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Azerbaijani music ( Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan musiqisi) is the musical tradition of the
Azerbaijani people Azerbaijanis (; , ), Azeris (, ), or Azerbaijani Turks (, ) are a Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predominantly Shia Muslims. They comprise the largest ...
from the
Azerbaijan Republic 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 ...
. Azerbaijani music has evolved under the badge of
monody In music, monody refers to a solo vocal style distinguished by having a single melody, melodic line and instrumental accompaniment. Although such music is found in various cultures throughout history, the term is specifically applied to Italy, ...
, producing rhythmically diverse melodies.Энциклопедический музыкальный словарь, 2-е изд., Москва, 1966 (''Encyclopedical Music Dictionary'' (1966-1967), 2nd ed., Moscow) Music from Azerbaijan has a branch
mode Mode ( meaning "manner, tune, measure, due measure, rhythm, melody") may refer to: Arts and entertainment * MO''D''E (magazine), a defunct U.S. women's fashion magazine * ''Mode'' magazine, a fictional fashion magazine which is the setting fo ...
system, where chromatisation of
major and minor In Western music, the adjectives major and minor may describe an interval, chord, scale, or key. A composition, movement, section, or phrase may also be referred to by its key, including whether that key is major or minor. The words derive ...
scales Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...
is of great importance.


Classical music

In 1920, Azerbaijani classical music had undergone a renaissance and the
Baku Academy of Music The Hajibeyli Baku Academy of Music (Azeri: ''Hacıbəyli adına Bakı Musiqi Akademiyası'') is a music school in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was established in 1920 in Baku and was previously known as the Hajibeyli Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. H ...
was founded to give classical musicians the same support as folk musicians. Modern-day advocates of Western classical music in Azerbaijani include Farhad Badalbeyli, Fidan Gasimova and Franghiz Alizadeh.


Opera and Ballet

The emergence of opera and ballet in Azerbaijan is associated with the
Imperial Russian The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
and Soviet eras of Azerbaijani history, when Azerbaijani musicians became exposed to European music traditions first-hand. The very first documented performance of an opera in
Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...
took place in May 1889 when
Alexey Verstovsky Alexey Nikolayevich Verstovsky () () was a Russian composer, musical bureaucrat and rival of Mikhail Glinka. Biography Alexey Verstovsky was born at Seliverstovo Estate, Kozlovsky Uyezd, Tambov Governorate. The grandson of General A. Selivers ...
's opera ''
Askold's grave Askold's Grave () is a historical park on the steep right bank of the Dnipro River in Kyiv between Mariinskyi Park and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex. The park was created by the Soviets in the mid-1930s in place of an old graveyard around t ...
'' was staged at a circus arena in Baku (on the site of the current
Azerbaijan Carpet Museum Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum (, formerly called the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum) is a museum located in Baku that displays Azerbaijani carpets and rugs with historical and modern weaving techniques and materials. It has the largest collection o ...
building), accompanied by the folk choir of Dmitry Agrenev-Slavyanski. Beginning in 1900, opera troupes toured Baku on a yearly basis (except 1901 and 1913), featuring prominent singers of the time such as
Natalia Ermolenko-Yuzhina Natalia Stepanovna Ermolenko-Yuzhina (; 1881, Kyiv, Russian Empire – 1937, Paris, France) was a Russian opera singer (soprano).Macy, Laura Williams. ''The Grove Book of Opera Singers'' p. 542. Oxford University Press: New York, 2008 Early years ...
and
Antonina Nezhdanova Antonina Vasilyevna Nezhdanova (, – 26 June 1950) was a Russian and Soviet lyric coloratura soprano. Nezhdanova was born in , near Odessa, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire (today Odesa, Ukraine). In 1899, she entered the Moscow Conservat ...
. Prominent Azerbaijani opera singers such as
Bulbul The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropic ...
,
Shovkat Mammadova Shovkat Hasan qizi Mammadova (; 18 April 1897 – 8 June 1981) was an Azerbaijani opera singer (lyric coloratura soprano) and music instructor. She was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1938. Early life and musical career Mammadova was born in ...
,
Fatma Mukhtarova Fatma Sattarovna Mukhtarova (, ; 26 March 1893 or 1898Грачева Л Годы и люди: �б. очерков Саратов, 1988. Вып. 3. С. 164-174. – 19 October 1972) was an Azerbaijani and Soviet opera singer (mezzo-soprano), Hono ...
,
Huseyngulu Sarabski Huseyngulu Sarabski (), born Hüseynqulu Malik oğlu Rzayev (20 March 1879 – 16 February 1945), was an Azerbaijani opera singer (tenor), composer, playwright, stage actor, theatre director, and musician (tar). Early life Sarabski was born to p ...
, Hagigat Rzayeva,
Rashid Behbudov Rashid Macid oglu Behbudov (14 December 1915 – 9 June 1989) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani singer and actor. He has been referred to as the "golden voice of Azerbaijan". He performed his songs in multiple languages. Biography Rashid Behbudov ...
, Rauf Atakishiyev, Muslim Magomayev,
Lutfiyar Imanov Lutfiyar Muslum oglu Imanov (17 April 192821 January 2008), was a Soviet and Azerbaijani opera singer (dramatic tenor). Career Lutfiyar Imanov was born in Sabirabad and started his career in the arts as a teenage actor at the Sabirabad State Dr ...
, Fidan and Khuraman Gasimovas,
Rubaba Muradova Rubaba Khalil qizi Muradova () (née Rubaba Ishragi; 21 March 1930 – 28 August 1983), was an Iranian and Azerbaijani opera (mezzo-soprano) and folk singer. She graduated from the Zeynalli College of Music in Baku and worked at the Azerbaijan ...
, Zeynab Khanlarova and many other singers gained world fame.


