These words are addressed to the world-renowned singer, great artist, People's Artist of the USSR, Zeynab Khanlarova, who is known by everyone and respected for her art and personality.
There are several women in Azerbaijani history whose names are etched in golden letters, and one of them is Zeynab Khanlarova. There are three criteria that characterize this woman: art, personality, courage. Yes, this is true. Just as she is at the pinnacle in art, she is also at a high level as a personality. She is a courageous Azerbaijani woman who always speaks the truth without hesitation, does not tolerate injustice, and speaks her mind appropriately.
In the former USSR era, whose borders were surrounded by barbed wire, from the 1960s until the day we gained independence, Zeynab Khanlarova introduced the name of Azerbaijan to the world through the songs she performed. With the ghazals and poems she sang to mugham, she skillfully conveyed the heroism, dignity, courage of the Azerbaijani people, and the enchanting nature of our country to millions. By attracting Azerbaijanis living in foreign countries to her concerts and visiting their homes, she actually conveyed both the realities of Azerbaijan and their aspirations for independence and free living, while also playing the role of a diaspora leader.
At the Asaf Zeynally Music College, in the school of the great master artist Seyid Shushinski, becoming acquainted with the secrets of musical performance and our mugham, she conquered peaks on stage and on air, creating wonders with her melodious, unique, sweet, gentle, and, when necessary, high-pitched voice. Rightly, People's Artist of the USSR Mikayil Abdullayev, speaking about Zeynab Khanum, said: “Zeynab Khanlarova is a milestone in the history of Azerbaijani musical culture”.
Zeynab Khanlarova brought innovation to the Azerbaijani stage. Her vivacity, rhythm, animation, and playfulness during performances distinguished her from her contemporaries. She imitated no one on stage, repeated no one, resembled no one. She carved her own eternal path, becoming an example and a school for many generations of singers and khanandas for decades, even to this day. With her Leyli and Asli, she achieved an immortal performance.
During the January 20 tragedy that occurred in Baku last century, Zeynab Khanum showed an example of courage and stood by her people in their difficult time. She rebelled against the Soviet government with a lament for the martyrs, challenging Mikhail Gorbachev, who perpetrated this massacre, with “death” in Freedom Square. This was at a time when a decree to award Zeynab Khanlarova the honorary title of Hero of Socialist Labor was on M. Gorbachev's desk for signing. Despite this, Zeynab Khanum chose her people.
At the extraordinary session of the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR held on January 22, 1990, regarding the January 20 tragedy, while many male deputies did not attend the session out of fear, Zeynab Khanlarova, along with other dedicated deputies, spoke at the session, raised her voice in protest, and voted for the decisive, historic decision that was adopted. It was thanks to Zeynab Khanum that this session was videotaped and conveyed to future generations. Indeed, that historic session was videotaped using Zeynab Khanum's personal video camera, which she brought to the Supreme Soviet with great difficulty.
She dedicated much of her 89-year life to the welfare of the Azerbaijani people and the development of its culture, and was awarded countless orders and medals. For over 30 years, she served productively as a Member of Parliament. Zeynab Khanlarova, who earned the title "Star of the East," has the sole highest title of “Zeynab of the Azerbaijani people”. Because the people love her and constantly show her respect and reverence.
Although Zeynab Khanum holds many great titles and awards, she never lost her simplicity and sincerity. She was not artificial, fake, or pedantic. In the true sense of the word, she became the Zeynab of her people. She always took pride in Baku's famous Dagly neighborhood, where she was born and raised. Moreover, today she is proud of a whole Azerbaijan that has restored its sovereignty throughout its entire territory. She constantly expresses her gratitude, as well as the applause of an artist and a mother, to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of the Republic Mr. Ilham Aliyev, who bestowed this happiness and victory upon us, to our martyrs, our veterans, and our brave, courageous, heroic sons...
From time to time, Zeynab Khanum's art, voice, achievements, her dignity, etc., have been reflected in the works and writings of Azerbaijan's masters of words and writers. I myself have also written articles about her. However, today I would like to present to my esteemed readers some excerpts from the works of art dedicated to Zeynab Khanlarova by our wordsmiths. In Zeynab Khanlarova's repertoire, we constantly encounter songs written to the poems of the national poet, Hero of Socialist Labor Suleyman Rustam, and ghazals sung to mugham. In turn, S. Rustam always highly valued Zeynab Khanum's art. S. Rustam, who for years consistently criticized those who did not see the bright day of their homeland and nation with the power of his pen, describes the world-renowned singer Zeynab Khanum, whose voice brings solace to hearts, whose heartfelt words bring joy to her admirers, whose pleasant breath excites the strings of the soul's rubab, and who introduced her native land in distant countries, as follows in his poem:
Your love, your dignity reach the sun,
Poetry, song is your wealth, your being,
Your unquenchable fiery breath scatters
The ashes of foreign songs into the air, Zeynab!
