The Impact of “Khrushchev’s Liberalization” on the Development of the Musical Sphere in Azerbaijan

Aytan MAHARAMOVA

Abstract: Although the “music and power” tandem can be examined from various socio-political as well as cultural-historical perspectives, the Soviet political system holds a distinctive place in this context. It is precisely in totalitarian societies that music, rather than serving primarily as an art form fulfilling the society’s aesthetic and cultural needs, becomes a tool for reinforcing the ideological stance of the ruling authority. Within the Soviet cultural system, music developed under conditions in which the upper echelons of power, guided by a strict ideological line, not only denied the independent evolution of art-including music as one of its branches-as a cultural phenomenon but also regarded it in practice as a powerless “handmaid” of state ideology

 This article explores the influence of the dominant political system and prevailing ideology on the development of all spheres of culture in the USSR during the 1950s and 1960s. The death of Joseph Stalin and the rise to power of Nikita Khrushchev marked the beginning of the “Thaw” or “Soviet liberalization” across all areas of public life, and the field of music was no exception. Beginning in the mid-1950s, the existing political regime gradually moved away from isolationism, expanding cultural and economic ties with other countries. This shift brought about significant changes in musical life as well.

The article examines the search for new forms and the processes that unfolded in Azerbaijani music during the 1950s-particularly in the realm of composition. These developments played a crucial role in shaping the direction of musical art in the years to follow and are considered a formative stage in its evolution.

Keywords: Azerbaijan, political system, culture, ideology, Union of Composers.

Introduction

In the Soviet cultural system, the field of music developed under condi­tions in which the ruling elite, guided by a strict ideological line, not only rejected the independent development of art-music as one of its branches-as a cultural phenomenon but also re­garded it, in practice, as a feeble “handmaiden” of state ideology.

Through top-down administrative measures, both the Soviet Union and its constituent republics were deliber­ately isolated from the development of foreign music. This imposed isolation undoubtedly had a negative impact on the evolution of the field, delaying and distorting the natural trajectory of mu­sical creativity within the USSR. In the second half of the 1950s and into the 1960s, this trend weakened some­what, a shift primarily associated with the period of “Khrushchev’s liberal­ism.”

During the period selected for this study-particularly in the early 1950s-the excessive vulgarization of sociol­ogism and the ideological instrumen­talization of art reached such an extent that even the mere act of composing music, using specific compositional techniques, or the content of a per­former’s repertoire could be interpret­ed as a sign of political or ideological disloyalty and result in social sanc­tions.

However, during Khrushchev’s rule, which is often perceived as a period of Soviet liberalization, the relative loosening of strict ideological constraints allowed the state’s cultural policy to yield more positive out­comes in the development of musical art. This, in turn, created the oppor­tunity for the diverse musical tradi­tions of the Soviet peoples to engage with, and draw inspiration from, the European classical music tradition.

While the early 1950s were marked by an absolute rejection of any innovation, the latter half of that decade and the 1960s saw a temporary tolerance toward limited musical ex­perimentation-an opening that made itself felt in the ongoing development of the field. This tendency enabled the creation of valuable works, particular­ly in the Union republics, including Azerbaijan, where composers drew on the finest achievements of global mu­sical creativity.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the principles of Stalinism in the field of music underwent an evolutionary transformation toward greater democ­ratization. However, this transfor­mation occurred within the framework of existing aesthetic, ideological, and psychological stereotypes. The mo­nopolization of aesthetic norms; the dominance of ideology over artistic creativity; and the psychological and creative adaptation of musicians to the demands of socialist society are key features that characterized the period. This era was far from homogeneous, and several distinct phases can be ob­served within it.

Thus, beginning in 1953, the music industry’s relationship with state pow­er remained heavily dependent on Stalinist norms. As is well known, the denunciation of the cult of Stalin—which triggered a process of “soften­ing” across all systems and subsys­tems of Soviet society—also mani­fested in the musical arts through more flexible formulations that ex­panded the boundaries of what was ideologically permissible.

In summary, if we are to character­ize Azerbaijani music within the cho­sen timeframe, it may be stated con­cisely that “a turn toward national mu­sic in a new stylistic form, an expan­sion of genre diversity, and a qualita­tive transformation in artistic generali­zations” laid the foundation for a new stage of development in Azerbaijani music during this period.

