Azerbaijan Celebrates National Music Day

September 18 marks the birth of Azerbaijan's celebrated composer Uzeyir Hajibayli, and in honor of his legacy, this day is celebrated annually as National Music Day, Azernews reports.

This tradition was established by Azerbaijan's National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, through a decree in 1995, commemorating the 110th anniversary of Hajibayli's birth.

Since then, various events have been held across the country to celebrate this occasion.

As the 140th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibayli's birth is commemorated this year, the Uzeyir Hajibayli International Music Festival is also underway.

This festival, which celebrates his monumental contributions to music, will be held for the 17th time, showcasing a variety of performances, concerts, exhibitions, and master classes from September 18 to 28.

The festival will take place in several cities, including Baku, Sumgayit, Shusha, Ganja, Aghjabadi, Nakhchivan, and Gazakh. Along with Azerbaijani musicians, prominent performers and musicologists from countries such as Turkiye, the USA, Germany, France, Switzerland, and South Korea will also participate.

Uzeyir Hajibayli, a multi-talented composer, scholar, writer, and public figure, is celebrated as the founder of Azerbaijani professional music and the creator of the first opera in the East.

His groundbreaking work, "Leyli and Majnun", premiered on January 12, 1908, in Baku, marking the beginning of Azerbaijan's opera history. The opera, based on the famous poem by Muhammad Fuzuli, is also the first opera in the Eastern world, symbolizing a pivotal moment in the history of opera.

The opera's success led to several other notable works by Hajibeyli, including "Sheikh Sanan" (1909), "Rustam and Sohrab" (1910), "Shah Abbas and Khurshidbanu", "Asli and Kerem" (1912), and "Harun and Leyla" (1915). The composer's work on these operas established him as a trailblazer in national and Eastern opera.

The pinnacle of Uzeyir Hajibayli's career is his opera "Koroglu". This work is not only one of Azerbaijan's cultural treasures but also stands among the finest in the world of opera.

The opera's grandeur captivated audiences in Moscow and has been staged extensively in theaters across the former Soviet republics.

"Koroglu" remains a masterpiece that solidified Hajibayli's status as one of the greatest composers of his time.

Hajibayli's unfinished opera "Firuze" is also of note, particularly for its aria, which has been admired and performed by singers for many years. Despite the opera remaining incomplete, the aria continues to be a beloved piece in the opera world, showcasing the composer's remarkable skill.

Uzeyir Hajibayli's contributions extend beyond opera. He is also credited with the creation of the first operetta in the East.

His first musical comedy, "The Husband and Wife", premiered in 1910 and is regarded as the first musical comedy in Azerbaijan.

This was followed by "If Not That One, Then This One," which premiered in 1911 and later gained international recognition through translations and stage productions.

Hajibayli's final musical comedy, "The Cloth Peddler", became a global sensation.

The operetta has been translated into almost 70 languages and performed in over 100 theaters worldwide. It has also been adapted into five films, with the first silent film based on it produced in 1916.

The enduring popularity of "The Cloth Peddler" attests to the timeless nature of Hajibayli's music.

Today, Uzeyir Hajibayli is celebrated not only for his foundational role in establishing Azerbaijani music culture but also for his lasting influence on global music.

As the creator of Azerbaijan's first opera and operetta, as well as pioneering other genres, his legacy remains an integral part of both Azerbaijani and world music history.

The composer's memory continues to live on in the hearts of the people and in the melodies that will forever echo through the halls of music.

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