FOLLOWING GARA GARAYEV'S LIFE STORY

In the end of the 19^th century, Japan adopted a law that determines the level of skills and talent of creative people of all sorts in two categories: national heritage and the living national heritage. Apparently, these titles are not a formal tribute to traditions, but a very concise definition of the contribution to the development and preservation of national culture that helps preserve the originality of Japanese art.

The Gara Garayev Museum opened on October 1, 2018. February 5, 2019 is the 101^st anniversary of the great music prodigy. I am entering the house number 47 on Nizami Street. What a remarkable coincidence, isn't it? — both the classical poet of the 12^th century Nizami and the classical musician of the 20^th century Gara Garayev have become the national heritage of Azerbaijan and the world culture.

Sacred place

This is a house museum, a true example of a house museum. This place is a national treasury concentrating the energy of thoughts, feelings, and emotions of its inhabitants. Places of this kind are often called sacred due to their similarities with places of pilgrimage. Apartment museums are able to influence the feelings and thoughts of visitors, filling them with the light of kindness, love and gratitude for what they inherited from their predecessors. There are many such museums in Azerbaijan, including the Jalil Mammadguluzadeh Museum solemnly opened by the National Leader Heydar Aliyev back in 1978.

But the Gara Garayev Museum ranks first in terms of its technical complexity and the number of exhibits (300). As a branch of the Museum of Musical Art led by PhD. Alla Bayramova, the Honoured Artist of Azerbaijan, it is equipped with interactive tablets and displays that provide volumetric visual and audio information about the composer, including his operas, ballets, symphonies, drama plays and films. If you pick up the old Soviet phone, you can hear an interesting radio summary of cultural events related to the composer's works. A magnetic news board provides comprehensive information about current events (nights, concerts) taking place in Azerbaijan and beyond. This is a great idea, which confirms that the works of Gara Garayev remain a "living national heritage", and not the historical past of our national culture!

Garayev for children and parallel creativity

Here one can find the original notes handwritten by the Master, records of his works, letters and drawings to his grandson. These letters and drawings are part of a special program designed for the individual interactive communication program for children. By colouring Garayev's drawings made for his grandson, children can get necessary information about Gara Garayev as a person, grandfather, and composer. A very important and necessary detail. It is imperative that children understand that the cultural heritage of their people, which they can and should be proud of. Remarkably, all videos, audios, texts, prints, and photos are presented in three languages ​​(Azerbaijani, Russian and English), which significantly expands the coverage for both local and foreign visitors. This is an example of tolerant and multicultural attitude towards different language groups, an example of respectful attitude towards all guests and tourists.

It is interesting to see the handwritten notes of the Master. Tens of sheets written in beautiful script made of very tightly placed words without spaces in-between the lines! They may be interesting for specialists dealing with the psychology of creativity and graphology, adding another stroke to the disclosure of the Master's personality phenomenon. The museum also hosts a large library of composer's works, which can be a good source for beginning musicologists and researchers of Garayev’s heritage. One can also enjoy a well-equipped hall of the museum during the musical nights devoted to Garayev's works.

Few people, except perhaps family and friends, knew that the talented composer had an irresistible craving for fixing interesting moments from the surrounding life. Here one can find not only the amazing photographs made by Garayev, but also a collection of cameras, which the composer used to take with him during the tours around the world. Some of his photographs have been published in Soviet magazines. Parallel creativity (drawing, photography) suggests that the composer could undoubtedly make professional career in any of these areas, should he wished so.

Family

There is a beautiful massive vase near a windowsill of the first exhibition hall with lush tea roses and a portrait of a glamorous woman with a noble face. This is the mother of the composer, Sona Akhundova-Garayeva. She was one of the talented graduates of the St. Nina Girls Gymnasium (now the high schools no. 132 and 134 in Baku), a creative woman well versed in poetry and music. Together with her husband, a prominent scientist, doctor, founder of paediatrics in Azerbaijan, Abulfaz Garayev, she believed that both of her sons needed excellent education. One of them became a composer, the other one— a doctor. Both have contributed a lot to the people of Azerbaijan. Extensive material on the composer’s genealogy is not just information, but a reason for thinking about the heritage of Azerbaijani intelligentsia, particularly the Garayev family. As stated by the national writer of Azerbaijan, Anar,  in the preface to his book Doctor Garayev, "there are families and dynasties that are not only an important component of society, but perhaps the foundation on which the society rests". So true! Family, clan, surname… are the concepts that we gradually tend to forget. That is why the essence of the exhibition is to make visitors understand that the families which had done their best to preserve national traditions and to ensure enlightenment, education, and spiritual perfection, are a pledge of moral and patriotic stability in any country. One can get detailed information about the lifestyle of the Garayev family, those spiritual values ​​that Sona-khanum Akhundova-Garayeva could instill in their children and grandchildren. A woman in an Azerbaijani family has always played an instrumental role in moral education and spiritual formation of both children and grandchildren. Grandson of Sona-khanum, Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan Abulfaz Garayev confirmed this postulate in his memoirs: "My grandmother had felt responsible for each of us up until her death. She had photos of all her children and grandchildren hanging above her bed. Before going to bed, she would rethink the events of the passing day. We did not live together, but on weekends, we would always gather either at her or at our home. It was a rule. She would never use harsh words, nor was she disrespectful to any member of the family."

Moral values of the family ​​were above all things. It is very important that the Garayev Museum is located in the apartment, which is the family nest. This place keeps the chronicle of the family, which has enriched the people of Azerbaijan and the world with many talented people in both art and medicine. That is how the creative and human life of a single person sheds light on many historical and biographical facts of both the Garayevs and the Akhundovs. It mirrors the history of many families of the Azerbaijani intelligentsia. The exposition dedicated to one person goes beyond one family, becoming a generalised common cultural component of the whole country.

Human factor

It is very important that the director of the museum is the daughter of the great composer Zuleikha Garayeva-Baghirova. Who else could know the history of the genius of the Azerbaijani musical culture better and deeper than his daughter? Who else could tell you unknown family stories so lively and intriguingly, without repeating meagre facts, other than Garayev's direct descendant? Zuleikha-khanum has also instructed her assistants, the guide Zivar Mammadova and the custodian Latifa Mammadova, to present information in the same confidential and emotional tone. They both have musical background and are well versed in the intricacies of the creative life of Gara Garayev. They are always by our side, providing comprehensive information on each exhibit in the museum. This attention to detail encourages the visitors, instilling in them love and respect to the works of our national heritage, Gara Garayev. This is an instrumental factor in terms of popularising the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan and educating the younger generation, which has someone to be proud of and understands that the cultural and spiritual values of the people must not only be preserved, but also multiplied.