What other kinds of influences did Hajibeyov have on contemporary music?
Uzeyir Hajibeyov’s musical legacy influenced the entire nation, including our progressive musicians. But there were also some tendencies like dissonance. Some people wanted such music to become the predominant force in our music. And this tendency had a lot of supporters in our country. Russian composer Shostakovich and his followers led this avant-garde movement. But later on, Shostakovich became more and more realistic because he realized that this tendency was anti-national, and that it was impossible to force people to perceive music in these ways. Hajibeyov was very popular and deeply respected in the Soviet Union, thanks to the fact that his creation and his music were very close to people. And he had innovative methods. This is probably what gained him credibility and respect all over the Soviet Union. He was one of the foremost composers in the entire Soviet Union. He was the first composer in the whole USSR to be awarded the highest recognition as “People’s Artist of the USSR”
