Mashadi Isi (, — 1905) was a 19th-century Azerbaijani singer, representative of the Karabakh mugham school.

Biography

Mashadi Isi received his first musical education 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 ...

, at

Kharrat Gulu Karbalayi Gulu Mahammad oghlu ; 1823–1883) was a musicologist, poet, founder of music school in Shusha. Biography The founder of music school in Shusha, musicologist Karbalayi Gulu was born in 1823. Kharrat Gulu used to attract young people ...

's school. The singer was one of the active members of "Khanandalar majlisi" of

Haji Husu Haji Husu (, around 1830 – 1898) was a mugham singer. Biography He was born Husu Niftali oglu Kazimli () around 1830 in Shusha. Haji Husu received his first education from private classes with a mullah. Then he continued his studies at a madra ...

. Mashadi Isi became a connoisseur of classical Eastern, especially Azerbaijani mughams, and taught his knowledge and artistic skills to the young singers of the "Khanandalar majlisi". He performed " Rast", " Shur", "

Humayun Nasir al-Din Muhammad (6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), commonly known by his regnal name Humayun (), was the second Mughal emperor, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Northern India, and Pakistan from ...

", especially "Mahur" dastgah with a unique individuality. Along with

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

s and poems of Azerbaijani poets, he also sang the works of

Hafez (), known by his pen name Hafez ( or 'the keeper'; 1325–1390) or Hafiz, “Ḥāfeẓ” designates someoone who has learned the Qurʾān by heart" also known by his nickname Lisan al-Ghaib ('the tongue of the unseen'), was a Persian lyri ...

and

Saadi Shirazi Abu Mohammad Moshrefoldin Mosleh ebn Abdollah ebn Mosharraf, better known by his pen name Saadi (; , ), also known as Saadi of Shiraz (, ''Saʿdī Shīrāzī''; born 1210; died 1291 or 1292), was a Persian poet and prose writer of the medieval p ...

. According to musicologist Jalil Baghdadbeyov, Mashadi Isi was the first to sing the poems of Azerbaijani poets in gatherings. Mashadi Isi has performed many times in different assemblies not only in

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 ...

, but also in many cities of Azerbaijan -

Ganja ''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...

, Agdash,

Shamakhi Shamakhi (, ) is a city in Azerbaijan and the administrative centre of the Shamakhi District. The city's estimated population was 31,704. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for perhaps giving its name to th ...

and

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 ...

. He sang for months at the gatherings of Mahmud Agha from Shamakhi. He was invited to

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

several times by the Iranian king

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (; ; 17 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. During his rule there was internal pressure from the people of Iran, as well as external ...

, won a competition with Iranian singers in the Shah's palace, and was awarded the "

Order of the Lion and the Sun The Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun (Persian language, Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat′h Ali Shah Qajar, Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extend ...

" by the Shah of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. In the 1890s, Mashadi Isi took part in folk festivals in

Ashgabat Ashgabat (Turkmen language, Turkmen: ''Aşgabat'') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag, Kopetdag mountain range in Central Asia, approximately 50 km (30 ...

Samarkand Samarkand ( ; Uzbek language, Uzbek and Tajik language, Tajik: Самарқанд / Samarqand, ) is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central As ...

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

and other cities of

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

together with tarzen Sadigjan. In addition to being a mugham performer and connoisseur, he is also known as a classifier. Many of his classifications, especially "Rast" and "Mahur" classifications, have gained popularity. He mainly wrote classifications for many mukhammas and couplets of

Molla Panah Vagif Molla Panah (), better known by his pen-name Vagif (), was an 18th-century Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani poet, statesman and diplomat. He is regarded as the founder of the realism genre and the modern school in Azerbaijani literature, Azerbaijani poe ...

and Gasim bey Zakir. Mashadi Isi died in 1905 in the city of

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 ...

References

External links

* * {{refend 1840s births 1905 deaths Mugham singers