Shafiga Akhundova ( az, Şəfiqə Axundova; 21 January 1924 – 26 July 2013) was a prominent

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

i composer, the first professional female author of an

opera Opera is a form of 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 librett ...

in the

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

and People’s Artist of

. Akhundova was born into a family of an eminent cultural figure Gulam Akhundov. In 1943–1944, Shafiga got her primary education at Baku Musical School named after

Asaf Zeynally Asaf Zeynalabdin oglu Zeynally ( az, Asəf Zeynallı), also spelled Zeynalli (5 April 1909, Derbent – 27 October 1932, Baku), was an Azerbaijani composer. Early life Asaf Zeynally was the third child of the gardener Zeynalabdin and his wife ...

, where she was taught by

Uzeyir Hajibeyov Uzeyir bey Abdulhuseyn oghlu Hajibeyov ( az, Üzeyir bəy Əbdülhüseyn oğlu Hacıbəyov; russian: Узеир Абдул-Гусейн оглы Гаджибеков, translit=Uzeir Abdul-Guseyn ogly Gadzhibekov; September 18, 1885November 23, 19 ...

. Then, in 1956, she continued her education at

Azerbaijan State Conservatoire The Hajibeyov Baku Academy of Music (Azeri: ''Hacıbəyov adına Bakı Musiqi Akademiyası'') is a music school in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was established in 1920 in Baku and was previously known as the Hajibeyov Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. H ...

named after Uzeyir Hajibeyov, where she graduated from the class of B. Zeydman. In 1998, Shafiga Akhundova was conferred a title of People’s Artist of Azerbaijan and in 2005 she was awarded with the

Shohrat Order Shohrat Order ( az, Şöhrət ordeni), translated as ''Order of Glory'', is an award presented by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. History and status The order was created by the Decree No. 757 of the President of Azerbaijan, Heydar ...

Creativity

In 1972, Shafiga Akhundova composed her first

“Galin gayasi” (Bride’s rock). She also has composed such works as “Ev bizim, sirr bizim”

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

, a lot of songs and romances, music for spectacles for children etc. She composed music to more than 30 spectacles, staged on state theatres.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akhundova, Shafiga Azerbaijani women composers Soviet composers Azerbaijani opera composers Soviet opera composers Baku Academy of Music alumni People's Artists of Azerbaijan 1924 births Women classical composers People from Shaki, Azerbaijan 2013 deaths Recipients of the Shohrat Order Soviet Azerbaijani people Women opera composers Honored Art Workers of the Azerbaijan SSR