“Mədəniyyət.-2009.-18 fevral.-N.11.-S.20

Conservatoire of Azerbaijan- Garabagh

There are irreplaceable craftsmen -Mugham teachers who introduce Azerbaijan as Mugham country all over the world. As the time pasts there have been founded art places -Mugham schools which protect these masters' traditions keep Mugham and pass it to new generations. These schools have been distinguished with its typical qualities in such big cities as Baku, Nakhchivan, Shamakhi, Ganja and Shusha that is known as Azerbaijan cultural centre in old times and now they are in close creative work intercourse. Especially, centralized Garabagh Mugham School in Shusha has played a great role in rising of Azerbaijan music culture, endowed bright persons to Azerbaijan musical culture and has become one of the nourishing sources of Azerbaijan Mugham.

Garabagh School as a school of traditional musical culture was developed around individual masters, handing down traditions of their professional creative work. Garabagh Mugham singers' instrumental performers have achieved to create a school passing details of Mugham art and Mughams in traditional way form generation to generation. Though few Garabagh craftsmen generation changed, traditions they created is still kept by Mugham singers.

Famous representatives of Garabagh Mugham School were Shusha born. There are such folk proverbs as: "If one cannot sing he is not Shusha born" and "Even babies cry to the accompaniment of Mugham singing in Shusha".

Secrets of poetry and music were taught to juveniles from the early years at schools in Shusha. Moreover, the oral traditional musical art wide progressed in Garabagh also influenced to local children's interest in Mugham. Because of these Garabagh craftsmen, especially singers and instrumental Mugham performers have deeply known Mugham and poems from the early years.

Shusha was called "Conservatoire of Caucasus" in the last centuries. Because the rich musical culture of this city in the XIX-XX centuries was playing a great role in the cultural development not only of Azerbaijan but also of Transcaucasian people. All singers learning essence of Mugham skill, and perceiving its secrets in Shusha, as well as players on folk instruments, performed their creative activity at every corner of Azerbaijan and even along the Caucasus. Fame of Garabagh musicians overstepped Azerbaijan boarders. They granted ponder able contribution into Azerbaijani music treasury, defending existing century-old musical traditions. Their Mughams, songs and tesniffs became popular very rapidly. These musicians were beloved among the folk. They were famous for their rare voices and unusual performing manner.

One of the rich pages in Azerbaijan musical history are Mugham mejlises (meetings) organized in Shusha and also singers and folk musical instruments performers in Garabagh who continue Mugham school traditions.

Garabagh Mugham mastery school reached its highest development stage in the second half of XIX century and in the first half of the XX century. In this time craftsmen's generation who stimulated to the progress of all Azerbaijan musical culture and introduced our music in many countries of the world have been grown.

Mirza Sadig Asadoglu (Sadigjan, reconstructed and factually created new instrument: Azerbaijani tar), Haji Husi, Meshadi Mammad Farzaliyev, Abdulbagi Zulalov (Bulbuljan), Kechachioglu Mahammad, Jabbar Garyagdioglu, Islam Abdullayev, Seid Shushinsky, Mashadi Jamil Amirov, Gurban Pirimov, Madjid Behbudov, Bulbul, Zulfi Adigezalov, Khan Shushinsky and others are the distinguished singers and performers of Garabagh Mugham School. Certainly it's impossible to name all the representatives of this school, but all of them had an important role in the development of Mugham and in the history of national mastery. Today the representatives from Mugham School according to their activities are the leader craftsmen of our music.

It is memorable that the first music schools where they taught Mughams appeared in Shusha in the middle of the XIX century. Famous in Shusha connoisseur of Mugham Harrat Gulu was the first who opened such school. He chose talented children with good voices from the region and taught them basis of eastern poetry and music as well to sing Mughams and Tesniffs. However Harrat Gulu School basically served religion, because he prepared children to participate in devotions. Despite all this the school played significant role in upbringing of many singers, which later took important place in Azerbaijani music culture.

That time Mughams were performed mainly at weddings and banquets. However, starting from the second half of the 19th century new tradition had appeared. It was a tradition to arrange poetic and musical mejlises - music assemblies or meetings of poets and musicians. Wonderful Azerbaijani poetess Khurshud Banu Natavan arranged such assemblies, called "Mejlisi-uns". An outstanding scientist, artist, and musicologist Mir Mohsun Navvab arranged such assemblies, called "Mejlisi Faramushan". They carried on interesting talks on literature and painting, and discussed aesthetic problems of poetry, music and Mugham mastery.

Repertoire of Garabagh singers was broad. They performed all classic Mugham -destgahs: "Rast", "Shur", "Mahur", "Seygah", "Humayun", "Bayati-Shiraz", "Chahargah"; zerbi - Mughams: "Eyrati", "Garabagh Shikestesi", " "Osmani", "Mansuriye", and others. There were also many singers who possessed composer talent.

