Ahmad Jovdat Ismayil oglu Hajiyev (June 18, 1917 - January 18, 2002) was one of the major Azerbaijani

composers A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

of the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

period. He is remembered for his monumental orchestral works, having been the first Azerbaijani to compose a symphony (1936). He studied under Azerbaijan's Founder of Composed Music,

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 ...

''Uzeyir Hajibeyov and his role in the development of musical life of Azerbaijan'', Matthew O'brien, Soviet Music and Society Under Lenin and Stalin: The Baton and Sickle, ed. Neil Edmunds, (Routledge Curzon, 2004), 217. and under Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

Early life

Hajiyev was born in Shaki (then

Nukha Shaki ( az, Şəki) is a city in northwestern Azerbaijan, surrounded by the district of the same name. It is located on the southern part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range, from Baku. As of 2020, it has a population of 68,400. The center ...

), a town in the foothills of the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : pronounced * hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ, : pronounced * az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced * rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ * tr, Kafkas Dağla ...

in northwestern

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 t ...

. From an early age, he was deeply influenced by the traditional music of folk songs,

ashug An ashik ( az, aşıq, ; tr, âşık; fa, عاشیق) or ashugh ( hy, աշուղ; ka, აშუღი) is traditionally a singer-poet and bard who accompanies his song—be it a dastan (traditional epic story, also known as '' hikay ...

music (folk minstrel) and

mugham Mugham ( az, Muğam) or Mughamat ( az, Muğamat) is one of the many classical compositions from Azerbaijan, contrasting with tasnif and ashik. It is a highly complex art form that weds classical poetry and musical improvisation in specific ...

(modal music). In 1924, his family moved to Baku. In 1935, he enrolled in the theoretical composition faculty at Baku Conservatory, studying under

and the Latvian-born Leopold Rudolf, a student of

Sergei Taneyev Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev (russian: Серге́й Ива́нович Тане́ев, ; – ) was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author. Life Taneyev was born in Vladimir, Vladimir Governorate, Russia ...

. The following year, Hajiyev composed his single movement "Symphony No. 1", the first symphonic piece ever written by an Azerbaijani composer. This work enabled him to enter

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

in 1938. In

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

interrupted his studies and he had to return to Baku.

Career

After the war, Hajiyev and fellow student

Gara Garayev Gara Abulfaz oghlu Garayev ( az, Qara Əbülfəz oğlu Qarayev, russian: Кара́ Абульфа́зович Кара́ев (Kara Abulfazovich Karayev), February 5, 1918 – May 13, 1982), also spelled as Qara Qarayev or Kara Karayev, was a pr ...

(1918-1982) returned to

and were profoundly influenced by composer

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

. Hajiyev completed "Symphony No. 3" to graduate in 1947. During his lifetime, Hajiyev composed eight symphonic works plus the heroic-patriotic opera "

Vatan ''Vatan'' ("Homeland" or "Motherland") is a Turkish daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers ...

" (Motherland), which he wrote with

in 1944. After the opera's premiere in May 1945, Hajiyev and Garayev were awarded the prestigious

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

. Hajiyev won a second

in 1952, for his symphonic poem "For Peace". Hajiyev served briefly as Artistic Director of the Baku Philharmonic Orchestra (1947–48) and was appointed to the staff of the Azerbaijan State Conservatory. He later served as the Conservatory's Rector (1957-1969) and in 1963 was appointed Professor of Composition. He went on to teach at the Conservatory for more than four decades. His students include well-known musicians such as Agshin Alizade, Dadash Dadashov and song composers Eldar Mansurov and Javanshir Guliyev. It is for his contribution to the development of the symphony in Azerbaijan that Hajiyev will best be remembered. It was to this genre that Hajiyev returned with renewed inspiration in the 1990s, producing a number of works influenced by contemporary events. His last symphonic work entitled, "January 20", composed in 1991, was dedicated to the victims of

Black January Black January ( az, Qara Yanvar), also known as Black Saturday or the January Massacre, was a violent crackdown on the civilian population of Baku on 19–20 January 1990, as part of a state of emergency during the dissolution of the Soviet Uni ...

(1990), when Soviet troops and tanks killed hundreds of Baku civilians. In 1997, President

Heydar Aliyev Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev ( az, Һејдәр Әлирза оғлу Әлијев, italic=no, Heydər Əlirza oğlu Əliyev, ; , ; 10 May 1923 – 12 December 2003) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani politician who served as the third president of Az ...

bestowed upon Hajiyev Azerbaijan's highest recognition, the "

Azerbaijan Order of Glory Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country, transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Wester ...

" on the occasion of his 80th Jubilee, commemorating "60 long years of fruitful work which is highly appreciated by the nation and the State". In Aliyev's official citation for this award, Hajiyev was praised as a "well-known composer, innovator, pedagogue, well-known public figure and model for the new generation of musicians." His music was commended for its "deep context, spirit of citizenship and high level of elegance."

Personal life

Jovdat Hajiyev was married to

Amina Dilbazi Amina Pasha qizi Dilbazi ( az, Əminə Dilbazi; 26 December 1919, Qazakh, Azerbaijan – 30 April 2010, Baku, Azerbaijan) was an Azerbaijani folk dancer. Biography Cousin of poet Mirvarid Dilbazi, Amina Dilbazi was born in a rural community near ...

, well known Azeri ballet-master and folk music dancer. Their two sons, Ismayil Hajiyev and

Telman Hajiyev Telman may refer to the following places: *Telman, former name for Çayoba, a municipality in southern Azerbaijan *in Kyrgyzstan: * Telman, Panfilov, a village in Panfilov District, Chuy Region * Telman, Ysyk-Ata, a village in Ysyk-Ata District, ...

are both composers.

References

External links

Composer Jovdat Hajiyev Remembered - Azerbaijan International, AZER.com
* Listen to Jovdat Hajiyev and Gara Garayev's opera

at Music Section of Azerbaijan International {{DEFAULTSORT:Hajiyev, Jovdat 1917 births 2002 deaths Azerbaijani composers Soviet composers Soviet male composers Stalin Prize winners People's Artists of Azerbaijan Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Shohrat Order Soviet Azerbaijani people People from Shaki, Azerbaijan Baku Academy of Music alumni 20th-century male musicians Honored Art Workers of the Azerbaijan SSR