Ramiz Zohrabov – a distinguished figure in Azerbaijani musicology
Ramiz Farzulla oghlu Zohrabov, a prominent scholar, pedagogue, and public figure who made significant contributions to the development of Azerbaijani musicology, was born on 2 May 1939 in Baku.
From 1947 to 1958, he studied at the secondary specialized music school affiliated with the Azerbaijan State Conservatory, and from 1958 to 1960, he attended the String Instruments Department of the Conservatory’s Performance Faculty. His graduation from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory in 1965 with a degree in musicology determined the direction of his scholarly career.
He began his professional career in 1965 as a teacher of music history and theory at the secondary specialized music school named after Q. Huseynli in Ganja. From 1966 to 1968, he served as an editor for folk music at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic named after Muslim Magomayev, and in 1968–1969, he taught music theory at Music School No. 16 in Baku. From 1969 onward, he worked at the Department of the History and Theory of Azerbaijani Folk Music at the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyli, making sustained contributions to the scholarly study of the national musical heritage. In 1990, he was elected Secretary of the Board of the Azerbaijan Composers’ Union and held this position until 2012.
Ramiz Zohrabov was awarded the degree of Candidate of Art Studies in 1974 and Doctor of Art Studies in 1994. Over the course of nearly half a century of pedagogical activity, he contributed to the training of several generations of musicologists; under his supervision, numerous PhD and doctoral dissertations in the field of art studies were completed.
From 1971 onward, he was active on television and radio as the author and presenter of a series of programs, playing an important role in introducing Azerbaijani musical culture to a broad audience. The scholar also delivered papers on the art of mugham at international symposia and conferences both in Azerbaijan and abroad, presenting the scholarly foundations of national music to the wider public. He took part as a musicologist in cultural programs implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, including mugham competitions, contributing to the dissemination of the subtle features of the mugham tradition among audiences.
R. Zohrabov is the author of 20 books and more than 350 scholarly and publicistic articles devoted to the theoretical problems of orally transmitted professional Azerbaijani music genres and to the work of composers. His book “Azerbaijani Tasnifs” was published in Moscow in 1983 and in Tabriz in 1991. His works “Azerbaijani Zarb (Rhythmic) Mughams” (1986), “Mugham” (1991), and “Portraits of Our Composers” (Baku, 1997) are regarded as fundamental sources of national musicological literature. His studies “Azerbaijani Modal Music” (Tehran, 1999) and “Theoretical Foundations of the Chahargah Mugham” (Baku, 2000) represent important stages in the development of national music theory. His textbooks “Azerbaijani Music Literature,” “Music Literature,” and “Orally Transmitted Azerbaijani Professional Music” have for decades been among the principal teaching resources in the educational process.
His work as a composer developed in parallel with his scholarly activity. R. Zohrabov’s suites for folk instrument orchestra — “Festive Scenes,” “Scenes from Childhood,” and “Ardabil Scenes” — as well as his instrumental pieces, have been included in the collection of the Azerbaijan State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company. His songs of various genres have been performed by well-known singers, children’s choirs, and soloists.
For his contributions to Azerbaijani musical culture, he was awarded a number of high state honors. In 1990, he was conferred the honorary title “Honored Art Worker,” in 1997 he received the “Humay” Award, and in 2008 he was awarded the honorary title “People’s Artist.” In 2009, he was awarded the “Shohrat” Order.
Professor Ramiz Farzulla oghlu Zohrabov passed away on 23 April 2017. His scholarly legacy — his works, the generations of scholars he trained, and his research — continues to retain its significance in the development of Azerbaijani musicology.
Recommended literature:
- Zöhrabov, Ramiz Fərzulla oğlu. Ramiz Mustafayev: Monoqrafiya /R. Zöhrabov; Nəşr ed. V. Əziz. - Bakı: Ergün, 1995. - 24 s.
- Ramiz Zöhrabov: Görkəmli musiqişünas-alim /tərtibatçı L. Zöhrabova ; xüsusi red. C. Həsənova. - Bakı: Mars-Print, 2013. - 368 s.
- Zöhrabova, Leyla Ramiz qızı. Ramiz Zöhrabov /L. Zöhrabova ; red. Z. Qafarova ; buraxıl. məsul Ə. Əsədzadə ; Azərb. Bəstəkarlar İttifaqı. - Bakı: Renessans-A, 2020. - 26 s.