"THIS IS A REAL NIGHTINGALE"

I asked the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to Russia and people's artist, Polad Bulbuloglu, about the state of the places where we cannot set foot today, where our voice does not reach, and where the Armenians are brutally and mercilessly destroying the traces left by our forefathers on the earth, rocks and stones. After all, he visited Nagornyy Karabakh twice as a member of the delegation of Azerbaijani intellectuals. I asked him about the state of his father's homeland - our outstanding singer Bulbul: "What has remained unchanged in Xanbagi and beautiful Susa, the birthplace of your father?" He said with sadness in his eyes and bitterness in his voice: "Basically just the streets. Unfortunately, devastation reigns everywhere. I am happy that I happened to see those places again. On the other hand, it is very hard. What I saw frequently pops up in my mind and rises before my eyes. The monument to my father is missing half the face. One of the three monuments I took away a few years ago is also a monument to my father. How can the sight of a destroyed monument to dad affect his son? This is the proof of the Armenians' barbarity."

Susa ... is history. But history is not just the earth, rocks, stones, ancient monuments, streets and buildings. It is also outstanding people with whom this city enriched the science, culture and art of Azerbaijan. One of these personalities is the singer Bulbul. In the 64 years of his life, he received great love, the most prestigious titles and awards. He was indented for all this to a gift from above - his divine voice. It is because of this incomparable voice that he was named Bulbul - a nightingale.

He was born on 22 June 1897 in the Xanbagi area near Susa. Murtuz Mammadov was 8 years old. Like all Susa residents, he was in love with Azerbaijani mugam and folk songs performed by singers from Karabakh. Sometimes he quietly hummed under his breath. First listeners and fans appeared. Peers often asked him to sing.

In those years, famous singers - xanandas turned weddings in Susa into real pieces of art. Like all Susa residents, Murtuza enthusiastically listened to their mugams and folk songs. On that day, in order to take a good look at a wedding, he climbed a large mulberry growing nearby together with his peers. When the singer went from mugam to mugam, the soul of the small Murtuza trembled. And his peers insisted: "Sing, too." Murtuza could not say no. As soon as he began to sing, he forgot about everything. He did not even notice how the xananda shut up and everyone began to listen to him. He came to his senses only when the groom lost his temper. I wanted to run away, but I had no such luck. The xananda beckoned the boy over: "This is a real bulbul." This time, he sang for the guests at the request of the xananda.

That night, with his performance at the wedding, the small Murtuza confirmed his talent before the Susa connoisseurs of music. Then he heard the first applause for himself. Susa residents remembered this little boy and his sonorous voice forever. They only forgot his real name - Murtuza. Henceforth, he lived and became famous as Bulbul.

In his youth, he moved to Baku, where he started his career as a singer in 1916. In 1920, he became a soloist of the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theatre (then the opera troupe of the United State Bolshoi Theatre). He sang in the operas "Layla and Majnun" (Majnun) and "Asli and Karam" (Karam) by Uzeyir Hacibayov and "Asiq Qarib" (Qarib) by Zulfuqar Hacibayov.

In 1927, he graduated from the Baku State Conservatory and was sent to continue his education in Milan, where he graduated from the conservatory in 1931. He returned to Baku and began teaching at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory. After a year, a research room for the study of Azerbaijani folk music was established at the conservatory on Bulbul's initiative.

Tandem of creativity

In 1938, he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR. From the same year until the end of his life, he was invariably elected a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR. He did not leave unanswered any appeal from his voters, gave them all possible assistance, forwarded requests and complaints from citizens to appropriate organizations and decision-makers, and later inquired about their execution. He acted like this in any matter. He did not like indifference. All this was told by Bulbul's wife Aida many years ago. "Bulbul was a special person," she said. "He was generous and disciplined. He had a good, docile character. At the same time, he was determined and principled. We knew that he expressed his opinion only once. If he said 'no', it was impossible to convince him. So we tried not to argue with him."

