Culture Ministry promotes achievements of eminent mugham singer

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

The Culture Ministry continues to inform music lovers about Azerbaijan's great cultural figures.

The ministry highlighted a rich legacy left by acclaimed mugham singer Khan Shushinsky within the project "Pearls of Shusha culture", Azernews reports citing the ministry's website.

The presentation was held within the project's "Faces of Shusha" section.

The publication tells about the singer's rich repertoire and his most remarkable performances.

Khan Shushinsky went down in the history of music as one of the most prominent Azerbaijani mugham singers. He left after himself a strong school of talented composers and musicians.

The mugham singer is a descendant of the founder of the Karabakh Khanate Panah Ali Khan Javanshir.

The khan founded the Karabakh khanate in the 18th century. He made Shusha his capital and founded Shusha Castle.

After his brilliant performance of the Kurd-Shahnaz mugham in Shusha, the people started to call Khan Shushinsky a khan when he was only 16 years old.

The owner of a powerful voice skillfully sang mughams, folk songs, and tasnifs, among which were Mahur-Hindi, Heyrat, Karabakh Shikastasi, Arazbari, etc.

He performed folk songs with special brilliance, every time surprising listeners with something new.

Since Isfandiyar also played the tambourine well, he always had success performing rhythmic mughams.

Khan Shushinsky was known as a talented composer after writing a number of songs, including the compositions "Beauty", and "Gamar" as well as "The mountains in Shusha are covered with fog" dedicated to his native city of Shusha.

In the film "If Not That One, Then This One", Khan Shushinsky was accompanied by Talat Bakikhanov (kamancha) and Bahram Mansurov (tar).

In 1960, he created the Mugham studio in the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic, where he gave private lessons to young mugham singers. He later taught vocal arts at the Asaf Zeynally Music School.

The outstanding mugham singer was named the People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (1943) and received the Order of the Badge of Honour (1959).

Khan Shushinsky was much beloved by the Azerbaijani public.

The people's love for Khan Shushinsky knew no boundaries. He was buried in the Alley of Honor in Baku.