On September 18, our country celebrates National Music Day, the day when the genius Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli opened his eyes to the world.
Oku.Az It should be noted that in 1995, by decree of Heydar Aliyev, on the eve of the 110th anniversary of the birth of the brilliant composer, it was decided to celebrate September 18 as the National Day of Music.
The tradition of celebrating the great composer’s birthday as a holiday was founded by maestro Niyazi. The famous composer and conductor Niyazi Uzeyir used to celebrate this day every year after his death. Traditionally, thousands of people gathered in front of the Azerbaijan State Conservatory (now the Baku Music Academy) on this day. Here the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra Uzeyir Hajibeyov performed the composer’s works under the direction of Niyazi.
Fragments of his immortal works were played in honor of Uzeyir Hajibeyli in cultural centers and music schools, especially in front of our conservatory, the current Academy of Music. This tradition was forgotten for a while due to the political crisis in Azerbaijan, especially in Baku, in the early 1990s.
The Ministry of Culture organizes a number of events related to the National Music Day: a solemn ceremony is held in front of the Baku Music Academy, cultural events are organized in the house-museum of Uzeyir Hajibeyov, and a solemn evening dedicated to the memory of Uzeyir Hajibeyov is held in the palace named after Heydar Aliyev.
CJSC “Baku Metropoliteni” also carries out a social project, which is becoming more and more traditional every year, in connection with the National Music Day. On this occasion, a musical programme is organised at stations, which has already become a tradition. On 18 September, a concert programme is organised in the halls of several busiest stations in order to present a Christmas song to metro passengers. The programme includes samples of national and classical music.
