The Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan Respublikası Silahlı Qüvvələrinin Hərbi Orkestr Xidməti) is the official military band service of the

Azerbaijani Armed Forces The Azerbaijani Armed Forces ( az, Azərbaycan Silahlı Qüvvələri) were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) had originally formed ...

. It is part of the command structure of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.

History of Azerbaijani military bands

In the early days of the establishment of the Azerbaijani National Army of the

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian Az ...

, a military band was created in a short period of time. The first military parade in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

in 1919 was accompanied by a military band. Military bands have always existed in the history of the

Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...

. During Yusif Akhundzade's service as director of the school band of the Caspian Higher Naval School (later known as the Azerbaijan Higher Naval Academy), it participated in the 1971 and 1983 October Revolution Day Parade on

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 million ...

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...

. In 1971, the band's performance on

Kutuzovsky Prospekt Kutuzovsky Prospekt (russian: Куту́зовский проспе́кт) is a major radial avenue in Moscow, Russia, named after Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov, leader of the Russian field army during the French invasion of Russia. The prospekt ...

featured the famous Azeri march ''Vatan'' by composer Alimardan Aliyev, which was one of the few times oriental music was played at a military parade in Moscow. A band was also maintained in the

Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School The Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School (BVOKU) was one of the military academies of the USSR. It trained military personnel in a number of specializations. It was located in Baku in the Azerbaijan SSR. History On November 29, 1939, the s ...

Sea Cup 2018 international contest kicks off in Azerbaijan 04

Foundation of the service

On the basis of the bands of the Baku Garrison,

Transcaucasian Military District The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Grou ...

of the

Soviet Armed Forces The Soviet Armed Forces, the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union and as the Red Army (, Вооружённые Силы Советского Союза), were the armed forces of the Russian SFSR (1917–1922), the Soviet Union (1922–1991), and th ...

, the military band service was founded on 1 July 1992 by order of the Minister of Defense

Rahim Gaziyev Rahim Hasan oglu Gaziyev ( az, Rəhim Həsən oğlu Qazıyev; born 1943, in Shaki) was Azerbaijani Defense Minister in 1992–1993, in the turmoil of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, and later a political prisoner. Prior to the war Gaziyev gradu ...

. The debut performance of the units of the band service was on 9 October 1992 during the Day of the Armed Forces parade on Azadliq Square. Being a young unit, it needed to get specially designed uniforms for the parade. This was the result of having to wear military uniforms left over from the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

. During preparations for the state visit of

President of Turkey The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı), is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the government of Tu ...

Turgut Özal Halil Turgut Özal (; 13 October 192717 April 1993) was a Turkish politician, who served as the 8th President of Turkey from 1989 to 1993. He previously served as the 26th Prime Minister of Turkey from 1983 to 1989 as the leader of the Mothe ...

, the military attache of the Turkish embassy in Baku entered the band training hall, to which he was disappointed in the uniforms of musicians, with the

Turkish Army The Turkish Land Forces ( tr, Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), or Turkish Army (Turkish: ), is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the ...

sending parade uniforms and musical instruments sometime later. 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 Aze ...

supervised the training of national cadres in the band and the training of military music specialists. In the first years of the formation of the service, the soloists of the exemplary band took part in the farewell ceremonies of the personnel going to the battle in the

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...

. In the 90s, military bands in the Land Forces, Air Force and Navy, as well as special educational institutions were created.

Composition

The MBS of the Armed Forces is composed of the following bands: * Exemplary Band of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan * Exemplary Band of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan * Exemplary Band of the

Internal Troops of Azerbaijan The Internal Troops of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan Respublikası Daxili Qoşunları), also known as Interior Troops or Interior Guard, is the uniformed gendarmerie-like force in Azerbaijan. Internal Troops are subordinated to the Ministry of I ...

