ANGELS OF MUSIC

The years took their toll - they took away her youth, her sense of fun…And then fate dealt the hardest blow - it took away her only son, Taleh. Now her life's energy was supported purely by her passion for music, her desire to composer more songs, exuding them with love and with grief. "I cannot live unless I am writing music," she would say.

…Her memories were like a scattered flight of cranes, and her eyes fixed into the distance were an inward gaze. She fell silent as though trying to bring some order to her scattered memories. Then she slowly began to tell the story of her life.

"She plays with her hands and dances with her feet"

She did not need to say that she comes from Saki. This was obvious from her still dulcet Saki accent. But she began the conversation by talking about Seki, her ancient home town. For Safiqa Saki was not just the place of her birth but also of her finest dreams. She was born on 24 January 1924 in the centre of Seki, the "youth quarter". Safiqa had this to say about that day: "Many relatives came to check on mummy. But when, after giving birth, she opened her eyes she could see only one relative. When she asked "Where are the others?" the relative replied that the great leader Lenin had died and they had all gone to a rally. When she heard this, mummy looked at me and said: "My child, what a bad day you have been born on…"

In her childhood memories she can see a little girl gazing with enchantment at the beauty of nature. The mountains soaring close by, the green forests and meadows scattered with bright flowers on their slopes sang with one voice a plaintive and delicate melody. The little Safiqa would sometimes go and join them. She was still a child when the family moved to Baku. Although living in the capital, they still visited Seki frequently. They spent nearly the whole summer there. She first took lessons in school 6, and then school 173. She didn't take to technical subjects very much, but she was drawn to music. Her parents could see that, too. Her mother, Zuleyxa, was happy that her daughter liked music. When asked "What's your daughter Safiqa doing?" she replied with a smile: "She's playing with her hands and dancing with her feet."

Her father, Qulam, was a very serious and even grumpy man. In 1917-20 he worked for the party and was first secretary of the Communist Party in Saki and Qax in Balakan District. That was why he was called "Qulam the magician". He didn't want any of his family to be musicians. The 13-year old daughter's love of music exasperated her father. But Safiqa lived in her own little world. She played some songs so beautifully on the piano… Her father even put a lock on the piano for a while to stop his daughter playing. And on one occasion he punished her for secretly going to the conservatoire - he left her outside in snowy, frosty weather and she spent the night with neighbours. But the father's tough measures were in vain. Safiqa's love of music grew stronger every day.

Her father was afraid that if they took up music his children would find it hard to make ends meet. He wanted his son and four daughters to choose their own professions which would give them a quiet life. However, the choice had already been made and Safiqa Axundova followed her heart and decided to become a musician.

Fate was kind to her. Her sister Zumrud got a job teaching at university, and her husband Arif Dadaszada was a well-known scientist. The most respected people in the town would often come to see him. It was there that the head of the Department of Affairs of the Ministry of Culture, the writer Mirza Ibrahimov, met this gifted daughter. Zumrud's words "Mirza, would you like to meet Safiqa and Uzeyir bay?" caught the writer's fancy. In 1940 Mirza Ibrahimov telephoned Uzeyir Hacibayov and told him about Safiqa's talent and that she was writing music. The composer listened with interest and said: "Bring her to me." This news delighted Safiqa. The same day she set of to visit Uzeyir with her sister Zumrud.

Example of a real man

The composer greeted them warmly and asked Safiqa to play something for him. She sat down shyly at the piano and played and sang the song "Bala" ("The Child") to the words of Mirza Bayramov's ashiq which had been put to music for the first time…The joy and emotion of that day stayed with Safiqa for many years afterwards. After all, Uzeyir had approved of her song and the kind words she heard from him about her talent as a composer inspired her all her life.

At that time Uzeyir had started preparatory courses at the conservatoire which anyone who was interested in music and had some talent could attend. Safiqa at first studied at the department for the tar and then at these courses. In the genial composer's class she studied composing and the basics of Azerbaijani folk music.

Uzeyir was for her not just an irreplaceable teacher, but also an example of a real man. Safiqa recalled with gratitude his concern and his kindness towards the students: "These were the hard years of the war. On one occasion, when he noticed that I had a look of indifference at a lesson, Uzeyir asked: "Are you hungry?" I shyly replied: "No." But Uzeyir passed me a sandwich he had brought with him. In those years he would use his fee to help me and the young composer Agabaci Rzayeva. In 1944 we had to take part in Ten Days of Transcaucasian Music. Agabadci and I arrived at Uzeyir's office. Our shabby clothes did not escape his attention. He ordered coats and outfits for us at the workshop. He even asked Sovkat Mammadova to choose the style of the outfit."

