Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan Union of Composers has honored the memory of the outstanding composer, Tofig Guliyev.

The event was held under the motto "The songs and film music of Tofig Guliyev is a world of beautiful images that characterize our country, our capital Baku".

Honored artists Zemfira Gafarova and Jalal Abbasov, as well as Chairman of the Union Firangiz Alizadeh and People's Artist Tofig Bakikhanov also attended the event to honor the memory of the great composer, Trend Life reported.

Tofig Guliyev was a composer with a great talent and a never-ending love for the music. Through his wonderful music, the composer won the hearts of millions of music lovers.

Born in 1917 and raised in Baku’s Icherisheher (Old City), he was one of the most appreciated Azerbaijani classical composers of the twentieth century.

That person can be called a genius, as when he was only 12 years old, he started a preparatory course at the conservatory. He studied simultaneously in two departments at the Conservatory, which was rare at the time.

He is one of the first composers who transferred Azerbaijani Mugam, a unique musical and poetic phenomenon, into musical notes. The Azerbaijani music treasury has been greatly enriched by his wonderful music pieces.

The prominent composer's songs had been beloved by people, as they were used in more than 40 national films.

The composer masterly synthesized national folk music with European, not losing the peculiarity of the former, creating exceptional pieces.

Guliyev was the first among Azerbaijani composers to establish the first Jazz Orchestra in Baku.

In 1941 an orchestra headed by Guliyev gave its first concert at the Baku Philharmonic Hall, thus marking the birth of national jazz. He went down into the history as the founder of Azerbaijani pop and jazz music.

He has had invaluable contribution to Azerbaijani national culture, and from 1930 the outstanding composer began to collect, record, and publish national folklore in his music.

The “Azerbaijani national dances” collection published in 1951 involved many dance melodies, and in 1955 he published another collection called “15 Azerbaijani national dances.”

The composer died in 2000 on October 4 at age of 82 after suffering a chronic illness. The years will pass but his songs will be performed by newer singers and live in the hearts of every music lover.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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