Los Angeles celebrates “Uzeyir Hajibeyli Day”
The U.S. City of Los Angeles has issued a special proclamation on the occasion of the 130th birthday anniversary of the founder of the Azerbaijani classical music Uzeyir Hajibeyli.
In accordance with the proclamation signed by the City’s Mayor Eric Garcetti, September 18, 2015 has been proclaimed the “Uzeyir Hajibeyli Memorial Day” in the City of Los Angeles. Mayor Garcetti has invited all Los Angeles residents to join in this celebration.
“Uzeyir Hajibeyli was born in the city of Agjabadi in Azerbaijan on September 18, 1885. He is recognized as the father of Azerbaijani classical music, as well as the founder of the first opera, Leyli and Majnun (1908), and first operetta The Cloth Peddler (1913) in the Muslim world,” the proclamation that was sent to Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Los Angeles notes.
Highlighting the great composer’s achievements, the proclamation stated that in his fusion of traditional Azerbaijani music and European classical opera, Hajibeyli created a new musical genre, merging Eastern and Western music.
“Through his music as well as work as a journalist, teacher and translator, Hajibeyli played a vital role in the fight against illiteracy and helped usher in a cultural shift that launched a period of enlightenment that transcended his country’s borders and reached many others in the Eurasia region,” the proclamation said.
The document further noted that Hajibeyli composed the first national anthem for Azerbaijan and actively participated in the formation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918, which was the first-ever parliamentary secular democracy in the Muslim world”
Speaking of Hajibeyli’s “Arshin Mal Alan” (Cloth Peddler) operetta and the musical comedy film based on this operetta, the proclamation said the first ever U.S. screening of the newly re-mastered and colorized version of the film will take place on September 19 in Los Angeles.
It should be noted that five other cities in California have also proclaimed September 18, 2015 as “Uzeyir Hajibeyli Memorial Day” in their cities. These cities are: San Diego, Santa Monica, Long Beach, Monterey and West Hollywood.
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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
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