When she lost her bread coupons in 1943 Safiqa found herself in a helpless predicament. Hearing about this, Uzeyir immediately telephoned the director of the opera and ballet theatre and asked her to give her a job. Safiqa worked as a prompt in this theatre for several years. "Uzeyir did not restrict himself to teaching his pupils the secrets of music," Safiqa said. "He was always a material and a moral support for us. We knew he was a man who, like a natural father, cared about us, protected us and expected us to produce new and worthy performances. We worked with huge enthusiasm, oblivious of fatigue."

During the war years Safiqa Axundova composed songs and marches which inspired the troops. The young composer's songs "Roya", "Zafar Marsi", "Na Gozal", "Yasatdin ellari" and others are full of determination and faith in victory. Outstanding masters such as Bulbul, Sovkat Mammadova and other well-known singers were also fine exponents of her songs.

Xadjar in music

Safiqa Axundova was the first female composer in the East to try her luck in opera. This is how Safiqa remembers the days when she wrote the music for Iskandar Cosqun's radio production "Galin Qayasi" from Suleyman Rahimov's tale of the same name: "It was 1972. The writer Suleyman Rahimov had offered his story for the radio. Then he phoned and said he wanted me to compose the music for the production. Before that I had written music for many productions. And the music for this one was a success, too."

On one occasion Suleyman Rahimov came to visit her. When he said "I've decided you ought to write an opera based on this story", she immediately refused. "I can't. It's too hard. No woman has ever written an opera." Suleyman remained unmoved. "Before Xadjar no woman had ever taken to the saddle and set off to fight with a man. Could Xadjar possibly manage this? She could and she did. And you can write. You have already composed the basic music for the radio production. Pick up courage and get down to work." And that was how Safiqa set about this extremely difficult and responsible task. She was "under house arrest", as she put it, throughout the seven months it took to work on this opera.

Her talent and efforts were rewarded. Safiqa Axundova inscribed her name into the history of music as the first female composer - the author of an opera not only in Azerbaijan, but throughout the East. At the same time, there were some who were not pleased at her success. This was the first time she had come up against strong opposition. She was very excited on the day of the premiere of the opera "Galin Qayasi". The premier was a success and the first to congratulate her was Suleyman Rahimov. Approaching her, he said joyfully: "Like Hacar Qocaq Nabi, you saddled the horse and smashed the swords of all the ill-wishers!"

Everything she wanted

Safiqa Axundova was a happy composer. One of the admirers of her works was her father although at one time, unlike her mother, he did all he could to oppose her wish to devote herself to music. Years later he finally realized he was wrong. But Safiqa no longer condemned her father, having endured everything life threw at her. Although she never regretted the choice she made, after years of hardship she began to understand her father better, having overcome so many obstacles along the way…Safiqa used to say: "There were always people who envied me, but I paid no attention to them. I had a strong will and character. That was why I achieved everything I wanted in art."

Thanks to her talent and will Safiqa wrote over 600 songs, the operetta "Ev bizim, sirr bizim" ("Our house, our secret"), pieces for string quartet, the shows "Aydin", "Elvida, Hindistan!" ("Farewell, India!"), "Na ucun yasayirsan?" ("Why are you living?"), and others, music for the children's shows "Talxayin nagili" ("The tale of the clown"), "Dovsanin ad gunu" ("The hare's birthday"), and others, and the opera "Galin Qayasi". Albeit somewhat late, in 1998 she was finally awarded the title "People's Artiste", and in 2004 was awarded the "Sohrat" order.

Her art as a composer brought her renown and the huge love of listeners. At the same time, she had to overcome great difficulties along this path and suffer many days of grief. Although her family life didn't last long she never condemned her ex-husband. Half joking and half seriously, she would say: "What else could he do, the poor dear? When he comes home a man should find his dinner on the table and a wife making a fuss of him. I didn't have time for all that." She brought up her only son Taleh by herself. Taleh was a very gifted composer. But he was unfortunate, fate wasn't kind to him…For some time the news of her son's death was kept from Safiqa.

Gravely ill and with an unhealing wound in her heart, she awaited her 90th birthday. Safiqa loved life, and she wanted to write more songs. After a long and grave illness Safiqa Axundova died in hospital on 26 July 2013. Music lovers are marking her 90th birthday without her…