Azerbaijan celebrates National Music Day

Today, Azerbaijan is celebrating National Music Day.

The great composer Uzeyir Hajibayli was born on September 18, 1885

The birthday of the founder of modern professional music in Azerbaijan, Uzeyir Hajibayli, is marked nationwide as National Music Day. Since 2009, an international music festival dedicated to Hajibayli has been held annually.

The history of Azerbaijani national opera began with Leyli and Majnun, staged 116 years ago by Hajibayli. The opera"s first conductor was Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev, and it was directed by Huseyn Arablinski. Huseyngulu Sarabski played the role of Majnun, while Abdurrahim Farajov, an assistant cook, appeared as Leyli. The premiere took place on January 12 (25), 1908, at the Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev Theater in Baku.

Leyli and Majnun, based on the poem of the same name by the eminent Azerbaijani poet Muhammad Fuzuli, is regarded as the first opera not only in Azerbaijan but in the entire East, marking the beginning of the operatic tradition in the region.

Following the success of this work, other national operas were staged, including Sheikh Sanan (1909), Rustam and Sohrab (1910), Shah Abbas and Khurshid Banu, Asli and Kerem (1912), and Harun and Leyla (1915).

The creation of the first operetta in the East is also linked to Hajibayli"s name. His three-act musical comedy Husband and Wife is recognized as the first example of the genre in Azerbaijan. Its premiere took place in 1910, featuring G. Sarabski (Merjan bey), A. Agdamski (Minnat khanym), and others.

Uzeyir Hajibayli"s artistic legacy is rich and diverse. A revered figure who dedicated his life to Azerbaijani culture and music, he transcribed more than 300 popular songs, and composed cantatas, fantasias, songs and romances, as well as chamber and choral works. Remarkably, the anthems of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Soviet Azerbaijan, and the modern Republic of Azerbaijan were all written by this outstanding composer.

His memory will forever live in the hearts of the Azerbaijani people.