KARAOKE: Azerbaijani folk songs and classical romances. Baku, 2010

This integrated publication is a teaching aid for new generation and represents interactive study guide worked out based on newest technologies and consisting of a DVD-disk and a brochure with the required information elucidating the above mentioned data.

The goal of the worked out guide is studying and mastering of popular Azerbaijani folk songs and classic romances through singing "karaoke". The publication was developed with a glance to use in teaching process of modern information technologies that promotes improvement of quality of musical education in schools, thereby widens the framework of opportunities of musical education in the republic in whole.

Singing Karaoke benefits the development of aesthetic sense, solicitous attitude to the national wealth, as well as raising national awareness of youth, his patriotic spirit. This is one of means of safeguarding the intangible heritage of Azerbaijani people. In today's world, in the era of worldwide globalization, singing karaoke is of important universal value, as the presented study guide is the propaganda of Azerbaijani music, its folk songs and classical romances among representatives of various nationalities who are interested in Azerbaijan, and is an indispensable tool for learning Azerbaijani language. Karaoke is a new trend in the chant.

From the technical point of view, karaoke is lip sync (singing to the soundtrack), which is accompanied in a computer monitor or TV screen by the test of a song with rhythmic highlighting of syllables to the music measures. This DVD-ROM has been prepared specifically on this principle. The manual includes 30 widely used folk songs, which are easily digested with the help of this edition by people of all ages, especially young people.

The collection includes also the beloved songs of the people of genius Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli, the architect of the Azerbaijani musical culture of the twentieth century and the founder of a professional composer's creativity in Azerbaijan.

And this edition is devoted to the 125-th anniversary of this famous figure. U. Hajibeyli considered folk songs the foundation of all musical culture of the people. He has firstly registered the Azerbaijani folk songs in the form notes, herewith laying the way for a creative approach to the treasury of folk music.

Paying tribute to traditions of U. Hajibayli, the proposed tutorial embraces a musical fixation of the song melodies for their deeper exploration and adoption. As is well known, music and singing were important parts of the culture of many nations since ancient times, including for Azerbaijani people. Coming together in the home for distraction, people sang songs to the accompaniment of various musical instruments.

To the present time, singing songs is a favorite kind of pastime for many people. Herewith, these people can engage in different activities and be with different levels of intellectual development - singing all together. These days, in the period of rapid growth of sound-recording equipment and information technologies, people of different nationalities can easily learn singing karaoke.

The study guide on singing Azerbaijani folk songs and classical songs to the karaoke is the first attempt to introduce into the educational process of learning folk-song material by using modern information technologies.

The study is offered by several ways:

1. Karaoke with a text, music and vocal accompaniment,

2. Karaoke with a text, music and without vocal accompaniment;

3. Musical text.

Thus, the opportunity of listening music and familiarizing with the text of the proposed songs (or romance) visually at the same time, paves the way for a thorough review, facilitates memorization and promotes faster learning of the material. All the proposed songs and romances are performed by the best masters of Azerbaijani vocal art.

Thus, two romances by U. Hajibeyli to words from the great Azerbaijani poet and thinker Nizami of twelfth century – "Sensiz" ("Without You") and "Sevgili janan" ("beloved") are sounding in the performance of outstanding singer Bulbul. Folk songs are performed by well-known professional singers of the younger generation - Ilahi Mammadova (Fada) Fadai Mammadova (Lachin), Gochaga Askerov and Babak Niftaliev. The users of this manual will have a fair chance to sing the song "together" with renowned professionals, to keep a wary eye on the manner of their singing and practicing.

This interesting and exceptional learning process helps to activate the creative potential of students, forms a deep interest in musical performance, raises the quality of level of requirements for the artist and creates an artistic taste. Singing the best samples of national music through karaoke has an extraordinary power to influence hearts and minds of people, plays a crucial role in the educational process, in development and spiritual enrichment of the young generation, as well as in promoting the Azerbaijani musical culture abroad.

Translated by: Yusifli Javanshir Aziz oglu