* Headquarters bands of Military Garrisons ** Band of the Nakhchivan Garrison ** Band of the

Ganja Ganja (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for marijuana. Its usage in English dates to before 1689. Etymology ''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi/Urdu ( hi, गांजा, links=no, ur, , links=no, IPA: �aːɲd� ...

Garrison * Cadet bands ** Band of the

Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy The Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy named after Heydar Aliyev (, russian: Азербайджанское высшее военное училище имени Гейдара Алиева) is an educational institution of the Azerbaijani Armed Fo ...

** Band of the

Jamshid Nakhchivanski Military Lyceum Jamshid Nakhchivanski Military Lyceum ( az, Cəmşid Naxçıvanski adına Hərbi Lisey), also known as Military Lyceum named after Jamshid Nakhchivanski, is a state school, specializing in education and training of students in military science and ...

** Band of the Heydar Aliyev Military Lyceum

Specific bands

Exemplary Band of the Ministry of Defense

The Exemplary Band of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan is the senior-most band in the armed forces. Being such, it serves as a type of presidential band, performing at all ceremonies involving the

President of Azerbaijan The president of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state of Azerbaijan. The Constitution states that the president is the embodiment of executive power, commander-in-chief, "representative of Azerbaijan in home and foreign policies", ...

. This includes

state visits A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host ...

, opening ceremonies and base visits. Preparation for these events generally takes three to four days for the band. The

President of Afghanistan The president of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was constitutionally the head of state and head of government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (2004–2021) and Commander-in-Chief of the Afghan Armed Forces. On 15 August 2021, as t ...

Ashraf Ghani Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan politician, academic, and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was overthrown by the Taliban. Born in L ...

and Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

have given their own personal greetings to members of the band. It has also performed for dignitaries such as Russian President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

and Iranian leader

Hassan Rouhani Hassan Rouhani ( fa, حسن روحانی, Standard Persian pronunciation: ; born Hassan Fereydoun ( fa, حسن فریدون, links=no); 12 November 1948) is an Iranian politician who served as the seventh president of Iran from 2013 to 2021. ...

. It has visited 50 countries. It is notable for organizing its performances without notes, but through memorization. In November 2019, soloists of the band represented Azerbaijan at the Katyusha Military-Music Festival in Moscow dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory in

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 opposin ...

. It is the only military orchestra in the

Commonwealth of Independent States The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...

to be led by a general.

Band of the Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy

The Band of the Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy is a 52-member military band that serves as part of the Azerbaijan Higher Military Academy (AAHA). The band was formed on 15 February 1992 and is one of the leading military ensembles in Azerbaijan. In August 2019, the academy

military band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the tit ...

, led by Colonel Ekhtibar Aliyev and Major Fariz Mamedzade, took part in the

Spasskaya Tower Military Music Festival and Tattoo The Spasskaya Tower International Military Music Festival is an annual military music event and military tattoo held in Moscow on Red Square. Participating in the festival are Russian and foreign military bands, folk groups, and honor guard units o ...

, representing Azerbaijan for the first time.

Band of the Internal Troops

The Band of the Internal Troops of Azerbaijan is the official military band of the Internal Troops. Currently, the band has 115 members and includes song and dance ensemble. On 17 November 1994, the General Directorate of Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs ordered the establishment of the band. The current artistic director is Lieutenant Colonel Ilgar Novruzov, a graduate of the Baku Music Conservatory. He is also the author and composer of the anthem of the Internal Troops.

Band staffing

Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the parade dedicated to 100th anniversary of liberation of Baku 32

The training of military conductors is provided by a class at the Hajibeyov

Baku Academy of Music 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 ...

, providing the basis for the development of military bands. There are also many civilians in Azeri military bands.

Performances and characteristics

In recent years, military bands have been performing in Baku on significant dates:

Victory Day (9 May) etc. , nickname = , observedby = Russia and some former states of Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact; Serbia, Israel , duration = 1 day , frequency = Annual , date = 9 May , scheduling = same day each year , celebrations ...