Folk music

Most songs recount stories of real-life events and
Azerbaijani folklore Azerbaijani folklore ( Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan folkloru) is the folk tradition of Azerbaijani people. Sources of Azerbaijani folklore Azerbaijani folklore is in many aspects, similar to that of other Turkic peoples. Eposes such as Kitabi-Dede ...
, or have developed through song contests between troubadour poets. Corresponding to their origins, folk songs are usually played at weddings, funerals, and special festivals.


Folk instruments

Instruments used in Azerbaijani music include the stringed instruments ''
tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
'' (skin faced lute), the ''
kamancha The kamancheh (also kamānche or kamāncha) (, , , ) is an Iranian bowed string instrument used in Persian traditional music, Persian, Azerbaijani music, Azerbaijani, Armenian music, Armenian, Kurdish music, Kurdish, Music of Georgia (country), ...
'' (skin faced spike fiddle), the '' oud'', originally ''barbat'', and the '' saz'' (long-necked lute); the double-reed wind instrument '' balaban'', the
frame drum A frame drum is a drum that has a drumhead width greater than its depth. It is one of the most ancient musical instruments, and perhaps the first drum to be invented. It has a single drumhead that is usually made of rawhide, but man-made mat ...
'' ghaval'', the cylindrical double faced drum '' nagara'' (''
davul The davul, dhol, tapan, atabal or tabl is a large double-headed drum that is played with mallets. It has many names depending on the country and region. These drums are commonly used in the music of the Middle East and the Balkans. These drums ...
''), and the '' gosha nagara'' (pair of small kettle drums). Other instruments include the ''
garmon The garmon ( rus, гармо́нь, p=gɐˈrmonʲ, links=yes, from rus, гармо́ника, p=gɐˈrmonʲɪkə, r=garmonika, cognate of English ''harmonica''), commonly called garmoshka, is a kind of Russian button accordion, a free-reed w ...
'' (small accordion), '' tutek'' (whistle flute), and ''
daf Daf (), also known as dâyere and riq, is an Iranian frame drum musical instrument, also used in popular and classical music in Persian-influenced South and Central Asia, such as in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, many ...
'' (frame drum). Due to the cultural exchange prevalent during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the tutek has influenced various cultures in the Caucasus region, e.g. the
duduk The duduk ( ; ) or tsiranapogh (, meaning "apricot-made wind instrument"), is a double reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood originating from Armenia. Variations of the Armenian duduk appear throughout the Caucasus, the Balkans, and the ...
s. The
zurna The zurna is a double reed wind instrument played in Central Asia, West Asia, the Caucasus, Southeast Europe and parts of North Africa. It is also used in Sri Lanka. It is usually accompanied by a davul (bass drum) in Armenian, Anatolian and Ass ...
and naghara duo is also popular in rural areas, and played at
wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...
s and other local celebrations.


