Documentary filmed about mugham singer known throughout Middle East
By Laman Ismayilova
The International Mugham Centre continues to implement a series of creative projects aimed at promoting traditional music.
The centre has recently filmed a documentary about prominent mugham singer Bulbuljan, famous throughout the entire Middle East. The film's shooting took place in Baku and Tbilisi.
The documentary uses new materials about the life of the leading figure stored in the archives and museums of Tbilisi, photographs of the cities of Shusha, Tbilisi and Baku at that time, as well as documentary newsreels, Trend Life reported.
Abdulbagi Zulalov, later known as Bulbuljan, was born in 1841 in Shusha. In his younger years he travelled a lot throughout the Caucasus and Iran. During one of his visits to Iran Mozzafar al-Din Shah Qajar (the ruler of Iran) liked his performance so much that he awarded Zulalov the Shir-o Khorshid order, the highest Iranian order at the time.
In 1875 Zulalov moved to Tbilisi, the regional cultural capital at the time, where he would live until 1905. He gave concerts together with his fellow-countryman, a great tar player Sadigjan.
With his beautiful voice and high artistic performance, he quickly became famous throughout the Caucasus.
He also performed Azerbaijani mughams in Georgian. This was the time when he began to be called Bulbuljan, which literally means "[our] dear nightingale" in the Azerbaijani language.
After returning to Shusha in 1905, he dedicated himself to raising his orphaned nephews. In the early 1920s he moved to Baku to teach at the newly-opened post-secondary musical institutions, and remained there until his death.
Bulbuljan significantly influenced many prominent Azerbaijani mugham and folk singers, including Jabbar Garyaghdyoglu, Musa Shushinski, Mashadi Mammad Farzaliyev, Shakili Alasgar, Seyid Shushinski and many others.
Bulbuljan's daughter, granddaughter and nephews continued his traditions of mugham arts.[2]
The role of Bulbuljan in the film was played by Honored Artist Tayyar Bayramov. The documentary features stories about the mugham singer said by People's Artist Arif Babayev, Honored Art Worker Sanubar Baghirova, as well as his descendants.
The author of the project's idea is the director of the International Mugham Center, People's Artist Murad Huseynov, scriptwriters - Gulhuseyn Kazimli and Hafiz Imamnezerli.
The film, which will be presented in the Azerbaijani and Georgian languages, will be released after the weakening of the quarantine regime.
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