamic world in 1908 and the first operetta in 1910
- founding the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire (now the Baku Academy of Music) in 1920
- establishing the Orchestra of Azerbaijani Folk Instruments in 1931
- publishing the first Azerbaijani music theory book (The Principles of Azerbaijani Folk Music) in 1945 and many others
Surely, most of all, as the American music historian, composer, pianist Robert Greenberg puts it: “what is of greatest importance is his music, which is a delight. It is tonal, infused with energy and a folk sensibility but extremely refined and well written.”
If Not That One, Then This One
If Not That One, Then This One (commonly known as “Mashadi Ibad”) is an operetta in four acts describing the Azerbaijani society of the time, written in 1910 by Uzeyir Hajibeyli.
| Scores | Films |
|---|---|
| Song of Mashadi Ibad pp. 20 – 23 (in full score) | 00:22:17 (in Azerbaijani) 00:21:20 (in Russian) |
| Deyirlər ki, toy olacaq choir pp. 32 – 37 (in full score) | 00:33:13 (in Azerbaijani) 00:32:03 (in Russian) |
| Gedək, gedək qazıya deyək choir pp. 88 – 92 (in full score) | 01:25:59 (in Azerbaijani) 01:22:39 (in Russian) |
If Not That One Then This One (in Azerbaijani)
If Not That One Then This One(in Russian)
Arshin Mal Alan
Arshin Mal Alan (lit. The Cloth Peddler) is a romantic operetta written in 1913 by Uzeyir Hajibeyli.
| Scores | Films |
|---|---|
| Aria of Asker pp. 11 – 19 (in full score) | 00:03:50 (in Azerbaijani) 00:01:08 (in Russian) |
| Choir of Girls pp. 47 – 50 (in full score) | 00:24:40 (in Azerbaijani) 00:22:22 (in Russian) |
| Aria of Gulchohra pp. 58 – 69 (in full score) | 00:30:40 (in Azerbaijani) 00:31:44 (in Russian) |
| Song of Asya pp. 101 – 105 (in full score) | 00:57:09 (in Azerbaijani) 00:58:42 (in Russian) |
Arshin Mal Alan (in Azerbaijani)
Arshin Mal Alan (in Russian with English subtitles)
Koroglu
Koroglu (lit. The Blind Man’s Son) is an opera in five acts based on the epic of the same name presented in 1937 written by Uzeyir Hajibeyli.
| Scores | Film |
|---|---|
| Overture pp. 1 – 2 (in full score) | 00:00:00 |
| Aria of Nigar pp. 46 – 47 (in full score) | 00:56:20 |
| Aria of Koroglu pp. 64 – 66 (in full score) | 01:18:35 |