The prominent composer, author of the first Azerbaijani operetta, and Honored Art Worker Zulfugar Hajibeyli was born on April 17, 1884, in the city of Shusha. His father worked as a scribe for the Azerbaijani poetess and the daughter of the last Khan of Karabakh, Khurshidbanu Natavan, and his mother was one of her close associates. The Hajibeyli family consisted of three sons and two daughters (Sayadin, Abuhayatin). Zulfugar's brothers were the Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli and the publicist Ceyhun Hajibeyli, who served as an advisor in the delegation sent by the Azerbaijani Republic to the Paris Peace Conference (1919-1920). Zulfugar Hajibeyli's sons, Maestro Niyazi and Chingiz Hajibeyli, are prominent conductors of Azerbaijan. Despite the large size of his family, his father Abdulhuseyn Hajibeyli took the education of his children very seriously. Zulfugar and Uzeyir studied at the Russian-Tatar school in Shusha. The untimely death of his father (1901) caused the family to fall into a difficult situation. All the financial responsibilities of the family fell on Zulfugar. He began working as a clerk and translator in various offices (1901-1906). Zulfugar Hajibeyli played a significant role in shaping and developing the national views of his younger brothers Uzeyir and Ceyhun. In 1907, Zulfugar moved from Shusha to Baku with his sisters. His love for music directed him towards a great creative path starting from 1907.

In the first quarter of the 20th century, his first songs "Village Girl," "Shepherd Girl," and "Soldier's Song" became famous. In 1910, he wrote the first Azerbaijani operetta "Young at Fifty." The Azerbaijani troupe staged this work in Tbilisi, and later the operetta was performed by an amateur troupe organized by the composer himself together with Uzeyir Hajibeyli (1918). In this performance, Zulfugar Bey acted as the composer, librettist, and conductor. The theme of the work was about defending women's rights and exposing the flaws of the society in which they lived. The performance mainly used songs, "Terekeme" and "Yalli" dances. The work consisted of 3 acts and 17 musical numbers. The operetta was staged in Nakhchivan, Shusha, Julfa, Sheki, and many cities in Iran. Impressions about the work were widely covered in the periodicals of the time - "Azerbaijan," "Kaspi," "Yeni Iqbal," and other newspapers.

While in Tbilisi, Z. Hajibeyli wrote his second operetta - "Wife at Eleven" or "Rich." The work was staged in May 1911 at the Georgian Nobility Theater in Tbilisi. It criticized the patriarchal life of Azerbaijani merchants. The plot did not please the ruling circles of the time. Despite the great success of the premiere, the police department stopped the performance.

In 1912, while in Nakhchivan, the composer wrote the comedy "Single While Married." That same year, the work was submitted to the Tbilisi Press Committee. On November 7, 1913, with official permission, the Baku Music Theater staged the comedy "Single While Married."

In 1915, Zulfugar Hajibeyli wrote the opera "Ashiq Garib," which, like his other works, found its way to the stage with difficulty. The opera consisted of 4 acts and 8 scenes. Z. Hajibeyli took on the main musical leadership of the performance and conducted it. He also wrote the libretto for the opera, which was based on the plot of the eponymous ashik dastan, famous not only in Azerbaijan but throughout the Caucasus. The main musical material of the opera "Ashiq Garib" is mugham. The opera was staged more than five times in 1916 and is still performed in theaters today.

Z. Hajibeyli wrote music for several librettos. In 1917, he worked on staging an opera with a fantastic plot titled "Three Lovers or Malikmammad," but due to pressure from the Soviet government, the performance was not allowed. In 1921, he led the "Red Soldier" palace (now the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic named after M. Magomayev).

In 1932, he composed the symphonic piece "Dance of Slave Women," which brought him great fame.

From 1933 to 1937, Zulfugar worked as the artistic director of the Eastern music section of Azerbaijani radio broadcasts. Zulfugar Hajibeyov, together with Uzeyir Hajibeyov, was engaged in collecting and writing Azerbaijani folk songs. In total, they collected about 300 folk songs. Zulfugar Hajibeyli, together with his son, composer and conductor Niyazi, composed music for the film "Almas" (1936) based on the play by Azerbaijani playwright Jafar Jabbarli. The composer wrote the symphonic piece "Jangi" for the Folk Instruments Orchestra together with Fikret Amirov. Zulfugar Hajibeyli's last work was a cantata written in 1950 together with Zakir Baghirov.

For his services in the development of national music, Z. Hajibeyli was awarded the title of Honored Art Worker in 1943. In 1944, he received the medal "For the Defense of the Caucasus," in 1945 the medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War," and in 1946 the "Order of the Badge of Honor" for his effective work in the field of art.

His unfinished works in various genres are currently preserved in the personal archive of the composer at the Azerbaijan State Manuscripts Institute named after M. Fuzuli.

Zulfugar Hajibeyli played a significant role in the formation of the National Musical Theater and Azerbaijani classical music. Engaged in creativity until the last days of his life, Z. Hajibeyli passed away on September 30, 1950, in the city of Baku.

Recommended literature:

1. Əhmədov, Əhsən Allahverdi oğlu. Muğam operalarının qürubu / Ə. A. Əhmədov. - Bakı : Avropa nəşriyyatı, 2013. - 206 s.
2. Azərbaycan incəsənət tarixi : 5 cilddə. II cild : Musiqi / A. İ. Nəcəfzadə. - Bakı : Şərq-Qərb, 2018. - 328 s.
3. Üzeyir Hacıbəyli ensiklopediyası / E. Abbasova [et al.] ; red. heyəti: E. Abbasova [et al.] ; Heydər Əliyev Fondu, Azərbaycan Mədəniyyətinin Dostları Fondu. - Bakı : Şərq-Qərb, 2008. - 239 s.
4. Qurbanov, Babək Osman oğlu. Musiqi dünyasının unudulmazları / B. O. Qurbanov ; elmi red.: İ. C. İmamverdiyev, Abdulla Y. ; red. Ş. Ə. Səlimbəyli. - Bakı : Avropa nəşriyyatı, 2015. - 292 s.