Gambar Huseynli, a prominent composer of Azerbaijan, occupying a special place in the national musical heritage, was born on April 16, 1916 in the city of Ganja.  The literary and artistic environment of Ganja and the musical world of Karabakh had a great influence on the formation of his outlook. Since his childhood Gambar was surrounded by people from the musical and poetic world, thanks to whom he got acquainted with the poetry of Seyid Azim Shirvani, Sabir, Abbas Sahhat, Mohammad Hadi and many others. Possessing a good memory, he spent hours memorizing his favorite poems. Mugham concerts were often organized in Ganja at that time, where local and invited mughamatists, including the famous Khan Shushinsky, participated. Mugham concerts and evenings were clearly imprinted in Gambar's memory. He became very fond of music, especially the national instruments of tar and saz.

In 1927, after studying at school, he entered a music school that had just opened on the initiative of Meshadi Jamil, where he learned to play the tar from the famous teacher Hamza Aliyev. Two years later he became a student of Ganja Pedagogical Technical School. After he graduated from the technical school with honors in 1934, he came to Baku in 1935 to continue his education and entered the Baku Music Technical School to study cello with A.S. Shvarts. In 1938 he worked as the director of the Ganja State Philharmonic. Although the composer composed the world-famous song “My Chickens” (Jujalarim) during his stay in Ganja, it was published later.

In 1939, Gambar Huseynli was sent to Karabakh as director of the music technical school in Shusha. Here he began to study folk songs in depth, as well as to master Western music. While teaching here, the composer met his pupil Suleyman Aleskerov and friendship was established between them. While here, he composed the song “Tellar oinady” written to the words of Jafar Jabbarly. In 1940 Gambar Huseynli returned to Baku, where on the initiative of genius composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli he organized an ensemble of women playing the saz (ancient stringed musical instrument) at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic. He became its conductor and artistic director. With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he began to conduct active concert activity, together with singers performed in different cities and districts of the republic, and in 1943 he performed in Iran as a small group. The composer, who knew folk music well and loved it, combined it with modern music and composed unforgettable songs. Because of the support of Ahmed Javad and Huseyn Javid, the composer became a victim of repression by the Soviet regime. He openly expressed his opinion, disagreed with the Soviet power and wrote the song “My Chickens” (Jujalarim) in Turkish style. He goes to prison and spends 4 years there. After his release in 1947-1951, he directs Ganja State Philharmonic, and from time to time writes music for theatrical performances.

In 1951, he entered the composition department of the Asaf Zeynalli Music School. In 1954, he successfully graduated from the music school, writing the opera “Golden Bird” on the libretto by Mehti Seyidzadeh. The composer's work was dominated by the genre of song and romance. The songs and romances written by him are characterized by lyricism and new intonations, such as “Jujalarim”, “Ay ishigynda”, “Ilk mahabbat”, “Tellar oynady”, “Tel nazik”, “Cheshmya bashynda” and other songs of the composer.

Although Gambar Huseynli is the author of many favorite songs, it was with the song “Jujalarim” that he inscribed his name with golden letters in the history of music. In 1947, Gambar Huseynli asked Tofig Mutallibov, the author of famous children's poems, to write the lyrics of the song “My Chickens” (Jujalarim). This song was first performed by the choir of secondary school No. 20 of Ganja city at the school Olympiad held in Baku. The song, which was a great success from the first performance, quickly became a favorite of the general public and forever entered the repertoire of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Central Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren of Baku. The ensemble received great fame thanks to this song. With this repertoire the ensemble successfully performed not only in Azerbaijan, but also in Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, Russia and other foreign countries and was honored with high awards. Famous artists Arif Gaziyev, Sughra Bagirzade and Tarana Velizade were the first performers of the solo part of the song “My Chickens”. Later Tofig Mutallibov wrote a play “My Chickens”, Habil Aliyev skillfully performed the music of this song on the bow, and in 1980 the animated film “My Chickens” was shot. People's artist Elmira Rahimova in her memoirs tells: “In the summer of 1968 I was on a trip to India. I can say that this song is sung by the whole of India. You cannot imagine an open concert hall with a capacity of 30,000 people singing “My Chickens” in unison with me.

We also see the familiar melody in the world-famous cartoon “Nu, pogodi” made by Russian cinematographers and in other foreign theatrical productions.

Gambar Huseynli, who created more than 300 works, played an important role in the development of Azerbaijani music, writing operas, songs, romances, string quartets, piano pieces, music for theater productions.

Gambar Huseynli, author of more than 60 children's songs, distinguished himself with his unique content and musical language, playing an important role in the development of the genre of children's songs. Gambar Huseynli erected a monument to himself during his lifetime with the song “My Chickens”. “Jujalarim” was translated into more than 100 languages of the world, being the most famous children's song, became a real pearl of art and a visiting card of Azerbaijan.

In 1961 Gambar Huseynli, seriously ill, was unable to complete his second opera “Simurgh Bird”. “Honored Art Worker” (June 9, 1959), ‘Honored Art Worker’ (May 10, 1961), he died in 1961 at the age of 45 and was buried in the city of Ganja.

In 2007, a short documentary film “Gambar Huseynli” was made about his life and activity. On November 25, 2015, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on celebrating the 100th anniversary of Gambar Huseynli. Ganja has a park named after him, a music school and a song theater. A monument to the composer was erected in Ganja in January 2018.

The creativity of the composer, who shaped the musical and aesthetic taste of the people with his children's songs and favorite music, will always live in the hearts and serve the development of Azerbaijani music.

Recommended literature:

1. Mahmudova, Ceyran Emin qızı. Mahnının qoşa qanadı - poeziya və musiqi : monoqrafiya / C. E. Mahmudova ; elmi red. C. Həsənova ; Ü. Hacıbəyli adına Bakı Musiqi Akademiyası. - Bakı : Mars-Print, 2013. - 244 s.
2. Qurbanəliyeva, Sevda Firuddin qızı. Qəmbər Hüseyinli yaradıcılığı milli ənənələr kontekstində /S. Qurbanəliyeva, L. Rəfibeyli, N. Seyfullayeva ; elmi red. R. Zöhrabov. - Bakı: Adiloğlu, 2006. - 203 s.