Uzeyir Hajibeyli

(1885 – 1948) 

(September 18, 1885, Shusha (Agjabadi) - November 23, 1948, Baku) - world-famous composer, distinguished music expert, journalist, playwright, teacher and public figure, founder of modern Azerbaijani professional musical art and national opera, Honoured Art Figure of Azerbaijan ( 1935), People’s Artist of the USSR (1938), Stalin Prize winner (1941), academician of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (1945), professor (1940), Chairman in the Union of Composers of Azerbaijan (1938-1948), rector of the Azerbaijan State Conservatory (1928-1929),

1939-1948), director of Arts Institute of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences (1945-1948), laureate of the Order of Lenin and the “Red Flag of Labor"Order.

Uzeyir Hajibeyov was born in the family of a village scrivener.

He studied at the Gori Seminary for Teachers in 1899-1904. Seminary played an important role in forming his worldview. There, Hajibeyov closely acquainted with advanced world culture. Here he mastered the works of European classical music, learned to play the violin and baritone, translated folk songs to sheet music.

Uzeyir Hajibeyov is the creator of the musical comedy genre in Azerbaijan (he even wrote the texts for those comedies). In his musical comedies “Husband and wife” (1909, premiere: 1910), “If not that, then this” (1910, Premiere: 1911), “Arshin mal alan” (1913) reflected the life of Azerbaijan before revolution, local customs and traditions. In 1911, Hajibeyov went to Moscow to improve his musical education, where he studied at the Philharmonic music courses, and in 1913 - at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The Petersburg period played an important role in the work of Hajibeyov. Here he wrote the musical comedy "Arshin Mal Alan".

The administration of “Hajibeyli brothers”, created by Uzeyir bey and his brother Zulfugar, played an important role in the development of the Azerbaijani professional theatre.