Music of Azerbaijan

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Music of Azerbaijan builds on folk traditions that reach back nearly 1,000 years.^[1] For centuries Azerbaijani music has evolved under the badge of monody, producing rhythmically diverse melodies.^[2] Azerbaijani music has a branchy mode system, where chromatisation of major and minor scales is of great importance.^[2] As is the case also with Arabic and Turkish and even more evidently, much of the musical terminology of Azerbaijani cultures is of Persian origin.^[3]

Mugam

The classical music of Azerbaijan is called mugam (more accurately spelled muğam), and draws on the music of the Iranian-Arab-Turkish maqam.^[4] It is usually a suite with poetry and instrumental interludes. The sung poetry sometimes includes tahrir segments, which use a form of singing similar to yodelling. The poetry is typically about divine love and is most often linked to Sufi Islam.Mugam created in ancient Iran territory and developed in Azerbaijan republic and Iran Azerbaijan provinces since Safavid(The most branch of mugam which called by bayat(like bayat-e-kurd,bayate-shiraz, bayat-e-turk...)created by an Azerbaijani tradition(Bayat which have music talents)in different provinces of Iran like kurdisatn, shiraz, isfahan. The most of royal musicians in palaces of ancient Iran kings in provinces were Bayat and there is no relation between Persian and mugam because of different morality and life philosophy between Persians and ancient Iran traditions.

Azerbaijan has a wide range of music and music styles but the most popular is rap music. In 2011, Azerbaijan won the Eurovision song contest by rap. In contrast to the mugam traditions of Central Asian countries, Azeri mugam is more free-form and less rigid; it is often compared to the improvised field of rap.^{[5] [6]}

UNESCO proclaimed the Azerbaijani mugam tradition a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7, 2003.

Musical instruments

Soviet postage stamp depicting musical instruments of Azerbaijan

Instruments used in traditional Azeri music include the stringed instruments tar (skin faced lute), the kamancha (skin faced spike fiddle), the oud, originally barbat, and the saz (long necked lute); the double-reed wind instrument balaban, the frame drum ghaval, the cylindrical double faced drum naghara (davul), and the goshe nagara (naqareh) (pair of small kettle drums). Other instruments include the garmon (small accordion), tutek (whistle flute), daf (frame drum) and nagara (drum) (barrel drum).

Ashiqs

Ashiqs are traveling bards who sing and play the saz, a form of lute. Their songs are semi-improvised around a common base.

Opera in Azerbaijan

	"Traditional Azerbaijan and Turkish music which played national musical instruments balaban (Azerbaijan) and ney (Turkey)" "Azerbaijani folk song - "Tops of the mountains of Shusha are covered by snow"" "Vokaliz""
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• Opera of "Leyli and Majnun" by Uzeyir Hajibeyov (first performed, 1908)
• Opera of "Rustam and Zohrab" by Uzeyir Hajibeyov
• Opera of "Asli and Karam" by Uzeyir Hajibeyov
• Opera of "Harun and Layla" by Uzeyir Hajibeyov
• Opera of "Shah Abbas and Khurshidbanu" by Uzeyir Hajibeyov (1912)
• Opera of "Firuze" by Uzeyir Hajibeyov (unfinished)
• Opera of Koroglu by Uzeyir Hajibeyov (first performed, 1938)
• Opera of "Shah Ismail" by Muslim Magomayev
• Opera of "Nargiz" by Muslim Magomayev
• Opera of "Xoruz-bey" by Muslim Magomayev
• Opera of "People's punishment" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli
• Opera of "Golden Key" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli
• Opera of "Bahadur and Sona" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli
• Opera of "Aydın" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli
• Opera of "Nizami" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli
• Opera of "Ashig" Garib by Zulfugar Hajibeyov
• Opera of "Star" by Fikret Amirov
• Opera of "Sevil" by Fikret Amirov
• Opera of "Tenderness" by Gara Garayev
• Opera of "Motherland" by Gara Garayev and Jovdat Hajiyev
• Opera of "Azad" (Free) by Jahangir Jahangirov
• Opera of "The Fate of the Singer" by Jahangir Jahangirov
• Opera of "Expectation" by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
• Opera of "Iskander and Shepherd" by Soltan Hajibeyov (children's opera)
• Opera of "Bridal Rock" by Shafiga Akhundova (b, 1824) (the first opera written by an Azerbaijani woman composer
• Opera of "Seven Beauties" by Eldar Mansurov (rock-opera)

