UNESCO to mark 100th jubilee of national composer and university
By Laman Ismayilova
UNESCO, aiming to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting international collaboration, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of prominent national composer Gara Garayev and the Baku State University.
The proposals were put forward alongside with other 48 in the list of anniversaries for 2018-2019 submitted by the UNESCO Executive Board, within the 39th session of General Conference held in Paris.
At the Conference it was adopted to celebrate the jubilee of the outstanding composer in 2018 and the year later to mark the anniversary of establishment of the first national university – the Baku State University.
In addition, Azerbaijan has joined the proposal put forward by the Islamic Republic of Iran to hold the 850th anniversary of the creativity of the great Eastern poet, born in Azerbaijan, Shikhabuddin Yahya Suhrawardi.
Legend of national music
Gara Garayev is one of those great composers who have enriched the Azerbaijani music with his immense legacy. He is the author of nearly 110 pieces, including ballets, operas, symphonic and chamber pieces, piano solos, cantatas, songs, and marches.
The great composer juxtaposed features of Mugham (national music) with jazz, blues, African music, European counterpoint styles, and developments related to the 20th century Western music such as the 12-tone technique.
His music combines a strict, logical spirit of classicism with a poignant, romantic passion. After years of creating consonant and tonal pieces, he turned to a dissonant style in which links with folklore became less obvious, especially in such works as the Third Symphony and Violin Concerto.
Nation’s first university
The Baku State University established in 1919 by the decision of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, was the first national university in the country. The new educational institution set up at the intersection of Europe and Asia in Baku, had two faculties -- Faculty of Philology and the Medical Faculty and an enrollment of 1,094 students in its first year.
One of the leading educational institutions in Azerbaijan with over 20,000 students, BSU is offering 57 specializations under Bachelor and 190 under Masters’ degree education and PhD degrees. Currently, the multiprofile University is made up of 17 faculties that offer 60 specializations under bachelor and 37 under masters’ degree in three languages (Azerbaijani, Russian and English). Students of BSU study 14 world languages.
Azerbaijan became member of UNESCO on June 3 1992, after restoration of its independence. In 2003, Azerbaijan and UNESCO signed the framework agreement on cooperation in the areas of culture, science, education and communication, which allowed Azerbaijan to become one of the donors of UNESCO.
This may the organization marked the 600th anniversary of the death of the great Azerbaijani poet and thinker Imadaddin Nasimi.
Moreover, this year UNESCO also celebrated the 200th anniversary of the first settlement of Germans in Azerbaijan. In 2013, with the support of UNESCO the 900th anniversary of Azerbaijani poetess Mahsati Ganjavi was celebrated in Paris.
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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova
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