Mugham has reached us as professional music of oral tradition. Maybe it is a hidden secret of this genre's immortality. Each performer expressed his individual creative features, they performed Mughams according to their peculiar, distinctive style, adding new nuances, details, grace-notes, melodic tunes, etc. At the same time they based on strict rules. All this gradually applied into performance practice, making expressiveness reserves of Mugham art. So Mugham's development progressed. There appeared new Mugham sections, new Mugham variants - destgah, Mughams of small forms, zerbi-Mughams, etc. We could see it in creative works of Garabagh School's representatives.

Activity area of singers broadened at late XIX century. This period Mugham started to sound in the theaters and concert halls. First "Eastern Concerts" was arranged in Shusha (1901), and then in Baku (1902). First music performances appeared within this period. In 1897, Abdurrahim Akhverdiyev, famous writer guided performance of musical scene called "Mejnun at Leyli's Tomb". Famous singer Jabbar Garyagdioglu played role in this performance. Instrumental trio, headed by Mirza Sadig Asadoglu, accompanied their singing.

It became bless ground to create music theater in Azerbaijan. Uzeir Hajibeyli, basing on this performance (seen in his childhood), created the first Azerbaijani Mugham opera "Leyli and Mejnun" (poem of great Azerbaijani poet Fizuli -1908). Opera "Leyli and Mejnun" was the first opera in the East.

Music life rapidly developed in Baku in early XX century. This city became the first one among Azerbaijani cultural centers. Outstanding cultural figures, including some Garabagh musicians started coming here. They continued their activity in Baku. However they always were connected spiritually with Garabagh, their native land. They continued transmitting their knowledge to young musicians. New generation of Mugham performers grew and formed in Garabagh.

State music schools, special and higher music institutions have been opened in Baku in the middle of the XX century. This time Mugham singers increased their teaching activity. They continued upbringing of professional musicians firstly in Eastern Conservatoire, then at Baku Musical College, and later in Baku Music Academy. At the moment they teach classic Mugham art in the National Conservatoire and University of Culture and Arts.

Another activity area of Mugham singers was a theater and concert hall. Many of them being soloists of the Opera Theater participate in Mugham operas of Azerbaijani composers and for wide audience of TV and radio. Parallel with this Mugham singers often perform¹ on tours.

Speaking about development of Mugham art, we should note gramophone records of folk musicians. These records, preserving voices of great masters are the national property of Azerbaijani people. They played significant role in propaganda of Azerbaijani music and its recognition in the world. Within 1906 - 1916, big sound-recording companies of different countries (such as "Gramophone"; "Pate", "Sport-record", "Extraphone") invited famous Azerbaijani singers and recorded them. Jabbar Garyagdioglu was the first of them. After him voices of Kechachioglu Mahammad, Meshadi Mammad Farzaliyev, Islam Abdullayev and others were recorded.

The development of Mugham, its training and investigation is in progress even today. The projects connected with Mugham organized by government have an importance to popularize it all over the world and to past it to the future generation.

The projects are successfully implemented under the supervision of Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO and President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation have a special role in the development and advocated of Mugham. Projects, such as, "Mugham-lrs", "Mugham-Destgah", "Mugham Encyclopedia", "Mugham-lnternet", "Mugham-Anthology", "The World of Mugham", and "Mugham Center" are very remarkable.

Among these projects music album "Garabagh Singers Collection" is an important event in music. This album contains gramophone records of Garabagh singers lived in the XX century which have a second life at the beginning of XXI century. There are photos and rich information (in 5 languages), and creation works of 24 singers belonged Garabagh Mugham School.

One of the most important publications created among the Mugham projects is "Azerbaijan Mugham Encyclopedia". It's a valuable publication under the direction of Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva. It contains rich information about Azerbaijan Mugham world, history of Garabagh Mugham School, outstanding musicians, precious cultural pearls - names, works, terms, investigations, performances, etc.

The electron publication centre of "Musigi Dunyasi" magazine (the coordinator is Professor Tariel Mammadov) has a remarkable work in preparation of these projects, and also in preserving traditions of Garabagh Mugham School and in avocation of Mugham.

The projects prepared by this centre, including "Azerbaijan Discography" website, have a great role in becoming popular of Garabagh singers records, their gramophone records, Azerbaijan music and Mugham through internet.

All of these as a result of nation's world outlook increase performers' creative work, improve Mugham Schools and immortalize Azerbaijan Mugham carrying it to the present days.

Mugham as a professional music of oral tradition forms our national musical culture, spread art pearls created by Mugham singers all over the world, and become inseparable piece of mankind culture. Azerbaijan Mugham is included to "Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" in the XXI century, and has a glorifying period of classical Mugham traditions.

Jamilya Hasanova.

Professor of Baku Music Academy after Uzeyir Hajibeyli,

Candidate of arts.