Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

Mugham evening has been solemnly held at the Surakhani House of Culture as part of the "Journey to the World of Mugham" project.

The evening was dedicated to the Day of National Music - September 18, a feast of music went down in history as well as the birthday of the outstanding composer, founder of Azerbaijani professional musical art, Uzeyir Hajibeyli.

He is known as the author of the Azerbaijani anthem and he became the first composer of an opera in the Islamic world.

People's Artist Elnur Zeynalov, mugham singers Almakhanum Ahmedli, Konul Khalilzadeh and Nisbet Sadrayeva presented an interesting program, performing mughams Mahur, Shur, folk songs and tesnifs, Trend Life reported.

The concert was attended by the leadership of the Baku City Main Department of Culture as well as employees of various cultural institutions. The concert program was met with great interest.

A series of concerts, organized at the initiative of the International Mugham Center in Baku and with the support of the Baku City Main Cultural Department, will last until the end of this year.

Azerbaijani mugham, one of the most valuable treasures of the spiritual culture of the nation, contains seven main modes - Rast, Shur, Segah (especially common), Shushtar, Bayaty-Shiraz, Chahargah, Humayun and three collateral kinds - shahnaz, sarendj, chargah in some other form.

On November 7, 2003, UNESCO recognized Azerbaijani mugham as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In 2008, mugham was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Vagif Mustafazade is the founder of Azerbaijani jazz-mugham movement that emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s in Baku, as a result of the mixture of these two styles.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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