Ballet in Azerbaijan

Scene from Ballet of "The Maiden Tower" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli

Scene from Ballet of "Leyli and Majnun" by Gara Garayev

Scene from Ballet of "Love and Death" by Polad Bulbuloglu

• Ballet of "The Maiden Tower" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli
• Ballet of "Smiling man" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli
• Ballet of "Garaja" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli
• Ballet of "Tarlan" by Afrasiyab Badalbeyli (children ballet)
• Ballet of "Seven Beauties" by Gara Garayev
• Ballet of "The Path of Thunder by Gara Garayev
• Ballet of "Leyli and Majnun" by Gara Garayev
• Ballet of "The Arabian Nights" by Fikret Amirov
• Ballet of "Nizami" by Fikret Amirov
• Ballet of "The Legend of Nasimi" by Fikret Amirov
• Ballet of "Caspian conquerors" by Fikret Amirov
• Ballet of "The Legend of Love" by Arif Malikov
• Ballet of "Stronger than Death" by Arif Malikov
• Ballet of "Twain" by Arif Malikov
• Ballet of "Poem of Two Hearts" by Arif Malikov
• Ballet of "Whites and blacks" by Khayyam Mirzezadeh
• Ballet of "Love and Death" by Polad Bulbuloglu

Azeri Musicians

External videos
	AZERI Music
	Azeri classical music
	Genre Meyxana
	Azeri jazz: Vaqif Mustafa-Zadeh
	Azerbaijan opera Koroglu by Uzeir Hacibeyov
	Azeri symphonic rock Mugam
	Concert of Iranian Azeris
	Azerbaijani music 1990: Firangiz Rahimbekova
	Azeri pop group Karvan, early 1990s.

The most famous contemporary Azeri musicians are perhaps jazz singer Aziza Mustafa Zadeh and her father, Vagif Mustafa Zadeh, who are quite popular internationally in jazz circles.

Mugam singers:

• Jabbar Garyagdyoglu
• Kechachi oghlu Mahammad
• Seyid Shushinski
• Khan Shushinski
• Hajibaba Huseynov
• Agakhan Abdullayev
• Arif Babayev
• Rubaba Muradova
• Mansum Ibrahimov
• Alim Qasimov
• Zahid Guliyev
• Sakina Ismayilova

Popular music singers

• Bulbul (Murtuza Mammadov)
• Rashid Behbudov
• Muslim Magomayev
• Lutfiyar Imanov
• Brilliant Dadashova
• Sevda Alekperzadeh

Classic music singers

• Rashid Behbudov
• Novruz Mamedov
• Azer Zeynalov
• Flora Karimova
• Hasan Enami Olia

All time classics

• Zeynab Khanlarova
• Şövkət Ələkbərova

Composers:

• Uzeyir Hajibeyov
• Gara Garayev
• Fikret Amirov
• Ali Salimi
• Tofig Guliyev
• Soltan Hajibeyov
• Jahangir Jahangirov
• Rauf Hajiyev
• Emin Sabitoghlu
• Said Rustamov
• Arif Malikov
• Frangiz Alizadeh
• Eldar Mansurov
• Javanshir Guliyev
• Jovdat Hajiyev
• Rahman Asadollahi

International Azerbaijani musicians and bands

Kamancheh players

• Habil Aliyev
• Fakhraddin Dadashov
• Shafiga Eyvazova
• Arif Asadullayev
• Ismayil Hamidov
• Imamyar Hasanov
• Munis Sharifov
• Mirnazim Asadullayev
• Elshan Mansurov
• Gilman Salakhov
• Talat Bakikhanov
• Elman Badalov

Tar players

• Mirjavad Safarov
• Ramiz Guliyev
• Firuz Aliyev
• Mahmud Aliyev
• Bahram Mansurov
• Malik Mansurov
• Muhlid Muslumov
• Ahsan Dadashov
• Haji Mammadov
• Aga salim abdullayev

Balaban players

• Alihan Samedov

Oboe players

• Kamil Jalilov

Saz players

• Adalat Nasibov

References

• Broughton, Simon and Sultanova, Razia. "Bards of the Golden Road". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 24–31. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 978-1-85828-636-5
• Almaty or Bust

Notes

External links

	Azerbaijan portal
	Music portal

• BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Ashig troubadours, Mugham and the Kamancha. Accessed November 25, 2010.
• BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): The Saz and Mugham singer Alin Qasimov. Accessed November 25, 2010.
• Mp3-Az.com
• Azeri Music
• Azeri song lyrics