Academician Arif Melikov

Arif Jahangir oglu Melikov was born on 13 September 1933 in Baku. After completing his secondary education, he studied at the Baku Music College from 1948 to 1951 and subsequently pursued higher education in composition at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory from 1953 to 1958. These years marked the formative stage of his professional musical education. 

Arif Melikov began his professional career as a teacher at the Shusha City Music School in 1951–1952 and subsequently continued his pedagogical and creative activities. From the 1960s onward, his professional life was closely associated with the Azerbaijan State Conservatory. He served there as Senior Lecturer from 1966 to 1968, Associate Professor from 1968 to 1978, Professor from 1979 to 1986, and, from 1986 until the end of his life, as Head of the Department of Composition.

Arif Melikov played a significant role in the development of Azerbaijan’s national musical culture as one of the prominent representatives of the Azerbaijani school of composition. A gifted student and follower of the compositional school of Gara Garayev, he attracted attention from his student years with works written in various genres. His creative work was shaped by the organic synthesis of the centuries-old traditions of Azerbaijani music and modern compositional thought.  
    
His creative work is distinguished by its diversity of genres and breadth of scope. Arif Melikov created significant works in the fields of symphonic, ballet, operetta, cantata, vocal, chamber, and instrumental music. His symphonic legacy, which includes eight symphonies, the symphonic poems “Fairy Tale,” “In Memory of Fuzuli,” and “Metamorphoses,” as well as orchestral works such as “Symphonic Dances,” “8 Pieces,” and “12 Pieces,” constitutes an important stage in the development of Azerbaijani symphonic music.  
      
The ballet genre occupies a prominent place in Arif Melikov’s creative work. His ballets “The Legend of Love,” “Two People,” “The Tale of Two Hearts,” and “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” brought him international recognition. In particular, “The Legend of Love” has been staged at leading theatres around the world for more than half a century and has become one of the most significant achievements of Azerbaijani musical culture. The composer’s music for films and dramatic productions, as well as his romances and songs, has been included in the repertoires of numerous performers and has gained wide popularity.

One of the notable aspects of Arif Melikov’s creative work was his engagement with the poetry of Nazim Hikmet. The composer sought to convey the poet’s philosophical and poetic world through music, creating the romances “Cheerful,” “Lullaby,” “Impressions,” and “I Saw My Beloved in a Dream” in the 1960s, and a vocal cycle in 1980. In addition, preludes for piano, a sonata for solo violin, a suite and scherzo for violin and piano, as well as piano miniatures, formed an important part of his compositional legacy. He was also the composer of the operetta “Waves.”

Alongside his work as a composer, Arif Melikov made a significant contribution to the development of music education in Azerbaijan through many years of distinguished pedagogical activity. Drawing on his extensive experience, he played an important role in educating young musicians and training highly qualified professional musicians.

Arif Melikov’s creative interests were not confined to music alone. He was also actively engaged in the field of visual arts. His paintings are distinguished by their diversity of themes and genres. Works such as “The East,” “Night in Ankara,” “Hagia Sophia,” “Baku,” “Zugulba,” and “The Caucasus Mountains” feature urban and landscape motifs, while the series “20 January,” “A Glimpse into the Past,” and “Tazapir” reflect historical and social themes. Decorative and still-life elements are prominent in works such as “Almond Tree in Blossom,” “Blue Vase,” “Flowers in a Vase,” “Carnations,” and “White Vase.” His portrait of Sattar Bahlulzade, together with works such as “Eternity,” “The Sun,” and “Impressions,” reflects the multifaceted nature of his artistic vision.

The composer also took part in public and political life and, as a People’s Deputy of the USSR, demonstrated an active civic stance with regard to important developments in the republic’s public life. The Karabakh events and the January 20 tragedy occupied an important place in his creative work. These events were reflected not only in his musical and artistic works, but also in his documentary essay “I Accuse…”, published in 1994. Prepared on the basis of materials and observations relating to the events of 19–20 January 1990, the work is regarded as one of the important sources reflecting the socio-political developments of that period.

Arif Melikov’s scholarly achievements also received high recognition. In 2001, he was elected a Corresponding Member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences in the field of Art Studies, and in 2014 he was elected a Full Member of the Academy.

His long-standing and fruitful contribution to the development and promotion of Azerbaijani musical culture received high recognition from the state. Arif Melikov was awarded numerous honorary titles and distinctions. He was named People’s Artist of the USSR and People’s Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was awarded the honorary title of Honoured Art Worker of Azerbaijan, became a laureate of the State Prize and the Heydar Aliyev Prize, and was granted the Presidential Scholarship of the Republic of Azerbaijan. He was also decorated with the “Shohrat” Order, the “Istiglal” Order, and the “Heydar Aliyev” Order.

The distinguished composer, educator, and academician Arif Melikov, who made a significant contribution to the development of Azerbaijani musical culture, passed away on 9 May 2019 at the age of 85. 
 

Recommended literature:

1. Baxşiyeva-İbrahimova, Aytən Oqtay qızı. Arif Məlikov : tarix və müasirlik = Ариф Меликов : история и современность / A. O. Baxşiyeva-İbrahimova ; baş red. F. S. Bədəlbəyli ; elmi red. Z. H. Qafarova ; Azərbaycan Respublikası Mədəniyyət Nazirliyi, Üzeyir Hacıbəyli adına Bakı Musiqi Akademiyası. - Bakı : Şərq-Qərb, 2020. - 312 s.
2. Hacıbəyli, Üzeyir Əbdülhüseyn oğlu. Azərbaycan xalq musiqisinin əsasları / Ü. Ə. Hacıbəyli ; layihənin rəh. F. S. Bədəlbəyli ; məsl. R. F. Zöhrabov ; elmi red. T. A. Məmmədov ; red. C. İ. Həsənova ; rəy.: A. C. Məlikov, G. A. Abdullazadə ; Ü. Hacıbəyli adına Bakı Musiqi Akademiyası. - Bakı : Apostrof, 2010. - 176 s.
3. Arif Məlikov = Ариф Меликов = Arif Melikov. - Bakı : XXI-YNE, 2004. - 48 s.