Ahmed Agdamski () also known by the

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

of Ahmed Bashir oglu Badalbeyli () (January 5, 1884 – April 1, 1954) who was a Soviet

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

opera singer Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...

, mugam singer and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Biography

Ahmadbey Badalbeyli was born on January 5, 1884, in

Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

Elisabethpol Governorate The Elizavetpol Governorate, also known after 1918 as the Ganja Governorate, was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its capital in Yelisavetpol (present-day Ganja). The area of the governorate s ...

, Russian Empire. He attended circles of theater-lovers and participated in national spectacles from his childhood. Scenic activity of the actor began in 1910, with attendance of a theatrical troupe of “Nijat” charity union. He was famous for his performance of women roles in various operas in the early history of Azeri Opera, when women's appearance on stage was strictly forbidden by religion and tradition. But later he began to play male parts, too. Besides all these he also was engaged in pedagogic activity. He was always persecuted because of playing women's parts. Ahmedbey changed his surname and address. For several years he was known as Miri. At the beginning of the 1920s he returned to

Karabakh Karabakh ( ; ) is a geographic region in southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and Aras. It is divided into three regions: Highland Kara ...

, where he established a theatrical troupe in

Aghdam Aghdam () is a town and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan. Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies from Stepanakert at the eastern foot ...

city, in 1923. In 1934, he moved to Agdash.Əhməd Ağdamski
In 1943, Ahmad Agdamski was conferred “Honored Art Worker of Azerbaijan” title. He died on April 1, 1954. Muslim women were not allowed to play in theater in Azrebaijan and this is why men played female parts. Ahmed Agdamski, whose nice voice and fine constitution helped him in creation of female roles, was one of them. He played pieces of ''Leyli'' (“

Leyli and Majnun ''Layla and Majnun'' ( "Layla's Mad Lover"; ) is an old story of Arab origin, about the 7th-century Arabian poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah and his lover Layla bint Mahdi (later known as Layla al-Aamiriya). "The Layla-Majnun theme passed from ...

”), by persuasion of his brother Badalbey and because of refusal of Farajov (because of persecution of theater-haters), ''Asli'' (“Asli and Karam”), Gulnaz (“

If Not That One, Then This One ''If Not That One, Then This One'' (; ), also known as ''Mashadi Ibad'' (; ) is a 1910 Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani operetta in four acts written by composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov. The comedy reflects social and everyday life relations in October Revolutio ...

”), ''Gulchohra'' (“ Arshin mal alan”), ''Minnat khanim'' (“ Husband and wife”) and ''Tahmina'' (“ Rustam and Zohrab”) from operas written by his cousin

Uzeyir Hajibeyov Uzeyir bey Abdulhuseyn bey oghlu Hajibeyov (18 September 188523 November 1948) was an Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani composer, musicologist and teacher. He is recognized as the father of Azerbaijani classical music. He composed the music of the Az� ...

. In “ Shah Abbas and Khurshid Banu” he acted as poet

Khurshidbanu Natavan Khurshidbanu Natavan (; 6 August 1832 – 2 October 1897) was an Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani poet and philanthropist. She is considered one of the best lyric poetry, lyrical poets of Azerbaijan. Her poems are in either Azerbaijani language, A ...

. In 1916, Agmed Agdamski was shot in “Arshin mal alan”, the first Azerbaijani comedy-film, which was based on motifs of an opera of the same name written by Uzeyir Hajibeyov. Agdamski also played the female role of Gulchohra in the 1917 Azeri film ''

The Cloth Peddler The Cloth Peddler or Arşın Mal Alan may refer to several Azerbaijani film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emoti ...

''.История становления киноискусства Азербайджана. Период немого кино (1920—1935)
/ref> He died on April 1, 1954, in Agdash,

Azerbaijan SSR The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, also referred to as the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan SSR, Azerbaijani SSR, AzSSR, Soviet Azerbaijan or simply Azerbaijan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union be ...

, Soviet Union.

References

Literature

*Huseynov, Rafael. The Thousand and Second Night. Baku, Ishyq, 1988. (in Azeri)

External links and sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aghdamski, Ahmad 1884 births 1954 deaths Actors from Shusha People from Elizavetpol Governorate 20th-century Azerbaijani male actors 20th-century Azerbaijani male opera singers 20th-century Azerbaijani male singers Soviet male silent film actors Azerbaijani male stage actors Azerbaijani male film actors Azerbaijani male silent film actors Badalbeyli family