The Impact of the Totalitarian Political System on the develop­ment of music

In the mid-20th century, Soviet ideologists sought to implement the principles of the prevailing political system through artistic expression, including film, music, and other art forms. Under such complex condi­tions, music-as one of the most signif­icant branches of art-was transformed into a kind of conductor or instrument for socio-political events¹.

Music, regardless of its form, re­flects the traces of political systems and the way of life in different socie­ties. To affirm this idea, it is appropri­ate to refer to a well-known statement by sociologist Theodor W. Adorno: “If music in any society is served as a product of the kitchen (here implying power), then before it is presented at the table, it must inevitably have been steeped in ideology”².

In the 1950s, Azerbaijani music entered a new phase under the influ­ence of strict prohibitions imposed at the highest levels of authority³. The socio-political processes that took place in the USSR during this decade were reflected in musical creativity. The organization primarily responsi­ble for the development of Azerbaija­ni music was, without a doubt, the Union of Composers of Azerbaijan. Changes in its activities are crucial for understanding the realities of that pe­riod. The election of Gara Garayev as Chairman of the Union on June 25, 1953, marked a turning point in the operations of this state institution.

Following the death of Joseph Stalin on March 5, 1953, and the rise of Nikita Khrushchev to power, the “Thaw” or so-called “Soviet liberali­zation” began to take shape in society, also influencing the musical sphere. With the end of the “Zhdanovshchina” – a campaign initiat­ed by Stalin in 1936 through Andrei Zhdanov against cultural figures [10, p. 18]^{4 –} ide­ological restrictions were lifted.

Under Gara Garayev’s leadership, organizational matters began to be addressed at a higher level. Increased attention was paid to collecting and publishing folk music across the union republics-one of the main objectives of the Commission on Folk Music, established back in 1948. This effort became a vivid manifestation of the cultural liberalization and nationaliza­tion trends that began in Azerbaijan, following the broader tendencies in the USSR.

At the Seventh Plenum of Azerbai­jani Composers, held from November 14 to 20, 1954, figures such as Bulbul and A. Badalbeyli raised important issues concerning language and music in their speeches, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and wide-ranging study of the history

of Azerbaijani music. It is worth noting that during this period, intellec­tual circles voiced significant de­mands for Azerbaijani to be granted official state language status. In his speech, Niyazi called for greater openness in admitting new members to the republican unions of composers and advocated for prioritizing national personnel⁵.

One of the most significant events in Azerbaijani musical life in the 1950s was the first Congress of the Union of Composers of Azerbaijan. Originally scheduled for 1948, the congress was delayed for various rea­sons and only convened in March 1956. At the congress, Gara Garayev, serving as chairman, delivered a re­port that not only reviewed the half-century development of Azerbaijani compositional art but also highlighted its achievements and ongoing chal­lenges. Garayev’s main criticism was the insufficient development of opera. He expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of major works in this genre in recent years, with the sole exception of the opera Sevil.

The 1950s were a time of signifi­cant transformation for Azerbaijani academic music. Unlike previous pe­riods, this era saw a diversification of genres and forms and successful ex­perimentation with new styles. To briefly characterize the music of this time, one could say that “a turn to­ward national music in a new style, genre diversification, and artistic gen­eralizations rose to a qualitatively new level”. This period laid the foundation for a new stage in the development of Azerbaijani music.

Societal changes, socio-economic development, technological progress, and the rise in educational levels led to the formation of a new worldview, which in turn demanded the emer­gence of a new style to meet people’s spiritual needs-especially in relation to music. As in literature and other branches of the arts, music also faced the imperative to become “closer to the people,” to reflect the achieve­ments of the authorities in full, and to propagate the idea that “socialism is the only viable form of governance.” In this context, socialist realism, which had been established as a mon­olithic style, gradually began to lose its significance following the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953.

