ETERNAL CHILD PRODIGY

In the autumn of 1949, another annual festival of works of Azerbaijani composers was held at the building of the Union of Composers of Azerbaijan. For the first time it took place without the main member of the jury - the great Uzeyir Hacibayov who died a year earlier. On that day, the young composer Cahangir Cahangirov presented his first vocal-symphonic poem "On the other side of the Araz". The piece was performed by a symphony orchestra and a choir, and the orchestra was led by the great maestro Niyazi himself. The performance was brilliant and generated a great interest among the professional musicians that were present there. After a few days, the composer was awarded the State Prize of the USSR - the highest award that a cultural figure could count on.

It was the first time in history when the award was given to a young composer, who had not even completed his education. Cahangir Cahangirov was only 28 then, and many called him a child prodigy.

Youth

Cahangir Cahangirov was born on 20 July 1921 in the Baku settlement of Balaxani. As a child he was interested in folk music in its various forms - mugam, tasnifs, ranga, diringi and folk dances. In 1937, the young Cahangir independently decided to enroll in the Asaf Zeynalli music college, and after studying there, he entered the Azerbaijan State Conservatory. It was here that he was able to thoroughly and comprehensively study the theory of the foundations of Azerbaijani folk music. A huge role in the education and creative growth of Cahangir was played by his teacher Uzeyir Hacibayov. It was under the guidance of the master that the young composer created his first serious pieces. An important aspect of his education was his working practices. Continuing to go to the conservatory, he worked in the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Society on the recommendation of Hacibayov. There he practically and thoroughly learnt professional music and began singing in the choir. It is this Philharmonic Choir that was the first to sing the popular songs of Cahangirov later. 

Several years passed, and in the late 1940s, Cahangirov became artistic director of the song and dance ensemble at the Philharmonic. He created several ashug works specially for the ensemble.

"Basically, his creative work reflects people's motifs, especially ashug motifs," says musicologist Elxan Axundov. "Many of his later works clearly show the roots of ashug music, which makes Cahangirov's works original and creates the characteristic features of his talent and his author's style."

While working and studying at the conservatory, Cahangirov fully learned the basics of music, and the following milestone in his professional biography was a creative trip to South Azerbaijan. Living and working in Tabriz, Cahangirov created several creative teams, as well as the first orchestra of folk instruments in this city. For this orchestra, the composer wrote a lot of songs, marches, suites and other pieces. Having returned to Baku, Cahangirov continued his studies at the conservatory, but the experience of living and working in Iran was not in vain. It was on the recommendation of Hacibayov that the young composer created a work dedicated to South Azerbaijan.

Mature age

"The 1960s and 1970s were the most successful and fruitful for the composer," says Axundov. This is primarily the suites "Harvest" and "Spring is coming", as well as music for the play "Indian beauty". According to the musicologist, in addition to the well-known music for movies, unfortunately, his beautiful "Cairo Sketches" have been undeservedly forgotten. Like most other major works of Cahangirov, this work was written for the folk instrumental ensemble. His "Ballad" (Music for the Symphony Orchestra), "Sabir" (oratorio), as well as the symphonic poem and symphony engravings of the early 1970s are also perfect.

"Cahangirov remained in the memory of the people as a songwriter for films," says the musicologist. "His pop and cinema works turned out to be so successful that his songs are remixed by modern artists."

Songs and instrumental compositions written for the performance "Ana ?r?yi" ("Mother's Heart"), "D?niz c?surlar? sevir" ("The sea loves the brave ones"), "X?yyam" ("Khayyam"), music for the films "Koroglu", "Invincible Battalion", "Tempestuous Kura", "Papaq" and others are the most known. The composer's pop songs were sung by such great masters as Bulbul and Rasid Behbudov, Lutfiyar Imanov, Sovkat Alakbarova, Mobil Ahmadov, Xuraman and Fidan Qasimovas. People still listen to his songs "Nazanin" by Bulbul, "Ana" (Rasid Behbudov), as well as other songs and ballads.

As a composer Cahangirov began with music for the choir, and today the choir of Azerbaijan State Television bears his name, while its artistic director and chief conductor is a pupil of Cahangirov, Sahla Alakbarova. The choir also performs songs from his unfinished opera "Fuzuli", the famous works "Azerbaijan", "Xazar" and many other works of the composer.

The opera "Fuzuli" can be called one of the best works of Cahangirov. Perhaps, someday, as it happens in the tradition of classical music, a worthy successor to the composer will finish this work, keeping it in a style similar to that of the great master.