- Jovdat Hajiyev
Jovdat Ismayil oghlu Hajiyev (
June 18 ,1917 -January 18 ,2002 ) was one of the majorAzerbaijani composers of theSoviet period. He is remembered for his monumental orchestral works, having been the first Azerbaijani to compose a symphony (1936). He studied under Azerbaijan's Founder of Composed Music,Uzeyir Hajibeyov (1885-1948) and under Russian composerDmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975).Hajiyev was born in
Shaki (thenNukha ), a town in the foothills of theCaucasus Mountains in northwesternAzerbaijan . From an early age, he was deeply influenced by the traditional music of folk songs,ashug music (folk minstrel) andmugham (modal music).In 1924, his family moved to
Baku . In 1935, he enrolled in the theoretical composition faculty at Baku Conservatory, studying underUzeyir Hajibeyov and the Latvian-born Rudolf, a former student ofSergei Taneyev . The following year, Hajiyev composed his single movement "Symphony No. 1", the first symphonic piece ever written by an Azerbaijani composer. This work enabled him to enterMoscow Conservatory in 1938.In
Moscow ,World War II interrupted his studies and he had to return toBaku . After the war, Hajiyev and fellow studentGara Garayev (1918-1982) returned toMoscow and were profoundly influenced by composerShostakovich . Hajiyev completed "Symphony No. 3" to graduate in 1947.During his lifetime, Hajiyev composed eight symphonic works plus the heroic-patriotic opera "Vatan" (Motherland), which he wrote with
Gara Garayev in 1944. After the opera's premiere in May 1945, Hajiyev and Garayev were awarded the prestigiousStalin Prize . Hajiyev won a secondStalin Prize in 1952, for his symphonic poem "For Peace".Hajiyev served briefly as Artistic Director of the
Baku Philharmonic Orchestra (1947-48) and was appointed to the staff of theAzerbaijan State Conservatory . He later served as the Conservatory's Rector (1957-1969) and in 1963 was appointed Professor of Composition. He went on to teach at the Conservatory for more than four decades. His students include well-known musicians such asAgshin Alizade ,Dadash Dadashov and song composersEldar Mansurov andJavanshir Guliyev .It is for his contribution to the development of the symphony in Azerbaijan that Hajiyev will best be remembered. It was to this genre that Hajiyev returned with renewed inspiration in the 1990s, producing a number of works influenced by contemporary events. His last symphonic work entitled, "
January 20 ", composed in 1991, was dedicated to the victims ofBlack January (1990), when Soviet troops and tanks killed hundreds ofBaku civilians.In 1997, President
Heydar Aliyev bestowed upon Hajiyev Azerbaijan's highest recognition, the "Azerbaijan Order of Glory " on the occasion of his 80th Jubilee, commemorating "60 long years of fruitful work which is highly appreciated by the nation and the State". In Aliyev's official citation for this award, Hajiyev was praised as a "well-known composer, innovator, pedagogue, well-known public figure and model for the new generation of musicians." His music was commended for its "deep context, spirit of citizenship and high level of elegance."Jovdat Hajiyev was married to
Amina Dilbazi , well known Azeri ballet-master and folk music dancer. Their two sons,Ismayil Hajiyev andTelman Hajiyev are both composers.External links
* [http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai102_folder/102_articles/102_news_hajiyev_jovdat.html Composer Jovdat Hajiyev Remembered - Azerbaijan International, AZER.com]
* Listen to Jovdat Hajiyev and Gara Garayev's opera, [http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/music/AudioPages/CMA/cma_contents.html "Vatan" ("Mardan's Aria", Volume 5 of "Classical Music of Azerbaijan")] at Music Section of Azerbaijan International
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