Huseyngulu Sarabski, bright opera talent

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Can words really describe that feeling we get when we listen to music? Great musical patterns speak themselves, as they represent absolutely different realm. Music can lift the spirits. It makes us feel uplifted and feeds our souls.

The Land of Fire has the right to feel proud for its history, cultural heritage, material and immaterial heritage, ancient monuments, literature, arts and music.  

This incredibly beautiful country of contrasts produced a significant impact on artistic thinking of people.

For centuries, national music has been famous for its rhythmically diverse melodies.

Prominent Azerbaijani singers such as Bulbul, Rashid Behbudov, Muslim Magomayev, Rauf Atakishiyev, and many other singers could gain great world fame.

One of such incredible musicians was Azerbaijani tenor, composer, playwright, stage actor, and musician Huseyngulu Sarabski.

Sarabski was born to poor parents in Baku. At a young age, he was sent to a mullah to study the Koran. Unable to overcome the language barrier, Huseyngulu convinced his parents to let him quit. 

A theatrical play "Khan Sarabi" that he watched at the age of 12 in the performance of amateur actors became a turning point in the life of young talent. Since that time, he literally enchanted by the theatre and can't imagine his life without art.

Young Huseyngulu enjoyed the performance and later chose the pseudonym "Sarabski" reflecting his first encounter with theatre.

As a teenager, he enrolled in Russian night courses for the poor funded by the then famous philanthropist Zeynalabdin Taghiyev.

Before fame overtook him, Sarabski had been making a living through smithery, stone dressing and blue collar work.

Sarabski's first role was the character of Rasul in Nariman Narimanov's "Dilin balasi" play.

Later, he acted in dramatic pieces by various Azerbaijani and Western European authors, but it was not until his role in Almansor by Heinrich Heine where his incredible performance of the Hijaz-i Arabi mugham was noticed by composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli leading to Sarabski choosing a career in musical theatre.

Hearing his beautiful performance of mugham, legendary composer highlighted the talent Sarabskia and chose him for the lead role at the premiere of his opera "Leyli and Majnun", the first Azeri and the first Oriental opera in history.

In the next 30 years of his career Huseyngulu would perform Majnun in this opera for about 400 times.

Starting from 1914, a troupe led by Sarabski and conductor Muslim Magomayev went on tours to Tiflis, Elisabethpol, Erivan, Vladikavkaz, Tabriz, Rasht, and Teheran to perform Leyli and Majnun and other pieces in front of the local audiences.

In the future, Sarabski played leading roles in such operas as "Shah Ismayil", "Ashig Garib" as well as operetta "If Not That One, Then This One" and  "The Cloth Peddler".

Between 1923 and 1926 he founded a theatre troupe in Shamakhi and a dramatic theatre in Agdam.

Before 1918, Sarabski wrote three plays entitled "Ignorance", "Searcher finds" and "What goes around, comes around" and had them staged by both amateur and professional troupes.

His merits do not end there. In 1936–1937 he wrote a book called "Old Baku where along with historical and ethnographic information, he included the history of the city's rich musical traditions.

Between 1940 and 1942, Sarabski taught opera and mugham at the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. Some of his students like Sara Gadimova and Shovkat Alakbarova became prominent Azerbaijani singers.

Sarabski was a great artist and a kind man  beloved by the whole Azerbaijani people.

This man has done much for the development of the Azerbaijani scene and was full of creative ideas.

Sarabski died of throat cancer in 1945 and was buried at the Alley of Honors in Baku. On his deathbed, when he was only able to communicate through writing, he was visited by opera singer Hagigat Rzayeva whom he had had as a stage partner for 15 years. He asked her to sing an aria from "Leyli and Majnun". Following her singing, he added to his will that he would like a piece from that opera to play during his funeral while his body was laid into the grave.

He passed his talent and discipline to his great-grandson Isfar Sarabski. A world-famous pianist could establish himself as one of the foremost jazz musicians. Azerbaijan's young virtuoso has performed in the most prestigious concert halls, including the Royal Albert Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Miles Davis Hall, the Vibrato Jazz Club, Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's, the Zinco Jazz Club, the Konzerthaus, Asphalt Jazz Club, Duc des Lombards Jazz Club, Porgy & Bess Jazz Club, Bird’s Eye Jazz Club and the Apollo Theater. Today, musician continues to delight his fans around the world.