's birthday (10 May), and Republic Day (28 May). The combined band of the service (usually 170-members) have taken part in the parades in honor of the 90th, 93rd, 95th, and 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces as well as organized performances in various parts of Baku on the

Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan Respublikası Silahlı Qüvvələri günü) is a holiday annually celebrated on June 26 in Azerbaijan, by the decree issued by President Heydar Aliyev, to commemorate the Azerbaijani Armed For ...

. In June 2017, the Band of the Defense Ministry performed with the Salamanca Band of the Rifles at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall. In September 2018, it performed for presidents

Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar oghlu Aliyev ( az, İlham Heydər oğlu Əliyev, ; born 24 December 1961) is the fourth president of Azerbaijan, serving in the post since 31 October 2003. The son and second child of the former Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev, ...

and

Recep Tayyip Erdogan Recep may refer to: People Surname * Aziz Recep (born 1992), German-Greek footballer * Sibel Recep (born 1987), Swedish pop singer Given name * Recep Adanır (born 1929), Turkish footballer * Recep Akdağ (born 1960), Turkish physician and poli ...

in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Liberation of Baku. At around the same time, a CD was released by the Exemplary Band that includes a number of military marches performed by the band and its soloists. In August 2019, the higher military academy band took part in the

, representing Azerbaijan for the first time. The band retains features from

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

and Turkish military bands in their repertoire and their marching style.

Uniform

File:Salam, Asgar - tymi słowami pozdrowił Lech Kaczyński żołnierzy Kompanii Reprezentacyjnej.jpg, Musicians of the band in their scarlet uniform. File:Petro Poroshenko in Azerbaijan (07-14-2016) 03.jpg, The Band of the Ministry of Defense, with its director in its white uniform, during the state visit of

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko ser ...

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 ...

, July 2016. File:Ilham Aliyev attended the parade 20.jpg, The massed bands in their blue uniform. File:Orchestra of Army of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.jpg, Members of the military band of the

wearing their

Papakha Papakha (; , ; ; ce, холхазан-куй, holhazan-kuy; , ; ) is a wool hat worn by men throughout the Caucasus and also in uniformed regiments in the region and beyond. The word ''papakha'' is of Turkic languages, Turkic origin (''papakh) ...

hats.

Repertoire

The service's repertoire includes modified pieces from famous Azerbaijani composers, including

Said Rustamov Said Rustamov ( az, Səid Rüstəmov), born Mir-Jabbar Ali oglu Seyid-Rustamzadeh (12 May 1907 in Erivan – 10 June 1983 in Baku), was a Soviet Azerbaijani composer and conductor. Life and contributions Said Rustamov was born in Yerevan where ...

and

Emin Sabitoglu Emin Sabitoglu ( az, Emin Sabitoğlu, real name Emin Sabit oghlu Mahmudov (); 2 November 1937 – 18 November 2000) was a Soviet Azerbaijani composer, author of a lot of well-known Azerbaijani songs and music for films. People's actor of Azerbaija ...

.The following marches are in the repertoire of the band: * March "Vətən" (Alimərdan Aliyev) * Azadlıq Marşı (Elchin Mirzabeyli) * Qarşılama marşı (Həsənağa Abasquliyev) * March "Sumgait" (Qulu Aliyev) * March "Azərbaycan ordusu" (Eldar Mansurov) * March "Sıravi Əhməd" (

) *Qələbə Marşı (Rufat Akhundzade)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Band of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan

Band of the Azerbaijani Navy

Band of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry

March "Vatan"

Döyüşə gedirəm, Ana - Azərbaycan əsgəri

Heyratı - Marşı ( DSX ORKESTR )

Band of the Azerbaijani Military High School named after Heydar Aliyev

Военный оркестр АР сыграл для Sputnik Азербайджан

Marsh Ireli

Saleh Bağırovla Antrakt - Müdafiə Nazirliyinin hərbi orkestri - 2018
Military of Azerbaijan Military bands Military units and formations established in 1992