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Azerbaijani folklore. This is confirmed by his
materials concerning the languages used in various
recognition as a well-known scholar in the field of
territories populated by Turkic tribes had been collected
folklore studies.
since the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th
In his work “75 Azerbaycanişe Lieder 'Bayatı' in der
centuries, and some of them had been analyzed by
Mundart von Gence nebst einer sprachlichen
European scholars, but the languages and literatures of
Erklaerung”, Ahmed Jafaroghlu published Azerbaijani
some Turkic peoples (such as those of the Caucasian
bayatis in the original and his own literal (interlinear)
and Iranian Azeri Turks) had not been investigated in
translation in German for the first time. The title of the
the real sense of the word. The author makes the
work suggests that the author will analyze the linguistic
inference that it would be necessary to continue studies
features of bayatis, but instead, in the foreword and
in this field.
introduction to the work he speaks of the bayati as a
The universal research methodology inherent to
poetic genre in folklore and its characteristic features,
Jafaroghlu's creative activity on the whole of catches
giving a thorough analysis of bayatis from the
readers' attention. Here the young research fellow
perspective of literary criticism. His translation of 75
speaks of the etymology of the word bayati and its
Azerbaijani bayatis into German and introduction of
being the name of a melody; about the metric and genre
them to European readers was a monumental literary
peculiarities of the bayati; about its usage in different
event.
ceremonies; and about completely different
This work was highly appreciated by Turkologists.
peculiarities of the genre, even entering into polemics
The German Turkologist G. Yaeschke, in his “Works
with authors who had previously written about bayatis,
about Azerbaijan in German”, calls “75 Azerbaycanişe
including the prominent Azerbaijani intellectual and
Lieder 'Bayatı' in der Mundart von Gence nebst einer
composer, Uzeyir Hajibeyli.
sprachlichen Erklaerung” an important work and
In investigating the etymology of the word bayati,
writes, “The associate professor of the chair of History
Jafaroghlu states that this word denotes the name of
of the Turkish language of Istanbul University and
God (Tanri) in Yusif Balasagunlu's “Kitadgu-bilig”
editor of the collection of 'Azerbaijani Studies', Ahmed
(Road to Knowledge), in Alishir Navoi, and in the
Jafaroghlu, who issues it in Istanbul in English, has
Radlov's dictionary. However, in Mahmud Kashghari's
published an important study in the collection of
“Divani-lughat-it-turk” (Turkish Dictionary
“Mitteilungen des Seminars fur Orientalische
Collection), it is cited as the name of an Oghuz-Turkic
Sprachen”, which is titled “75 Azerbaycanişe Lieder
tribe. Jafaroghlu notes that the word bayati is simply
'Bayatı' in der Mundart von Gence nebst einer
explained as the name of a genre of song of the
sprachlichen Erklaerung”. The fact that the author is
Azerbaijani Turks as it was noted in Huseyn Kazim's
from Ganja by origin further adds to the importance of
“Turk lughati” (Turkic Dictionary). He comes to the
that study” (8, p.30)
conclusion that the word bayati has been taken from the
Though Jafaroghlu writes that he has described and
name of the tribe of Bayat as were the names of folk
studied the phonetic peculiarities of bayatis, he has also
poetry genres Varsaghi (from Varsag), Turkmeni (from
given a good deal of space to their study from the point
Turkmen), Afshari (from Afshar), and Gazakhi (from
of view of literary criticism. Therefore it is necessary to
Gazakh). He also mentions the use of this word in the
describe the structure of his article. The work begins
names of melodies like Bayati-Kurd, Bayati-Shahnaz,
with the “Vorwort” (Foreword), then “Einleitung”
Bayati-Shiraz, and
Bayati-Gajar. He writes that from
(Introduction, p.4-9), followed by a section on
the point of view of melodiousness, bayatis are not
“Vokalismus” (Phonetics, pp. 10-37). The next section
connected with certain melodies. Thus, one bayati may
is “Texte in Transkription mit Überselzing” which
be sung to different melodies. Bayatis are sung by
consists of transcriptions of the texts in Azerbaijani and
common folk and are often commbined with shikasta
their translations into German (pp.38-49). Here the
by folk ashugs. If Hajibeyli claims that these bayatis are
bayatis have been classified into five groups:
not sung in various ceremonies (wedding-parties,
“Liebeslieder” (bayatis of love), no.1-46;
funerals, etc.), but outside of houses, my observations
“Trauerlieder” (bayatis of mourning), no. 47-60;
lead to quite the contrary conclusion. I have witnessed
“Wahrsagelieder” (fortune-telling bayatis), no. 61-67;
that bayatis are sung in such ceremonies as well (9, p.5).
“Heimatlieder” (bayatis about the motherland), no. 68-
Jafaroghlu declares that he disagrees with Hajibeyli,
70; and “Lieder verschiedenen Inhalts” (bayatis on
who in his article “A view on Azerbaijani music” says
various topics), no. 71-75. It may be observed that love
that “shikasta and bayati are sung in fields or in the
bayatis are given more space than those in other
woods; in one word, not at home” (10, p.2; 11, p.219).
categories. Thus, though the main body of the work
Jafaroghlu explains the metric and syllabic features
covers linguistic issues of Turkology, the foreword and
of bayati (which include a single quatrain with seven
introduction are devoted to the analysis of bayatis from
poetic feet in each line and an a-a-b-a rhyme scheme in
the perspective of literary criticism.
the stanza) and draws attention to the fact that this
In the foreword of the work, Jafaroghlu notes that
poetic genre of Azerbaijani folklore is rich in content: