A TALENTED WOMAN OF THE EAST

After a long illness, the prominent Azerbaijani composer Safiqa Axundova departed this life. One of the leading figures of the Azerbaijani composers' school died at 89. The first woman opera composer in the East and people's artist of Azerbaijan, Safiqa Axundova, suffered from heart disease in recent years. The composer tried to actively participate in social and cultural life to the very end. At the time of hospitalization, she was in Saki, where she took part in the International Silk Road Festival. Despite the serious and unavoidable health problems, which began five years ago, Safiqa Axundova continued to write music.

Creative path

Safiqa Axundova is one of the leading figures of the Azerbaijani composers' school and a lyricist composer. She was born on 21 January 1924 in the town of Saki into the family of renowned cultural figure Qulam Axundov. She composed her first songs "Roya" and "Our soul" in the seventh grade. In 1943-1944, she received her primary musical education at the Asaf Zeynalli Baku Music School, where she took lessons from Uzeyir Hacibayov himself. Then, in 1951-1956, she continued her education at the Uzeyir Hacibayov Azerbaijan State Conservatory, where she attended Zeydman's class. While studying at the conservatory, she wrote a number of songs, folk tunes and instrumental pieces. Uzeyir Hacibayov played a major role in her development as a musician and composer. On her advice, a competition was held to compose the national anthem of Azerbaijan. The national anthem of Azerbaijan was first performed by Safiqa Axundova before the State Commission at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall.

In 1972 Safiqa Axundova wrote the opera "Gяlin qalasы" ("The Bride's Rock") and became the first woman composer in the East. This opera is considered the most important achievement in her career. This work continues the traditions of Uzeyir Hacibayov's opera "Layla and Majnun" and is similar to it in its idea. Safiqa Axundova is also the author of the operetta "Ev bizim, sirr bizim" (Our House - Our Secret), which adorned the repertoire of the Azerbaijan State Musical Comedy Theatre for many years, and the creator of musical scores for 60 performances by drama theatres of Azerbaijan. As the author of 600 songs and ballads, she took a responsible approach to the choice of words and texts that she was going to express in musical images. The composer always wrote only what touched her heart and expressed the highest human feelings. That's why her music remains the best for many artists to this day. Each of the compositions she wrote on the basis of poems by Nizami and Fuzuli - outstanding poets - was performed by the best Azerbaijani singers - Sovkat Alakbarova, Zeynab Xanlarova, Sara Qadimova and others who perceives these pieces as a gift and fell in love with them once and for all.

In 2008 Axundova was awarded the title of People's Artist of Azerbaijan, and in 2004 she was awarded the Medal of Glory.

Safiqa Axundova and Hacibayov

Safiqa Axundova herself repeatedly confessed that her creative way was inseparably linked with Hacibayov, whose class she attended quite young.

"We are all indebted to these outstanding personalities whom we have no moral right to forget," the director of the Mugam Theatre, honoured artist, holder of the Medal of Glory and director Arif Qaziyev said in an interview with R+. "Safiqa Axundova was a student of Uzeyir Hacibayli. When this unforgettable classic noted her sparkling talent of a future musician, she was just a teenage girl from Saki, but even so, at the first meeting with the maestro, she played her first song 'Lullaby' for him, and this attracted the attention of Uzeyir bay."

The director says that the Maestro personally taught her three times a week, so it is not surprising that Safiqa is one of the leading figures of the Azerbaijani composers' school.

Uzeyir Hacibayli highly valued the vocal skills of his student and really wanted her to sing Nigar's part in his opera "Koroglu" and Gulcohra in the operetta "Arsin Mal Alan", but unfortunately, it was not possible to realize these ideas because Safiqa's parents did not allow her to go on stage. Perhaps for this reason, our stage lost an excellent singer, and the only consolation is that we got a great lyricist composer whose songs are still the best test of professionalism for many artists.

Family

Safiqa's mother Zuleyxa was very musical, she learned to play the accordion and in minutes free from work at home, she often played Azerbaijani folk melodies. "I am probably like her. As soon a melody sounded, I could not sit still. I danced and jumped," Safiqa once remembered. "My daughter is like Cali Qusu (little singing bird)," my mother said. Then the young Safiqa learned to play by hearing. "My older sister Zumrud was married to the well-known writer Mammad Araz Dadaszada," Safiqa Axundova said. "Singers, poets, writers, and their wives visited their home, and among them were Samad Vurgun, Rasul Rza and Mirza Ibrahimov. Men usually sat in the office of Mammad Araz, and women - in the room where the piano was. And, as a rule, after talking enough, they asked my sister: "Let Safiqa play something."

Safiqa Akhundova's sister Rafiqa said that the composer maintained a youthful spirit and continued to work, participate in music festivals and creative meetings to the very end. She studied music every day, working on new pieces. In 1984, Safiqa Axundova wrote the song "Love never dies" based on Baxtiyar Vahabzada's words and gave it to one of the performers before her illness. Singer Eldar Alakbarov gave the recording of the song to Baxtiyar Vahabzada to listen shortly before his death. "As he told us, Baxtiyar muallim praised the song and said: What a pity that Safiqa is not around, I would have kissed her hand," Rafiqa says.

"Most of my songs have a happy fate - they were sung by Sovkat Alakbarova, Sara Qadimova, Sakina Ismayilova and Zeynab Xanlarova," Safiqa Axundova said. "Among the ballads, the series written on Samad Vurgun poem 'Aygun' is particularly dear to me. I suspect that the poet described my life in the poem, since the fate of the main character is so similar to mine."

Azerbaijan has given the world many women musicians. Our first professional composers are Agabaci Rzayeva, Safiqa Axundova, opera singers Sovkat Mammadova, Fatima Muxtarova, Sofkat Alakbarova, Sara Qadimova and Rubaba Muradova. Their baton was later picked up by Zeynab Xanlarova, world-famous singers - sisters Fidan and Xuraman Qasimovas, Farqana Qasimova, etc. And our theatre also gave Azerbaijan brilliant actresses: Nasiba Zeynalova, Hokuma Qurbanova, Amalia Panahova, etc. 

May your memory live forever - Safiqa xanum!