With Nikita Khrushchev’s rise to power, the Thaw began-a process that touched virtually every sphere, from international relations (e.g., the con­clusion of the Korean War) to domes­tic political, economic, and cultural affairs. This period, later described in historical scholarship as a soft line or Soviet liberalization, marked a depar­ture from totalitarianism and, more specifically, from the rigid methods of political regulation in culture and mu­sic. It led to a degree of relaxation in the repressive practices that had been used for over three decades to impose a “spiritual demand” constructed sole­ly by government directives. The be­ginning of Soviet liberalization con­tributed to the creation of a healthier psychological atmosphere in the cul­tural domain.

“Khrushchev’s liberalization” and Its Impact on the Development of Music in Azerbaijan: In the early 1950s, Azerbaijani musical art, like other fields of art and literature in the late 1940s, was dominated by the theme of the Great Patriotic War and the victory achieved therein. From a political standpoint, beginning in the mid-1950s, the existing political sys­tem began to soften its isolationist posture and broaden cultural and eco­nomic relations with other countries. This inevitably affected music. It was during this time that Azerbaijani mu­sic, which had previously remained distant from global musical trends, began to actively engage with and absorb these new artistic directions.

Moreover, alongside established professional composers with extensive creative experience, a new generation of composers emerged during this period-artists who would go on to shape the future of Azerbaijani musi­cal art. These included composers such as Arif Malikov, Khayyam Mirzazade, Agshin Alizade, Vasif Adigozalov, Faraj Garayev, and oth­ers, who bore the responsibility for the future development and direction of Azerbaijani music.

The second half of the 20th centu­ry-particularly the 1960s-was a forma­tive period for Azerbaijani music, as it was during this decade that the mate­rial foundations of a national style were firmly established. Until the mid-1950s, the Soviet Union re­mained a closed society due to ongo­ing political and military tensions. However, from the late 1950s, and especially through­out the 1960s, with the gradual lifting of the Iron Curtain and the establish­ment of international cultural exchang­es, interest in con­temporary global-particularly West­ern-musical trends grew significantly. Rather than relying on previous mod­els of internal ex­change and self-contained develop­ment, Azerbaijani music increasingly integrated global trends.

One particularly noteworthy de­velopment was that Azerbaijan, alt­hough a geographically remote repub­lic of the USSR, not only embraced these new currents but actually as­sumed a leading role in assimilating what came to be known as neoclassi­cal tendencies. Despite the fact that the Central Asian republics (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan) also represented Eastern musical traditions within the Soviet Union, none achieved the level of success that Azerbaijan did. The Azerbaijani school of composition gained much greater recognition at the all-Union level.

Compared to the 1960s, the 1950s can be regarded as a more liberated phase in the development of Azerbai­jani music. It was during the 1950s that composers such as K. Karaev, F. Amirov, S. Khadzhibeyov, J. Khadzhiev, and others created out­standing works across various genres, which became known not only throughout the Soviet Union but also far beyond its borders⁶. When examin­ing the stylistic features of the Azer­baijani compositional school, one ob­serves that in the period around the beginning of World War II and the subsequent years, the classical style-comparable to the works of Shostakovich and Prokofiev-was pre­dominant. However, as noted, with the sociopolitical changes and the lift­ing of the Iron Curtain in the 1960s, alongside the establishment of cultural connections with the West, neoclassi­cism, primarily associated with Stravinsky’s name, came to prevail.

The new style introduced by I. Stravinsky was not easily accepted; on the contrary, his supporters were sub­jected to criticism for alleged formal­ism. Stravinsky himself was persecut­ed and labeled a propagandist of bourgeois music. It is worth noting that neoclassicism found its place not only in music but also in other art forms. In some cases, the authorities even supported this style when deemed necessary. For example, in architecture, neoclassicism was em­ployed to demonstrate Soviet gran­deur, while in music it faced repres­sion. Despite the era of N. Khrushchev’s leadership often being referred to as a period of “Soviet lib­eralism” in such societies the intellec­tual maturity of the rulers and their capacity to embrace innovation de­fined the standards and benchmarks for creative fields. The activities of individuals possessing significant sci­entific and creative potential were also regulated according to these prevail­ing perceptions.

