Piano Pieces by a Prominent Representative of the Azerbaijani Composition School Ogtay Rajabov
Authors: Humbatova Elmira 
Published: June 2021

The article is dedicated to the piano creativity of Ogtay Rajabov, a brilliant representative of the 20th-century Azerbaijani school of composition. It should be noted that O. Rajabov is the author of many pieces for piano, and among them, the genres written for young pianists have a special place. The article analyzes some of these pieces. They include some small miniatures such as “Barkarolla”, “Lyric dance”, “Joke”, “Thought”, “Lyric waltz”, “Naughty kids”, “Remembering the Past”, “Remembering my mother”, “Sad mood” and “My memories”. In his works, the composer was able to bring the world of children to life with great skill.
The article provides a theoretical analysis of each piece and specifies the stylistic characteristics inherent in the composer’s piano music. In the works, the traits of O. Radjabov’s composing style, a kind of transfer of elements of folk music, the different images within a small play, the rich imagination of the composer and many other things are highlighted. These works play an important role in the development of the technical capabilities, artistic thinking and aesthetic taste of the young performer. Here, the main characteristic feature is the variety achieved through dynamic nuances, the different development of the melody, the use of different registers, and other similar aspects. Such works are also extensive in terms of the subject matter. So, the images of various characters are reflected here.
The purpose of the research is to analyze some of the small miniatures that hold a special place in O. Rajabov’s piano creativity work and set forth his stylistic features.
The research methodology is based mainly on theoretical-comparative principles. The miniatures have been theoretically analyzed in terms of the means of expression of musical language and been characterized by its results. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research is constituted of works by Russian and Azerbaijani musicologists available in this field.
The scientific novelty of the research lies in pioneering a study of the composer Ogtay Rajabov’s piano creation and his directly analyzed miniatures as a research object for the first time. That is to say, in this article, O. Rajabov’s piano works have been subjected to theoretical analysis for the first time.
Conclusions. The contents commonality of the last four pieces, including the fourth one among the ten pieces we have analyzed, has united them somewhat in a series. As for such pieces as “Joke”, “Naughty kids”, “Lyric waltz”, “Barcarolle” and “Lyric Dance”, they mostly combine in one theme the different moods and emotional states of children’s world, expressing it in itself. Among the features that summarize and differentiate the pieces, there is a preferred type of texture, the methods of theme development, use of polyphonic style. In particular, the contrast that occurs as a result of dynamic nuances when playing the theme in different registers is observed in most of his pieces. The analyzed pieces serve as a valuable tool for the formation of a young pianist’s aesthetic taste, as well as the development of artistic and technical performance.