Whatever it is, Aida always talked about one thing - how she met Bulbul, how she loved him and how they were happy for 29 years. "Bulbul was in love with beauty. He loved all the good things in life. His good looks, kind blue eyes and majestic gait attracted everyone. He was a true orator. He knew how to speak without papers and cribs. He expressed his thoughts clearly and beautifully. He was sympathetic. He paid special attention to orphans. He donated his Stalin stipend of 200 roubles to a children's home. Twice a month, on Sundays, he stuffed his car with toys and food and took them to an orphanage." Aida also said that Bulbul did not tolerate lies: "Bulbul valued friendship. If he stopped being friends with someone, it meant that the reason for that was a lie." Aida missed the days when they had no lack of guests: "Bulbul did not like loneliness. At home we always had many guests. Academician Yusif Mammadaliyev, Mammad Said Ordubadi, Qara Qarayev, Niyazi, Fikrat Amirov, Rasid Behbudov, Tofiq Quliyev, Suleyman Alasgarov and many other famous figures of science and art of that time were frequent guests here. Our doors were always open to young composers. We were always visited by world-famous artists who were visiting Baku."

She also spoke about the friendship of Bulbul and Niyazi who lived in the same neighbourhood, their joint work on pieces of music, Bulbul's friendship with the composers Qara Qarayev and Fikrat Amirov. They did a lot for Azerbaijani music.

Synthesizing our folk songs and the vocal traditions of the West, Bulbul introduced novelty in Azerbaijani music and created a new style of performance. Having occupied a special place in the world's vocal art, he became the founder of the Azerbaijani school in this area.

"Uzeyir bay and Bulbul were a powerful tandem," Aida said. Bulbul's voice gave a special charm to Uzeyir bay's songs. They grew up in the cradle of Azerbaijani music - in Susa. They both knew and endlessly loved mugams, folk tunes and songs. At the same time, they had deeply studied Western music. Thanks to such masters as Uzeyir Hacibayov and Bulbul, Azerbaijani music achieved new successes.

Some argue that this friendship was later overshadowed by some sort of resentment. However, Bulbul's performance of the romance "Sansiz" ("Without You") near the body of deceased Uzeyir bay without any accompaniment was impregnated with such grief that no one could hold back tears. This divine performance made the then leader of Azerbaijan, Mircafar Bagirov, cry. Polad Bulbuloglu said that from that day, Bulbul stopped singing this song: "I almost always accompanied my father. Once we were in one district, and my father wanted me to perform this piece. Then he began to sing 'Sansiz' at concerts. He gave his all to this singing. After the events in Karabakh and the occupation of Susa, this piece became a special symbol for me."

The magic voice of Bulbul

Aida and Polad proudly remember that opera productions and concerts involving Bulbul always had a full house. Bulbul's wife talked about his tours: "Bulbul's concerts in Azerbaijan and abroad were very solemn. Crowded concert halls, rapturous applause and countless flowers ... I saw Bulbul during his performances at the front, before home front workers, in hospitals and in call-up centres. His weapons were songs. Generals, officers and soldiers expressed their endless gratitude to him."

Bulbul himself often recalled one event that occurred during the Great Patriotic War at the Bryansk front. Doctors were preparing to amputate the leg of a badly injured young Ukrainian. Forced to perform surgery without anesthesia, the surgeon called Bulbul for help, asking him to sing a song in Ukrainian because the guy might not withstand the upcoming difficult surgery without anesthesia. Upon entering the operating room, Bulbul sang the song "The Low Sun" from Lysenko's opera "Natalka-Poltavka". The wounded man asked him to sing the song again.

The surgery lasted three hours, and during this time, Bulbul sang the song many times. The singer's charming voice gave strength to the young soldier and brought him back to life.

Bulbul was very fond of travelling by car and being close to nature. He visited the most beautiful countries in the world. Sometimes he went on a tour and sometimes on holiday. But the world's most desirable area for him was his native Susa. He always found time for his native city, although his life was planned not only for days ahead, but even for hours and minutes ahead. For Bulbul, Susa was the most beautiful city in the world...

He died on 26 September 1961. Bulbul left behind not only his songs recorded on tape. He established a school where young artists could acquire performance skills and learn scenic culture and respect for the viewer. Polad Bulbuloglu also learned a lot from his father whom he lost at 16: "The attention and respect shown to the audience by such singers as Bulbul was a lesson for us. If you go on stage, you must become an example for people. This is what we learnt from such masters as Bulbul, who respected art."

In Baku, there is a "wounded" monument to Bulbul. It is one of the three monuments fired at by the Armenians. It has long been in Baku. And in Karabakh, there are not only "wounded" monuments, but also Bulbul's hometown captured by the Armenians, the streets through which he walked and his father's home...

Polad Bulbuloglu said: "It is good that Bulbul did not see the occupation of Karabakh and Susa by the Armenians." He did not... And is he really not seeing it?