House museum of Abdulla Shaig

Shaig’s poetry and music

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Shaig has not left behind a significant array of reflections concerning music and its connection with literature. His works did not contain musical plot or characters. However, Shaig’s writings and in particular his poetry was closely connected with the folk musical and poetic art. Thus, the plot and characters of Shaig’s poems Lay-lay (Lullaby), Dağlar (Mountains), Əkinçi (Ploughman), Dağlar Sultanı (Sultan of the Mountains), Quzu (Lamb) were largely taken from the Azerbaijani folklore tales.
With his play Gözəl bahar (Beautiful Spring) which was written in 1910 and published in 1912 Shaig has laid foundations of child dramaturgy in Azerbaijan. Prominent literary critic Firidun bey Kocharli who read the manuscript of Gözəl bahar, in his letter to Abdulla Shaig dated 11 June 1911, praised a poem from the play, Bahar Khanum which Shaig addressed to girls, suggesting that the poem be set to musicas an operetta. Today in the archives of Abdulla Shaig one can find a libretto of a child operetta based on Shaig’s play Gözəl bahar.
Some of Shaig’s popular poems were made famous through music. For example, lyrics of the song Şəfəq sökülərkən (At Dawn) set to music by Uzeyir Hajibayli, corresponds to Shaig’s poem Dağlar Sultanı (Sultan of the Mountains) published in 1913. The great composer, not risking using the word “sultan” changed the title of the poem which formed basis for the song. Fine connoisseur of Azerbaijani folklore, Firidun bey Kocharli thought of this poem as one of the best works of his poet friend Abdulla Shaig.
Many popular children’s nursery songs such as Xoruz (Rooster), Keçi (Goat), Dovşan (Hare), Bənövşə (Violet), Qərənfil (Carnation) were also composed based on Shaig’s poems.
Abdulla Shaig was fond of creating poetic samples in accordance with music genres and rhythms. During the period before Revolution, he wrote a great number of labour songs, lullabies and marches. He published marches İrəli (Forward) and Marş (March) written three months before the establishment of Azerbaijani Democratic Republic in 1918 and dedicated to Musavat party.
In 1921 Shaig wrote Gənclik (Youth March) set to music by Uzeyir Hajibayli.
Around 10 of his poems Shaig himself titled as songs. These include Əkin nəğməsi (A Song About Crop), Əmək nəğməsi (A Song About Work), Sənət nəğməsi (A Song About Art), Döyüş nəğməsi (Battle Song).
A great many prominent Azerbaijani composers such as Uzeyir Hajibayli, Said Rustamov, Ashraf Abbasov, Jahangir Jahangirov, Nazim Aliverdibayov, Tofig Guliyev, Ogtay Zulfugarov, Shafiga Akhundova, Ramiz Mirishli and others created music based on Abdulla Shaig’s poems. They also composed music for Shaig’s numerous theater plays which have been staged in different theaters across Azerbaijan and abroad.

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Music with lyrics written by Abdulla Shaig

1.	Oxu bülbülüm	Music written for the play Fitneh Composer: Ashraf Abbasov Performed by Shovkat Alakbarova	Download
2.	Bahar gözəlləməsi	Music written for the play Fitneh Composer:Ashraf Abbasov
3.	Sevirəm səni	Music written for the playNushaba Composer: SaidRustamov Performed by Firangiz Ahmadova	Download
4.	Ana yurdum	Music by Hokuma Najafova Performed by Elmira Rahimova	Download
5.	Zanbaq	Music by Sevda Ibrahimova Performed by child choir	Download
6.	İnqilab nəğməsi (marş)	Music by Sevda Ibrahimova
7.	Bəmövşəciyim	Music by Farida Guliyeva Performed by child choir soloist	Download
8.	Nağara	Music by Ogtay Zulfugarov Performed by child choir	Download
9.	Keçi	Music by Ogtay Zulfugarov Performed by child choir	Download
10.	Xoruz	Music by Ogtay Zulfugarov Performed by child choir	Download
11.	İdman nəğməsi	Music by Elturan
12.	Bahar nəğməsi	Music by Jalal Abbasov written for child choir
13.	Top – top oyunu	Music by Azad Ozan Kerimli
14.	Bahar	Music by Aghakerim Shamsioghlu Performed by child choir	Download
15.	Qızılgül	Music by Aghakerim Shamsioghlu
16.	Ana yurdum Azərbaycan	Music by Rashid Shafag
17.	Xoruz	Music by Rashid Shafag	Download
18.	Bir saat xəlifəlik	Music by Rashid Shafag
19.	Tülkü tülkü tünbəki	Music by Rashid Shafag
20.	Yad et	Music by Zeynab Ismayilzadeh Performed by Mubariz Taghiyev	Download
21.	Gözəl Bahar	Music by Javanshir Guliyev
22.	Həpimiz bir günəşin zərrəsiyik	Music by Ilham Abdullayev
23.	Music composed for play “Fitne”	Music by Ogtay Kazimi
24.	Bənövşə	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
25.	Dovşan	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
26.	Göyərçin	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
27.	Arı	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
28.	Balaca dəmirçilər	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
29.	Keçi	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
30.	Top oyunu	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
31.	Qərənfil	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
32.	İt	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
33.	Kəpənək	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
34.	Bülbül	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
35.	Xoruz	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
36.	Bahar nəğməsi	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
37.	Bülbülün nəğməsi	Music by Jahangir Jahangirov
38.	Çəkməçi baba	Folksong
39.	Qərənfil	Music by Ogtay Zulfugarov
40.	Mənim itim	Music by Rashid Shafag
41.	Təmizlik	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
42.	Üstü xallı atım, qaç	Music by Elnara Dadasheva
43.	Bənövşə	Music by Said Rustamov Performed by soloist of child choir	Download
44.	Tapmaca – song	Music by Ganbar Huseynli
45.	Ana Vətənim	Music by Aziz Akper Azizli Performed by child choir	Download
46.	Top oyunu	Music by Aziz Akper Azizli Performed by child choir
47.	May bayramı	Music by Aziz Akpar Azizli
48.	Oyan oğlum	Music by Hokuma Najafova Performed by Guljahan Azizova	Download
49.	Payız gecəsi	Music by Tair Akbarov Performed by child choir	Download
50.	Tonqal	Music by Eldar Mansurov Performed by child choir	Download
51.	Quzu	Music by Gulshan Mirzabayova Performed by soloist of childchoir	Download
52.	Dumbulumu çalıram	Music by Ogtay Zulfugarov Performed by child choir	Download
53.	Səhər	Music by Gulnaz Abdullazadeh Performed by child choir	Download
54.	Cütçü	Music by Hokuma Najafova Performed by child choir	Download