Despite all the prohibitions and the ruling party’s control, the 1950s can be considered the inception of a new era in Azerbaijani music, marked by the emergence of new genres and the commencement of a subsequent phase in terms of both content and style. Representatives of the Azerbaijani professional compositional school, founded by U. Hajibeyov, achieved a new level of mastery and began to extend their influence beyond Azerbaijan and the USSR, soon enter­ing the global stage. Azerbaijani com­posers trained in Moscow not only studied under the great musicologists of their time but, by integrating this knowledge with national color, chart­ed a new path. Their Moscow educa­tion afforded them familiarity not only with Russian classical music but also with the works of world classical mas­ters, which undoubtedly influenced their creative output.

This period in the Azerbaijani compositional school, despite some emerging disagreements among com­posers, was particularly marked by the works of Kara Karaev and Fikret Amirov, who left two significant and brilliant legacies in history. In the 1950s and 1960s, alongside Kara Karaev and Fikret Amirov, other prominent figures emerged in Azerbaijani music, such as Maestro Niyazi, J. Khadzhiev, S. Khadzhibeyov, A. Melikov, T. Bakikhanov, R. Gadzhiev, A. Rzayev, and others. In the works of these mu­sicians, Romanticism became the principal stylistic direction in Azerbai­jani music. This period can even be characterized as the flourishing of national Romanticism in Azerbaijani music.

However, as previously men­tioned, party and state officials-who considered ideology a crucial element-actively opposed musical themes that reflected real life, praised Soviet con­struction, or embraced innovation, which they deemed harmful. The ex­plorations that took place in Azerbai­jani music during the 1950s, particu­larly in compositional work, can be seen as a critical stage in the for­mation of musical directions in subse­quent years. It was during this period that the younger generation of com­posers, mastering traditional musical genres and deeply studying Russian and European compositional works, developed a new artistic and aesthetic approach, laying the groundwork for the emergence of symphonic music, which was novel to Azerbaijani mu­sic.

Within a short period, symphonic music not only arose and took shape but also reached a stage of flourishing, which is undoubtedly linked to the talent and diligent work of the com­posers of that time. The neoclassical traditions that began in the 1940s be­came a significant trend in the 1960s in the works of Kara Karaev, J. Khadzhiev, and their followers within the school they established⁷.

One of the most significant events in Azerbaijani music in the mid-1960s was the emergence of Kara Karaev’s Third Symphony. Premiered on April 21, 1965, at the Tchaikovsky Hall, the symphony created a considerable res­onance not only within the USSR but also beyond its borders. It is no coin­cidence that the American composer Allan Hovhaness acknowledged that Karaev’s Third Symphony was exe­cuted with great professionalism and refined taste. A close analysis of the work clearly reveals the distinctive style of Azerbaijani composers. I was deeply impressed by this composi­tion⁸.

Another renowned musicologist, R. Shchedrin, after a prolonged admi­ration of the Third Symphony, con­fessed that he felt the pulsating force of life within the piece⁹. In 1967, the Third Symphony was awarded the Lenin Prize, a major event for Azer­baijani music at the end of the 1960s¹⁰.

In 1965, the commencement of preparations for events dedicated to the 80th anniversaries of U. Hajibeyov and M. Magomayev became a land­mark occasion in the musical sphere. The jubilees of these great musical figures were celebrated as a genuine musical festival in Azerbaijan.

In the second half of the 20th cen­tury, the successes of Farhad Badalbeyli, who was just beginning his musical career, became known far beyond the USSR. In 1968, at an in­ternational youth competition in Portugal, F. Badalbeyli was recog­nized as the winner, which sparked significant discussions among Azer­baijani music professionals. It is worth recalling that at that time Badalbeyli was still a student, studying in his fourth year at the conservatory. To appreciate the significance of Badal­beyli’s success, one only needs to re­call Kara Karaev’s words: “Farhad Badalbeyli’s success saved Azerbaijan from becoming a ‘periphery of the piano’”¹¹.

