AZЕR RZАYEV: TRAITS OF AZERBAIJANI FOLK MUSIC AND DANCE IN HIS SONATA FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO

Abstract

After 1950, a few Azerbaijani composers began to pay attention to the sonata, as an important genre of instrumental chamber music. Sonatas contain contrasting motifs among the separate movements constituting the whole composition providing the opportunity for including Azerbaijani folk music inspired motifs. This monograph will demonstrate the impact of folk music on Azerbaijani classical music, specifically in the Violin Sonata in E minor of Azer Rzayev, whose work significantly influenced further composition. This analysis of the folk music aspects of Rzayev’s musical thinking, as expressed in his violin sonata, will provide insight into Azerbaijani music, guidance for appreciating Rzayev’s work, and perhaps most significantly, as a basis for future composition in the genre. Rzayev is the author of many notable compositions in a few related genres. Rzayev’s unique contribution was his signature approach to the folk music of Azerbaijan, the elements of which he skillfully merged with the traditions of classical music. This approach resulted in Rzayev’s independent style, which played a significant role in the development of Azerbaijani classical instrumental music. This monograph briefly touches on the Azerbaijani mugham, as it plays a decisive role in the development of Azerbaijani classical music. The people of Azerbaijan over the centuries have created an ancient, rich and distinctive culture. In various fields of art, including music, they created priceless masterpieces of art. One such masterpiece is the pearl of the world musical treasury—mugham. It is no coincidence that the art of mugham deeply influences Azerbaijani composers because it is perceived by Azerbaijanis as a cultural asset that forms the basis of national identity. The study of mugham is reflected in the works of Soviet and especially Azerbaijani musicologists. Among these works, the treatise of Hajibeyov, The Principles of Azerbaijani Folk Music, is fundamentally important. The methodological basis of the monograph is to draw on Uzeyir Hajibeyov’s monumental work The Principles of Azerbaijani Folk Music. Other sources include the works of musicologists Shanubar Bagirova and Mammed Ismayilov, which focus on issues of Azerbaijani folk music.