Greatness of Zarif Gaibov's music

Aygul Shamchi

There is hardly a person in Azerbaijan who does not know Ismet Gaibov, the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, who was one of the victims of the helicopter crash in November 1992. But few people know that Ismet Gaibov had a brother, Zarif Gaibov, who, despite his death at the age of 23, left a bright trace in the history of Azerbaijani music, making an unforgettable impression with his outstanding talent.  He was an outstanding tar player, remembered by all who knew him for his unique mastery of the tar, which allowed him to go beyond traditional approaches to this instrument.

The technical mastery and depth of emotion that Zarif put into his performances left no one indifferent. His virtuoso plays during the performance of the mugham "Shur" became textbook and were passed on to his students from generation to generation under the name "Zərif Gayıbovun gəzişmələri" ("Zarif Gayıbov's plays").

Zarif's musical style consisted not only in virtuoso skill, but also in the ability to convey deep emotions and feelings through the sounds of tar. According to prominent musicians, Zarif created a unique sound that no tar player before him could reproduce. He expanded the possibilities of the tar by making it "speak" in human language. That is why musicians endeavoured not only to recreate his technique of playing the tar, but also to borrow his deep understanding of musical expression.

Fikret Amirov, who was a close friend of Zarif, called him a poetic tar player with a gentle soul. Many years later he said that in his symphonic mugham "Shur" he used many techniques borrowed from Zarif, thus paying tribute to the memory and respect for the talent of his friend.

Zarif Gaibov was not only a musician, but also an active supporter of preserving and promoting the traditional musical culture of Azerbaijan. His popularity went beyond his native Ganja - he performed in the symphony orchestra of the Azerbaijan Opera and Ballet Theatre named after M.F.Akhundov, his concerts consisting of classical works and mughams were played on the radio, he took part in the decade of Azerbaijani literature and art in Moscow, as well as in the first All-Union show of performers on folk instruments in Moscow, where he conquered everyone with his virtuoso performance of "Shura" and "Lezginka".  Shortly before his death he founded his own orchestra as a soloist of Ganja Philharmonic. It is difficult to imagine what Zarif's contribution to the musical culture of Azerbaijan would have been if his life had not been cut short so early.

The cause of Zarif's death is extremely tragic and testifies to his high human qualities. During the war years, in the midst of active fighting at the front, concerts were often held in the country to raise the spirit of the Soviet people. To this end, in December 1943, a concert was also organised at the Kedabek House of Culture, with the participation of musicians from all over Azerbaijan. Among the invitees was the outstanding khanende Seyid Shushinsky, who travelled to the concert from Ganja in a motorbike together with Zarif Gaibov. Noticing that Seyid Shushinsky was freezing in his light coat, Zarif took off his warm leather jacket and gave it to the maestro in exchange for his light coat. That day he caught a bad cold, contracted bilateral pneumonia and died shortly afterwards, effectively giving his life to the great khanende.

The death of Zarif Gaibov at such an early age deprived the world of Azerbaijani music of one of its brightest representatives. Despite the absence of recordings of his playing, the memory of Zarif's unrivalled tara playing continues to live in the hearts of those who had the pleasure of listening to it and getting in touch with his talent.  The memories of these people convey to us the greatness of Zarif Gaibov and his influence on the musical culture of Azerbaijan, inspiring tar players over the years and giving special significance to his art. This influence can be felt in the way the technique, style and spirit of Zarif Gaibov's music is being attempted to be recreated and passed on to new generations of tarists, sparking new interest in his work.

In the Encyclopaedia of Mugham, Zarif Gaibov's name stands next to the names of such coryphees as Haji Mammadov, Mammadaga Muradov, Aliaga Kuliyev, Gabib Bayramov and Sarvar Ibragimov.

One of the music schools of Ganja bears his name.

In Azerbaijani tradition, it is not customary to sing at funerals, but Zarif was buried to his favourite song Azad bir quşdum  by Jafar Jabbarli, which conveyed the tragedy of his death at such a young age.

Azad bir quşdum,

Yuvamdan uçdum.

Bir bağa düşdüm

Bu gənc yaşımda.

Bir ovçu gördü,

Köksümdən vurdu.

Torpağa düşdüm

Bu gənc yaşımda...