Shusha - the center of Azerbaijan’s cultural treasure PHOTOS

Azerbaijan has old and rich culture. Historically, the music an atmosphere of Karabakh, which gave a lot of singers, composers, conductors, poets and writers to the culture of Azerbaijan. Shusha is a homeland to a great number of Azerbaijani poets, architects, musicians and other people of culture, as well as military leaders and generals. Tens of historical monuments were seized in Shusha, which considered the residence of music as: The palace of Panaheli Khan, The Juma Mosque, Lower Govhar Aga mosque, the house of Khurshudbanu Natavan, the tomb of Molla Penah Vagif.

Govhar Aga Mosque

In the XIX century as in other regions of Azerbaijan, the development of the arts in Karabagh region, having always high cultural level, stepped on the special stage. One of the great representatives of vocalism of Shusha was Hadji Husu, stundent of Kharrat Gulu. He was a musician and scholar who mastered mughams, mughams improved a number of new mughams and created new ones. Mirza Sadiq Assad oglu (Sadıqjan) was of the great master of tar in XIX century, reconstructed tar and created modern type of tar.

The musical culture of Karabakh in the XIX century shows that it is a special stage in the development of the Azerbaijani culture as a whole, in particular musical art. Shusha is homeland of Khurshid Banu Natavan, Mir Nevvab, from performers Kharrat Gulu, Haji Husu, Sadıqjan, Mashadi Isi, Abdulbaghı Zulalov, Jabbar Qaryagdıoglu, Kechachi oglu Mammad, Mashadi Mammad Farzaliyev, Islam Abdulayev, Seid Shushinski, Bulbul, Zulfi Adygozelov, Khan Shushinski, Rashid Behbudov, Mashadi Jamil Amirov, Qurban Pirimov, from composers Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Zulfugar Hajibeyov, Niyazi, Afrasiyab Badalbeyli, Soltan Hajibeyov, Ashraf Abbasov, Suleyman Alasgarov. This is not a complete list of the musicians of Shusha.

At the beginning of the XX century, at the conditions of socio-economic and cultural growth U. Hajibeyov laid the foundations of the modern professional music culture of Azerbaijan and created a synthesis of composer creations and folklore. This caused the active interrelations of Eastern and Western cultures. In 1908, U. Hajibeyov laid the foundation for the art of opera not only in Azerbaijan but the East with "Leili and Majnun" opera in the theater of H.Z.Tagiyev, became founder of music-opera genre. Realizing that it would be difficult for the Azerbaijani audience to understand the new genre U. Hajibeyov referred to Fuzuli’s "Leili and Majnun" poem and folk music genres (music, song, dance) and created performance meeting the spirit of that period, moral needs of people. U. Hajibeyov is also the founder of the musical comedy genre in Azerbaijan. In social housing-related musical comedies ("Husband and Wife" (1910), "If not then this" (1911), "Arshin mal alan" (1913)) based on the composer folk songs and dance music. His "Arshin mal alan" musical comedy (staged in 1913) is particularly famous. The work was translated in English, German, Chinese, Arabic, Persian, Polish, Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Georgian, etc. (Nearly 70 languages), and staged in Moscow, Istanbul, New York, Paris, London, Tehran, Cairo, Beijing, Berlin, Warsaw, Sofia, Budapest, Bucharest and others places, at stages of 120 theaters, many times screened (in the years 1916- 1917 in Baku, in 30-es n the United States, in 1945 and 1960 in Soviet Azerbaijan).

Moreever, there are many outstanding people from Shusha.

Jabbar Garyagdioglu (Ismail oglu) (1861-1944)

Jabbar Garyagdioglu worked on the 500 songs that he learn from the people during 60 years of his life and collected. Folk singer gained fame in the best singer in Transcaucasia. He is considered the founder of modern performance art of mughams of Azerbaijan. C. Garyagdioglu was born in Shusha in "Seidli" quarter. He played an important role in its establishment of the Azerbaijan State Opera. Our Opera stage’s first actor was J. Garyagdioglu. He is the first organizers of Azerbaijan Conservatory, where he managed the class of mugham. In 1906-1912 he was recorded in "Gramophone", "Sportrekord", "Ekstrafon" joint stock companies in Kiev, Moscow and Warsaw in gramophone discs. J. Garyagdioglu gave concert in Warsaw in 1906. He was compared with well-known Italian singer E. Caruzo

Seyid Shushinski (1889-1965)

Seyid Shushinski from Shusha was born in the village of Horadiz of Fizuli region. Jabbar Garyagdioglu called him as "The pearl of Eastern music". S. Shushinski made financial supports to publication of famous few numbers of "Molla Nasreddin" magazine. In general, S. Shushinski was a great philanthropist, and helped the actors in the theater.He was the innovator and combined many mughams in new variants and sung

Bulbul (Murtuza Mashadi Rza oglu Mammadov) (1897-1961)

Murtuza Mammadov, for his extraordinarily beautiful voice the Bulbul name was given. He was born near Shusha, the place called Khanbaghı. Bulbul was Azerbaijan opera singer (lyric-dramatic tenor), a skilful tasnif performer, music, folklore researcher, and a founder of Azerbaijan professional vocal school. He graduated from the Baku Conservatory in 1927 and continued education at the state line for 4 years in Milan (Italy). In 1931, after graduated from the Milan Conservatory (Delliponti and R. Qrani class) Bulbul returning to teach at Azerbaijan State Conservatory. Bulbul’s "Koroglu" part in the same name opera was a peak of his mastery of the art. In addition, he was a skilful performer works of foreign and Azerbaijani composers.

Khan Shushinski (Isfandiyar Aslan oglu Javanshir) (1901-1979)

The coryphaeus of art of Azerbaijan Mugham Khan Shushinski was born in the town of Shusha. At age of 12-13 years his masterly performance at one of Shusha majlis impressed all the guests, so his teacher Islam Abdullayev gives him a name of "Khan". Under the accompaniment of symphonic orchestra symphonic mughams’ solo part for the first time was sung by Khan. The first duet in the history of music is connected with the name of the great artist. The first duet in the history of Azerbaijani music was performed by Khan Shushinski and Shevket Alekperova.

Rashid Majid oglu Behbudov (1915-1989)

R. Behbudov had established Azerbaijan State Song Theater by combining pop music and the art of jazz, ballet, pantomime and by the end of his life he was a soloist and artistic director of this theater. Along with all the Soviet republics, he acted with repertoire in Argentina, Bulgaria, Belgium, Chile, China, Ethiopia, Finland, India, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Egypt, Turkey, etc. countries. R. Behbudov’s role in popularization of Azerbaijani folk songs and vocal works of Azerbaijani composers in foreign countries was crucial.