As your trills surge like waves,
Your lips smile like early spring,
You spent your day, month, year
With your people as an artist, Zeynab.
Oh, you, dear guest of every nation,
The unfading garden of songs of my inspiration,
With great brotherly love,
I kiss your dove-like hand, Zeynab!
Our always life-loving master of the pen, national poet Mirvarid Dilbazi, known as the "Mother of the Nation," who said “there is a sorrow of longing in my heart”, was also an admirer and fan of Zeynab Khanum's voice and art. She describes Zeynab Khanum, who sets hearts ablaze with her tender singing, enchants audiences with her songs, and, transforming into melodies and poems with her miraculous voice, burns and shines like a torch in souls, as follows:
You are a nightingale in a rose garden,
Words blossom on your lips.
In the lands of a thousand nations,
Zeynab, who herself is a song!
Sometimes fiery, sometimes cool,
When you sing sweetly.
With the enchantment of your songs,
Zeynab, who captures our souls!
Dancing suits you too,
Dance, your stature suits you too,
Your fame crosses borders,
Zeynab, who is instilled in hearts!
Zeynab Khanlarova always allocated ample space in her repertoire for songs and ghazals written to the poems of our kind-hearted spiritual poet, Alakbar Ziyatay. Among them, the songs “You Should Have Been, But Weren't”, “It's You”, “My Heart Says Come”, “My Azerbaijan”, “I Am With You”, “Be Torn, My Tongue” gained great popularity. There were very strong bonds of friendship and artistic connection between the singer and the poet. Ə. Ziyatay, who said “My motto is love and intimacy, I am Azerbaijani”, also likened Zeynab Khanum to a painter with beautiful dreams. The poet describes Zeynab Khanum with great enthusiasm as the pure love of our nation, the vibrant nature of our homeland, a hundred magical songs, the white water flowing from Goygol, the very daughter of spring, and her own voice, calling her the crown of art:
Song is a universe for her,
Song is an arm, a wing for her;
Song is true life for her.
Would Zeynab ever be so exuberant without song,
Would Zeynab live in a world without song?!
The power of Mahsati is in her song,
The longing of Natavan is in her song,
The dignity of Hajar is in her song...
Zeynab draws her strength from her native people,
Zeynab carries her crown of art!
The renowned singer, Honored Artist Adila Nazarli-Aflaki, who grew up with Zeynab Khanum's songs from childhood, was captivated by the miraculous voice of this immortal artist, and was inspired by her to pursue her own artistic path and singing career, always states that her first art teacher was indeed Zeynab Khanum. Her parents lived in the same neighborhood as Zeynab Khanum. Her love for her originated precisely from there. Adila Khanum always included songs sung by Zeynab Khanlarova in her repertoire, and in her poem “My Zeynab”, dedicated to our great artist, the goddess of hearts, Adila Khanum, who likens Zeynab Khanum to a fire in the ocean of the stage, praises Zeynab Khanum, a woman of beautiful character and words, a tall and proud, courageous daughter of our homeland, as follows:
Her breath, her soul are tied to the land,
She introduced Azerbaijan to the world.
The unparalleled performance of her “Chahargah”
Has left its mark, my Zeynab.
You are an unattainable peak for our music,
You became a great school for each of us.
Like a “Member of Parliament” to our assembly,
My Zeynab, who shows the right path.
Her voice is a powerful waterfall, her words “diamonds”,
She remains not indifferent to motherly existence.
Her service to her people, this too is undeniable,
Her adornment from herself, my Zeynab.
Yes, much has been said and written about Zeynab Khanlarova, considered a miracle of two centuries, two millennia, who, with her miraculous, magnificent, pleasing art, takes her audience into the magic of the musical world, and moves hearts with her voice, and this will continue. Volumes of books will be published about her, films will be made, articles will be written, and dissertations will be defended. Zeynab Khanlarova's creativity is an ocean, and in this short article today, I have only spoken about a few drops of it.
Zeynab Khanum is a symbol of happiness and good fortune, isn't she? For all this, for reaching the pinnacles of art, she constantly expresses her gratitude to her people and conveys these feelings with the following lines by the great Mikayil Mushfig, whose poems she loved dearly and whose songs she sang with great affection:
One who trembles with the people, smiles with the people,
One who lives for the homeland, dies for the homeland,
How fortunate is such a sincere person.
Even today, Zeynab Khanum sings with youthful enthusiasm and fervor, sowing seeds of joy in the hearts of those who love her with her new songs. Meanwhile, with a brief correction, I conclude today's writing with the words of national poet Samad Vurgun. “Sing, Zeynab, sing, Zeynab, let your voice tremble in hearts like a kaman”.
Gafar Asgarzade
Honored Journalist,
Doctor of Philosophy in Pedagogy, Associate Professor.
