National Music Day in Azerbaijan
September 18 · Level 8 · #531 of 2238
Azerbaijan’s National Music Day celebrates a musical heritage that spans mugham, folk traditions and composed classical works. It marks the birthday of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, a central figure in the development of the country’s professional music.
How it is celebrated: concerts and commemorative events honour the composer and showcase Azerbaijan’s musical traditions. Established musicians and younger performers share stages, offering audiences different ways to discover the national repertoire.
Hajibeyli’s opera Leyli and Majnun brought mugham improvisation into a European theatrical form. First performed in Baku in 1908, it made room for an improvising tradition within an operatic story.