Jovdat Hajiyev

Who was Jovdat Hajiyev?

Ahmad Jovdat Ismayil oglu Hajiyev was one of the major Azerbaijani composers of the Soviet period. He is remembered for his monumental orchestral works, having been the first Azerbaijani to compose a symphony. He studied under Azerbaijan's Founder of Composed Music, Uzeyir Hajibeyov and under Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

Hajiyev was born in Shaki, a town in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains in northwestern Azerbaijan. From an early age, he was deeply influenced by the traditional music of folk songs, ashug music and mugham.

In 1924, his family moved to Baku. In 1935, he enrolled in the theoretical composition faculty at Baku Conservatory, studying under Uzeyir Hajibeyov and the Latvian-born Rudolf, a former student of Sergei Taneyev. The following year, Hajiyev composed his single movement "Symphony No. 1", the first symphonic piece ever written by an Azerbaijani composer. This work enabled him to enter Moscow Conservatory in 1938.

In Moscow, World War II interrupted his studies and he had to return to Baku. After the war, Hajiyev and fellow student Gara Garayev returned to Moscow and were profoundly influenced by composer Shostakovich. Hajiyev completed "Symphony No. 3" to graduate in 1947.