The Third Congress of Azerbaijani Composers, held in 1968, became an important event for summarizing the developments in Azerbaijani music during the 1960s and for examining the objectives to be achieved. The main report at the congress was deliv­ered by the Chairman of the Compos­ers’ Union, Kara Karaev. The ideas voiced in his report may prove valua­ble for studying the developmental trajectory of Azerbaijani music in the 1950s and 1960s, the period chosen for this research. Karaev noted that Azerbaijan had witnessed the emer­gence of symphony, chamber music, the song genre, and ballet, many of which had been created with the direct involvement of composers. He also mentioned that whereas composers in the country could once be counted on one’s fingers, now Azerbaijani com­posers had gained recognition at the Union level. Karaev emphasized that Azerbaijani music had undergone sig­nificant development in a short peri­od¹².

Conclusion

Within the Soviet cultural system, music developed under conditions in which the highest echelons of power, adhering to ideological lines, not only denied the independent development of art as a cultural phenomenon but also practically regarded it as a “serv­ant” of state ideology. In the early 1950s, the rigid rejection of any inno­vation was replaced by a temporary tolerance toward limited musical in­novations during the latter half of the decade and into the 1960s, a trend reflected in the process of develop­ment.

This tendency in the Union repub­lics, including Azerbaijan, allowed inspiration to be drawn from the best achievements of global musical crea­tivity, enabling the creation of valua­ble works.

Research shows that during the 1950s and 1960s, there was a gradual transformation of Stalinist principles into a more democratic direction in the realm of musical art; however, this was carried out while maintaining the fundamental aesthetic, ideological, and psychological stereotypes.

Notes

• С. И. Савенко, “«Варшавская Осень» и советская музыка 1960-х годов”, Искусство музыки: теория и история, nr. 24, 2021, p. 158.
• К.С. Верещагина, “Музыка как форма политической идеологии (на примере советского периода 20-40 гг. ХХ века)”, Политика и Общество, nr.10, 2012. pp. 5-7. https://nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=53957.
• Е. А. Добренко, Поздний стали­низм: эстетика политики, Том 1, Издательство, Новое литературное обозрение, 2024, pp. 363-375; А. Kojevnikov, Games of Stalinist democracy. Ideological dis­cussions in Soviet sciences, 1947-52, p. 9, p. 163., https://history.ubc.ca/wp-con­tent/uploads/sites/23/2020/01/2000Games.pdf. This article appeared in the Russian Review, 57:1 (January 1998), пп. 23-52, under the title “Rituals of Stalinist Culture at Work: Science and the Games of Intraparty Democracy circa 1948”.
• Олеся АлександровнаГлотова, Андрей Александрович Жданов: “Идеологическая деятельность в 1920-1940-е гг”. Автореферат дис-сер­тации на соискание ученой степени кандидата исторических наук, 2004, p. 18.
• Lalə Şirməmməd Hüseynova, “XX əsr Azərbaycan musiqi mədəniyyətinin inkişafında Bəstəkarlar İttifaqının rolu və əhəmiyyəti”, Sənətşünaslıq namizədi alimlik dərəcəsi almaq üçün təqdim olunmuş dissertasiya, 2005, p. 63.
• P. Həsənli, “Xruşşov liberalizmi: Hakimiyyət. Xalq. Ziyalılar”, “Qanun” nəşriyyatı, Bakı, 2018, p. 717.
• Ş. Əliyeva, “XX əsrin birinci yarısının tarixi inkişaf konteksində Azərbaycan musiqi mədəniyyəti”. Sənətşünaslıq doktoru alimlik dərəcəsi almaq üçün təqdim edilmiş dissrtasiya, Bakı, 2008, p. 219.
• “Ədəbiyyat və incəsənət qəzeti”, 12 iyun 1965-ci il; C.P. Həsənli, “Xruşşov liberalizmi: Hakimiyyət. Xalq, Ziyalılar”, “Qanun” nəşriyyatı, Bakı, 2018, p. 174.
• Ş. Əliyeva, “XX əsrin birinci yarısının tarixi inkişaf konteksində Azərbaycan musiqi mədəniyyəti”. Sənətşünaslıq doktoru alimlik dərəcəsi almaq üçün təqdim edilmiş dissrtasiya, Bakı, 2008, p. 208
• P. Həsənli, op. cit., p. 714.
• Ibidem, p. 722.
• “Ədəbiyyat və incəsənət qəzəeti”, 2 noyabr 1968-ci il.

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