Ashiqs

Ashiq An ashik (; ) or ashugh (; ka, აშუღი) is traditionally a singer-poet and bard who accompanies his song—be it a dastan (traditional epic story, also known as '' hikaye'') or a shorter original composition—with a long-necked l ...
s are traveling bards who sing and play the saz, a form of
lute A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted. More specifically, the term "lu ...
. Their songs are semi-
improvised Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...
around a common base. This art is one of the symbols of
Azerbaijani culture Azerbaijani culture may refer to: Regions *Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan () combines a diverse and heterogeneous set of elements which developed under the influence of Iranian peoples, Iranic, Turkic peoples, Turkic and Peo ...
and considered an emblem of national identity and the guardian of
Azerbaijani language Azerbaijani ( ; , , ) or Azeri ( ), also referred to as Azerbaijani Turkic or Azerbaijani Turkish (, , ), is a Turkic languages, Turkic language from the Oghuz languages, Oghuz sub-branch. It is spoken primarily by the Azerbaijanis, Azerbaij ...
,
literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...
and music. Since 2009 the art of Azerbaijani Ashiqs has been inscribed on the
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
.


Meykhana

Meykhana is a distinctive Azerbaijani literary and
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
rap tradition, consisting of an unaccompanied song performed by one or more people improvising on a particular subject. Meykhana is distinct from
spoken word poetry Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of recitation ...
in that it is performed in time to a beat. Meykhana is often compared to
hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...
, also known as ''national rap'' among Azerbaijani residents, as it also includes performers that is spoken lyrically, in rhyme and verse, generally to an instrumental or synthesized
beat Beat, beats, or beating may refer to: Common uses * Assault, inflicting physical harm or unwanted physical contact * Battery (crime), a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact * Battery (tort), a civil wrong in common law of inte ...
. Performers also incorporate synthesizers, drum machines, and live bands. Meykhana masters may write, memorize, or improvise their lyrics and perform their works
a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
or to a beat.


Mugham

Mugham is one of the many folk musical compositions from
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 ...
, in contrast with ''
Tasnif ''Tasnif'' () is one of the several forms of Persian music and can be considered as the Persian equivalent of the ballad. It is a composed song in a slow metre. As is true of other forms of musical composition, most ''tasnifs'' are of relatively ...
'', '' Ashugs''. Mugam draws on
Arabic maqam In traditional Arabic music, maqam (, literally "ascent"; ') is the system of melodic modes, which is mainly melodic. The word ''maqam'' in Arabic means place, location or position. The Arabic ''maqam'' is a melody type. It is "a technique ...
. It is an art form that weds classical poetry and musical improvisation in specific local modes. Mugham is a modal system. Unlike Western modes, "mugham" modes are associated not only with scales but with an orally transmitted collection of melodies and melodic fragments that performers use in the course of improvisation. Mugham is a compound composition of many parts. The choice of a particular mugham and a style of performance fits a specific event. The dramatic unfolding in performance is typically associated with increasing intensity and rising pitches, and a form of poetic-musical communication between performers and initiated listeners. Three major schools of mugham performance existed from the late 19th and early 20th centuries - the region of Garabagh, Shirvan, and Baku. The town of
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 ...
of
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 ...
was particularly renowned for this art. The short selection of Azerbaijani mugham played in balaban, national wind instrument was included on the
Voyager Golden Record The Voyager Golden Records are two identical phonograph records, one of each which were included aboard the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. The records contain sounds and data to reconstruct raster scan images selected to portray the di ...
, attached to the
Voyager Voyager may refer to: Computing and communications * LG Voyager, a mobile phone model manufactured by LG Electronics * NCR Voyager, a computer platform produced by NCR Corporation * Voyager (computer worm), a computer worm affecting Oracle ...
spacecraft as representing world music, included among many cultural achievements of humanity. In 2003,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
proclaimed mugham as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.


Popular music

Popular music is distinguished from the traditional genres as those styles that entered the Azerbaijani musicality after the fall of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, either due to attempts of national modernization from 1918 onwards, the opening of the republic to Western musical influences or modern fusions and innovations from artists themselves.


