CULTURE
Zulfugar Hajibayov, one of the founders of Azerbaijan Music Comedy Theatre
Baku, March 28, AZERTAC
Zulfugar Hajibayov (1884-1950) — a composer, one of the founders of the Azerbaijan State Theater of Musical Comedy, was born in Shusha on 17 April 1884.
Zulfugar Hajibayov is the author of the first Azerbaijani operetta — Young at Fifty Years Old (1910). The operetta is the first example of the comedy genre on the Azerbaijani stage. Both the text and the music are written by Zulfugar Hajibayov. The first performance of the play took place in April 1911 at the Georgian Noble Theater in Tbilisi (Georgia). Later the operetta was performed in Baku, Nakhchivan and Shusha. The works of Zulfugar Hajibayov played an important role in the musical art of Azerbaijan. Folklore was used in the opera "Ashig Garib", which brought a new trend to the work of Azerbaijani composers. In 1917, he also designed special costumes for the staging of an opera with a fantastic plot called "Three Lovers or Malikmammad." However, due to pressure from the Soviet government, the play was not staged.
"Village girl", "Shepherd girl" and "Soldier's song", which became popular in the first quarter of the 20th century, are the first songs of the composer. The role of Zulfugar Hajibayov in the formation of Azerbaijani classical music is also great.
In 1932, he composed a symphonic play entitled "Dance of Slave Women." In addition, Zulfugar Hajibayov created several cantatas. In 1935, together with his son Niyazi, he wrote music for the first Azerbaijani sound film based on the play of the same name by Jafar Jabbarli — "Almaz". Zulfugar Hajibayov's last work was a cantata written in 1950 with Zakir Baghirov.
Zulfugar Hajibayov’s brother Uzeyir Hajibayov is considered the “Father of Classical Music” in Azerbaijan. Their brother Jeyhun was a publicist, journalist, and ethnographer, and helped Uzeyir compose the opera Leyli and Majnun.
His son, Niyazi Hajibayov, was also a composer, and directed the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra for 40 years.
Zulfugar Hajibayov died on 30 September 1950. He is buried in the Alley of Honors in Baku, Azerbaijan. His house in Shusha is classified as a historical monument “bearing state importance” by Azerbaijan.