DOI: https://doi.org/10.36719/2706-6185/64/196-200
A Look at the Creative Corpus of the Prominent Composer Gara Garayev
Narmina Gadimova 
Abstract. This article examines the creative legacy of Gara Garayev, a major representative of Azerbaijani composition, through the interaction between national musical traditions and the expressive resources of European art music. It aims to outline the principal stages of Garayev’s creative development, his genre diversity, and the stylistic features of his musical language, with particular attention to the relationship between national intonational sources, polyphony, symphonic dramaturgy, and twentieth-century compositional techniques. The study employs historical-biographical, musicological, and comparative approaches. It considers Garayev’s connection with the musical thought of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, his professional training with Dmitri Shostakovich, and his contributions to symphonic, ballet, operatic, chamber, and film music. Works such as ”Seven Beauties”, ”Path of Thunder”, the symphonic poem ”Leyli and Majnun”, his symphonies, and chamber compositions are discussed as examples of his ability to integrate national musical thinking into broader compositional frameworks. The article argues that Garayev’s innovation lies not merely in quoting folk materials, but in transforming their intonational, rhythmic, and dramaturgical principles within a professional compositional language. The study highlights the significance of his legacy for understanding the development and international reception of Azerbaijani music.
Keywords: Gara Garayev, Azerbaijani composers, national music, symphonism, polyphony, ballet, modern compositional techniques