Mainstream pop

Azerbaijani pop music had its humble beginnings in the late 1950s with Azerbaijani cover versions of a wide range of imported popular styles, including
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
,
tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries from a combination of Arge ...
, and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
. As more styles emerged, they were also adopted, such as
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
, heavy metal, and
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
. Azerbaijani pop music reached a new level after the country made its debut appearance at the 2008
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
. The country's
entry Entry may refer to: *Entry, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States *Entry (cards), a term used in trick-taking card-games *Entry (economics), a term in connection with markets *Entry (film), ''Entry'' (film), a 2013 Indian ...
gained the third place in 2009 and fifth the following year. Ell and Nikki won the first place at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2011 The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Düsseldorf, Germany, following the country's victory at the with the song "Satellite" by Lena. Organised by the European Broadcasting Uni ...
with the song " Running Scared", entitling Azerbaijan to host the contest in
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
, in Baku. The biggest pop stars in Azerbaijan are arguably Roya,
Aygun Kazimova Aygun Alasgar gyzy Kazimova () (born 26 January 1971) is an Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani Singing, singer, songwriter, pop musician, and actress. She is a well known singer in Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia. Her 2006 and 2007 solo concerts in Mosco ...
and
Brilliant Dadashova Brilliant Suleyman gyzy Dadashova ( ; born 15 September 1959jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
, widespread in
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 ...
. It covers a broad range of styles (traditional, post-bop, fusion, free flexion) and often features a blend with traditional Azerbaijani music. Among modern famed Azeri jazz musicians are Aziza Mustafazadeh, who was influenced by
Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, innovative chord voicings, a ...
and
Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd (jazz musician), Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also be ...
, Isfar Sarabski, Salman Gambarov and Rain Sultanov.


Azerbaijani hip hop

The first Azerbaijani hip-hop song "Yesterday is Past", created in 1983 by Chingiz Mustafayev, who would later become Azerbaijan's national hero for unrelated reasons. The pioneer of Azerbaijani rap often associated with name of Anar Nagilbaz in 1992, which also included elements of
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
but the popularity of the rap genre came with the rise of Dayirman, which included primarily patriotic elements.


Azerbaijani rock

The Azerbaijani rock scene began in the mid-to-late 1960s, when popular
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
bands became well known. Soon, a distinctively Azerbaijani fusion of rock and folk emerged; this was called Azerbaijani rock, a term which nowadays may be generically ascribed to most of the Azerbaijani rock.
Coldünya Coldünya (, ) is an Azerbaijani rock band based in Baku. The members are Teymur Nadir (vocals), Rovshan Karimov (vocals, guitar), Samir Jafaali (drums) and Aydin Hajiyev (bass guitar). The band got its name from the English word Cold and the A ...
and Yuxu are the best known group of older classical Azerbaijani rock music.


Electronic dance music

There are many clubs across Azerbaijan, especially across its Baku region. The alternative music scene, however, is derived mostly from Baku's club scene that sees DJs merging the past with the present, utilising traditional motifs with new age sounds and electronic music.


See also

*
List of Azerbaijani musicians This is a list of Azerbaijani musicians and musical groups. Ashiq music Azerbaijani folk / instrumental Classical Azerbaijani classical / traditional Composers Western classical / Azerbaijani symphonic Hip hop Jazz Me ...
* Azerbaijani hip hop * Azerbaijani rock *
Innaby ''Innaby'' () is an Azerbaijani national dance in 6/8 time. Young women and girls perform the dance at parties, weddings and holidays. It is often accompanied by a musical ensemble of sazandars consisting of folk musical instruments such as the t ...
*
Şən Azərbaycan "Şən Azərbaycan" (Azerbaijani alphabet, Azerbaijani Cyrillic: "Шән Азәрбајҹан", ) is a Soviet-era patriotic song about Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Azerbaijan that still remains popular in Azerbaijan, modern Azerbai ...
* Mugham triads


References


External links

*
A collection of rare recordings of traditional Azeri music from the early 20th century.
Created July 7, 2012
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.
Azeri Music
{{DEFAULTSORT:Music Of Azerbaijan