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Music education
“East-West” in the Music Education in Azerbaijan: Building a New Concept (part 3)
Author:
City
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Baku
Country :
Azerbaijan
Pages
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1
1991 marked the beginning of a new era in the history of music education in Azerbaijan. Western part immensely increased its weight. The most obvious observation refers to replacing the five-year education with undergraduate and graduate studies. “True” knowledge of Western music, be it performing styles, teaching techniques or research methods arrived in the Baku Music Academy and other music schools in the country gained due to intensified international contacts: either frequent guests from abroad or native cadres who studied at world-reputed schools. “The Academy has acquired much more vehicles to “export” and “import” music,” Farhad Badalbeyli mentions. “Both our students and teachers have got an opportunity to discuss freely, for instance, the ways of interpretation of Ravel or Debussy with French colleagues (whereas before we thought that only our school was noteworthy).” 1 A list of guest professors who has given recitals, conducted master classes, or lectured at the Music Academy since 2000, is quite impressive featuring world renown figures, such as cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, vocalists Montserrat Caballet (Spain), Galina Vishnevskaya (France), composers James Clark, Andrew Toovey (Great Britain) and Kshishtof Meyer (Poland), pianists Bella Davidovich (USA) Fransua Shaplen (France) and violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky (Great Britain). Productive contacts have been established with the U.S. universities: Professor of voice James McDonald and his coach accompanist Ruth Ann McDonald, Assistant Professor of Jazz and Saxophone studies Thomas Walsh (all - Indiana University), Professor of Musicology David Blum (New York City University), Assistant Professor of Tuba and Euphonium studies Kenyon Wilson (Michigan University) and folklorist Ph.D. Candidate Anna Senarslan (University of Madison-Wisconsin) paid memorable visits to Azerbaijan sharing their experience with local musicians and donating huge amount of scores and teaching materials. In 2001 and 2002, Apple Hill Chamber Players gave their master-class at the Academy and selected students to participate in the chamber music festival annually held in Apple Hill. And in 2006 the world-reputed cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble arrived in Baku and conducted master class at the Music Academy.
In May, 2003 a significant event happened: Jazz Center began its activities under the Baku Music Academy. This was a logical outcome of the process that began to emerge in the early 1990s when jazz class had been included in the Academy’s list of selective courses. Performances of local pianists Vagif Sadikhov and Salman Gambarov and saxophonist Thomas Walsh (USA) affirmed presence of jazz at the Large Hall of Baku Music Academy. Master classes, workshops and seminars conducted by musicians from the USA, Germany, Norway and Holland in a framework of three “Caspian Blues and Jazz” festivals (2001-2004) and annual International Jazz festivals held in Baku also helped to develop the idea of jazz as not only creative but also educational phenomenon: the approach that had never existed in the country before. Since the late 1990s, jazz related topics, such as features of jazz harmony in the works of Azerbaijani composers, had absorbed the Academy’s research activities. During the 1990s, jazz classes had consequently opened in a number of schools and colleges of Baku.
Eastern addendum has also increased its presence in the music instruction in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani language has become of prior importance in the Music Academy, colleges and public music schools. The concept of teaching Azerbaijani music has finally gotten released from necessary proportioning it with the Russian-Soviet part. Scholars turned to explore topics diligently hidden during the Soviet era, such as discriminated genres of traditional music, the role of Islamic factor, or comprehension of Azerbaijani music in a broad context of the Middle East region. In 1991 the Laboratory on restoring and improving Azerbaijan’s ancient musical instruments led by musicologist Dr. Majnun Karimov opened at the Music Academy. Despite being small and modestly equipped, this laboratory plays an important role in reviving nation’s music heritage: forgotten instruments and performing styles have returned into music life and music instruction in Azerbaijan. Scholars dealing with composed traditions have also got a huge field for research finding out hitherto unknown facts and circumstances hidden in the KGB and the Communist Party’s archives and filling “white spots” in the national musicology.
In 2000, most departments related to traditional music were separated from the Baku Music Academy and formed a base for the National Conservatory. Apparently, certain time distance is needed to apprehend fully an outcome of this idea. What is clear, though, is that the fact of separating academic and traditional music studies is more than merely borrowing the world-accepted models, or voluntary manifestation of “quasi-patriotic” ideas in the newly independent state. It certainly corresponds with the situation of the 1920s when Uzeyir Hajibeyov insisted on separate functioning of “academic” and “national” music institutions. As such, the new concept of music education should be viewed as a re-shaping of West-East notion with absence of mediating Russian-Soviet factor. Both the Music Academy and the National Conservatory now hold enormous responsibility for providing new balance between Western and Eastern parts, each in its own way.
When casting a final glance at the diagram shown at the very beginning, one can still mention a small Russian-Soviet portion remaining even after the collapse of the Soviet Empire. We keep acting in a context of the centralized and state-controlled educational system. Meanwhile, certain freedom in terms of curriculum and contents of courses is allowed, and schools are encouraged to make their own decisions rather than simply implement directions. One more desirable “relic of the past” is free, state-funded education available to all categories of the population.
Despite all complexities that music education in Azerbaijan experienced in the 20th century a sense of stable and progressive movement never disappeared from our minds. It’s still with us, although present day’s situation is still far from ideal. Economical hardships of post-Soviet period cause serious problems, such as the lack of updated teaching materials or technical facilities. The most important problem, though, was a flow of local musicians overseas, first of all, Turkey. We notice slight Turkish accent in our colleagues’ Azerbaijani, get adored with their wages that exceed ours for five and more times, and a sense of pessimism may creep in our hearts. But it does not last long. Then we see a girl from far mountainous village arriving in Baku to study music, or a boy from refugee family barely affording violin and music sheets, but still enthusiastic about his future career in music. We recall optimism and courage of Uzeyir Hajibeyov who had overcome enormous obstacles on the way of enhancing musical horizons of the nation. We see Azerbaijan’s distinguished musicians Arif Malikov, Agshin Alizade and Khuraman Gasimova and many others back from Turkey to their teaching responsibilities at the Baku Music Academy. Then we realize that it would be unforgivable to step back. Too high cost has been paid, and too many perspectives lay ahead.
1. Interview with Farhad Badalbeyli, in “Vek nyneshnii i vek minuvshii” (The present and the past epoch) Muzykal’naia Akademiia, no 1, 2002, 230.
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