FOREWORD OF ELECTRON PUBLICATION EDITOR

 

«Principles of Azerbaijan Folk Music» is music-literature memorial of XX century. It is unique theoretical work, written according to all canons of encyclopaedic manuscripts. This book belongs to outstanding musical figure, founder of music theory in Azerbaijan, genius composer, dramatist, enlightener, scientist and teacher Uzeir Hajibeyov.

Author of scientific work was the first one, who classified tune system of Azerbaijan folk music, basing on centuries-old experience of the world theoretical conceptions of East and West.

His great achievement was the following: using West European equal-tempered notation while recording Azerbaijan music, he created conditions for:

a) to preserve traditional folk models: mugams, folk songs, dances, etc.;

b) to create new professional music genres: opera, ballet, instrumental mugams, and chamber music;

c) to form Azerbaijan musical science – ethnomusicology;

d) to propagandize Azerbaijan music culture;

e) to make it accessible for cultural groups of the World community;

f) to prove that penetration past spiritual values into Azerbaijan music enriched means of artistic expression.

As a result, there was approved the art, maximally original and overcoming universal bounds.

The main problem of mankind for millenniums was in practice the following: how preserve and transfer information in time and/or in space.

Genius Gutenberg’s invention and five-hundred-year tyranny of printing machine approved essential form of information’s fixation and dissemination as printed edition. It created the culture, traditions, and stereotypes to use information.

Submitted Uzeir Hajibeyov’s book «Principles of Azerbaijan Folk Music» represents appointed class of informational systems – electron edition. Being independent completed site, it contains information, equal to printed original (spacing of pages, chapters, numeration of music examples, etc.).

As electron product it is implemented in dynamics, with wide range of functional opportunities. Preference of electron form to disseminate information is evident, as compared to its printed original. It is the following:

a) it stores information as space-saving dense;

b) assist to operative delivery for addressee; and essential

c) gives opportunity to manipulate, broaden, supplement, and if necessary, to remove content blocks of net resources, using digital technologies.

Due to utilization of modern means of net multimedia technologies in Hajubeyov’s e-book edition, we could put the following problems:

a) to start actual distance leaning in Azerbaijan;

b) to prepare e-textbooks (learning manuals, methodic materials, optional courses)

c) to organize independent work of virtual university’s students. As electron edition Hajibeyov’s e-book would allow to broaden the frameworks of traditional education course. Transmittance process and perception of multimedia technologies (to insonify music examples, to use hyper- references, graphic files) suppose variety of delivery channel as well as variety of channel, effecting student’s feelings.

This electron edition serve not only for information’s transfer, it includes various practicum, attestation, and self-attestation. In no circumstances it substitutes printed version, but it do the things that could not do Gutenberg’s books. And finally, it creates conditions to use modern technologies and form “computer didactics” for education. The latter could be done, using new electronic means of mass media.

Education and privatization: these two factors are decisive ones to identify the future of the country.

Electron edition of Hajibeyov’s e-book make actual copyright problem and protection of traditional knowledge in Internet.

Turkish newspaper “Huriyyet” published an article on December 27, 1998. It told that Shanel Onaldi, the teacher of Istanbul Technical University, the Conservatoire, changed the name of Uzeir Hajibeyov’s book “Principles of Azerbaijan Folk Music”. He published it as “Mugam’s Theory and Study of Turkish Music’s Composition Principles”. There is direct evidence of plagiarism.

Due to article, issued in Azerbaijan newspaper “Khalg” of 12.01.99 (author S. Farajev) and interference of Agency on Copyrights, this unauthorized copy was removed from Istanbul Institutes’ educational process. The author was fired.

Network edition of Uzeir Hajibeyov’s book, disseminated in Cyberspace, and the fact of printed edition’s approval will prevent further plagiarism.

Convincing requirement of the World Organization of Intellectual Property (WIPO) is to fix ideas in corporeality in order to protect copyrights. Fixation means at that could be various. In digital mode the work should be recorded as consequence of binary data. It meets the requirements.

E-book does not outrage Uzeir Hajibeyov’s non-property rights. According to the Azerbaijan Republic Law “On Copyrights and Interfacing Rights” (part III, article 25), we quote: “Copyrights appears from creation date, is valid during author’s lifetime and 50 years after his death…”

This book was published for the first time in 1945. At the moment it is “public domain” type, and belongs to Azerbaijan people as national property.

In his research, Uzeir Hajibeyov use traditional knowledge of Azerbaijan people, related to music.

Protection of traditional knowledge takes specific place within the frameworks of WIPO program “Global Problems of Intellectual Property”, subprogram “Protection of Traditional Knowledge, Innovations, and Creative Work”. It is aimed to increase relations’ degree between intellectual property and traditional knowledge at national, regional, and global levels. WIPO uses the term “traditional knowledge” to denote all matters, related to activity based on traditions. That is traditional music: musical folklore and folk arts.

That is why Uzeir Hajibeyov’s e-book would assist to register and approve availability of Azerbaijan music’s tune system in network review. It would be its writ of protection.

Summarizing above, we should note that Uzeir Hajibeyov’s e-book “Principles of Azerbaijan Folk Music” is scientific, educational, and enlightening edition. It would provide free access to Azerbaijan traditional knowledge for network readers. It would catalyze inter-discipline integrity of Internet Communities. It would interchange music science of the East–West.

Tariyel Mamedov