Music and Fine Arts

Folk Songs and Mugham - the art of mugham lies in its secrets that have been preserved for centuries.

Each performer bases his or her singing on strict rules, but at the same time displays qualities of creativity, performing mughams with a creative style, adding new features, trills, voices and melodies. All of these things are gradually accepted by mugham artists and are included in the repertoire of their performance styles. Thus, mugham develops. It was the unifying musical genre of the peoples of the Middle East until about the XIV century, but later this unifying musical genre branched off according to nations because of social and political changes. The course teaches students the history of the development of mugham.

The course also teaches rhythmic mugham and basic mugham. It is designed to help students master and understand the aesthetic values and character of national mugham music on the seven main scales (Rast, Shur, Chahargah, Bayati-Shiraz, Segah, Humayan, and Shustar).

Music is an incomparable force that influences the spirit and mentality of people.

Music speaks the language of people’s emotions. The mission fo music is not just as an art. It is hard to find a more effective way than music to penetrate people’s hearts and form their thinking. For this reason, music classes are considered very important for university students. This class contains classical opera, operetta, composed songs, classical popular songs, and folk songs. The goal of this class is to teach the details of the vocal arts and to train students in those works of classic opera that have achieved artistic immortality. The vocal profession is the indicator of the cultural level of the people. One of the main motivators of this course is to teach students to master the high cultural skill of listening to and understanding opera. 

Azerbaijani dances carry an ancient and rich history. 2-3 thousand years before our century, in the Bronze Age, the art of the dance took a definite position in the life, customs and tradition of the people.

This is known as a result of investigations. In Azerbaijan, as in many developing countries, long before the development of simple and primitive folk musical instruments, dance was accompanied by the rhythms of the audience’s hand-clapping. Tribes engaged in various professions, even hunting, carried out magical rituals with dances consisting of flexible movements demonstrating agility, quickness, and the power of man. Thus, as in many parts of the world, the different types and genres of the art of dance in Azerbaijan took their essence from a branch of oral folklore, folk dances. The art of dance obtained new content and methods through changes that occurred in the nation's economic, social and cultural life. Azerbaijani folk dances are inseparably connected to our history, reflecting its national character and mode. This goes to show to what extent the art of dance bore importance in the country's history and culture. The goal of organizing the dance courses is to develop students’ love of dance and also to acquaint students with dance methods. Special girls’ and boys’ ensembles are organized to teach dance traditions. 

The art of choral singing with its centuries-old traditions and deep spiritual content strongly influenced both the performers’ and the audience’ moral and intellectual mood.

It is considered a manifestation of the vocal and musical culture which increases and forms the music education and general cultural understanding of the students. The university Department of Music teaches choral culture and the development of music reading skills to musically and vocally talented students. Much emphasis is placed on masterful execution of the collective singing of the chorus, including correct breathing during singing, knowledge of chorus-related terminology, and solfege.

Choir classes are organized with the goal of developing and preserving a rich choir culture, awakening students’ interest in choir arts, and activating and motivating the creative activities of choirmasters. 

This art, among the most widespread cultural arts, has taken a vital place in the heritage of Azerbaijan and has almost become a symbol of the people.

Various pattern elements and descriptively decorated carpets (with and without pile) decorate walls of residential buildings, homes, yurts and tents; are laid out; and are used to impart a high aesthetic significance. The latest development period of the Azerbaijani carpet making art took place in the middle of the XX century. In that period, the carpet trade developed in several directions and carried a multi-faceted character. In the regions and villages of the republic, the art of carpet making is continued by individual carpet masters. The classic compositions of the art are manifested in these modern artists’ traditionally-woven carpet works. At the same time, entirely new compositions and pattern elements are being introduced. The class teaches and promotes the history of the art of carpet making.

Among the faculty are winners of international competitions, globally recognized artists, dancers, singers, and pianists. The activities of these professionals, who are involved with Eastern classical music alongside training on European musical instruments, have created a great deal of resonance in their fields internationally.

Classical music is considered the peak of the civilized world’s music; however, classical music is met with too much indifference in our society.

The main goal of organizing these courses is to create an environment where students can learn to evaluate and love classical music. Students listen to the creations of ingenious composers and learn them. The lectures in this course series are designed to acquaint the audience with the historical development of Azerbaijani and world music. The main goal of the course is to formulate students’ intellectual base and musical worldview. The lectures cover various composers’ lives and musical legacies as well was various methods, genres, and historical periods. From this perspective, they may be grouped as monographic and generalizing lectures. The material contains introductory theoretical practice, allowing the students to listen to and learn the sequence of music. Lectures are supplemented with live performances, musical excerpts, and audio/video materials. 

Metallic objects are of the primary things people use to adorn themselves. “Artistic metal” art is one of the main branches of Azerbaijani Decorative Applied Art. This form of art has created many branches within itself. Artistic metal art has been applied in combination with a variety of other types of art for centuries.

It is well known that jewelry, with its own unique place among fine arts, is one of our everlasting national riches. This field, which was born out of the natural need for people to make their world more beautiful, carries traces of the millennia over which it was formed against the backdrop of the nation’s geography, climate, economy, and later culture and religion. Along with its status as a national resource, jewelry also helps us understand and create ancient and beautiful traditions. Thus education in a field as interesting and multifaceted as jewelry, and especially the evaluation of students, is unique.

 Decorative artifacts that have been found as a result of long years of archeological study form a unique part of the representations of our rich culture. These decorative objects, taken together, provide an opportunity to comment on the art of jewelry. For example, pieces that are now only worn by women would have also been worn by men in ancient times. In those times, wearing jewelry was not only for aesthetic reasons; it was also a status symbol.

People’s attitudes toward certain decorative objects changed along with the formulation of religion as well; most decorations on bracelets, earrings, beads, belts and other decorative items for women shifted to symbols of the moon and other superstitious symbols.