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Tofik Bakikhanov (; born 8 December 1930 in Baku, Azerbaijan) is an Azerbaijani composer, artist and music teacher.

Biography

Tofik Bakikhanov, son of Akhmed-Agha Bakikhanov, is an artist from the Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan.

His musical career began as a violinist. In 1953, he graduated in violin at the State Conservatory of Azerbaijan, followed in 1957 by a degree in composition. In particular, he was trained by Professor Kara Karayev.

Artistic career

Professional duties and occupations
During his years of study, Bakikhanov will engage in performing activities and will work as a soloist in the State Symphony Orchestra of Azerbaijan, as well as in the Azerbaijani Radio Symphony Orchestra.

From 1950 to 1953, he worked as a violinist in a trio at the Azerbaijan Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1953 he was professor and head of the string department at Baku Musical College Asaf Zeynalli. Then in 1966, he became head of the art publishing department and in 1968 he was responsible for the writing of the musical literature of the Azerneshr publishing house. Since 1970, Bakikhanov has worked as a lecturer in the Department of the House Set. He is also Dean of the Performance Department of the Azerbaijan Conservatory.

Works
Tofik Bakikhanov is the author of concerts for violin, cello, flute, oboe, double concerts, musicals. He is currently a professor at Baku Music Academy. From 1969 to the present, Tofik Bakikhanov performed with authors' concerts in Paris, Moscow, Tbilisi, Istanbul, Izmir and Tehran.

In 1968, his ballet Ballade Caspienne was staged at Baku Opera and Ballet Theatre. It was followed by ballets Oriental Poems (1976) and Good and Evil (1990).

He has eight symphonies, six symphonic poems, five symphonic mugams (Neva, Chahnaz, Rahab, Humayun, Dugah), twenty-five concerts for symphonic orchestra with tar and various instruments, twenty sonatas, vocal and instrumental pieces and more than one hundred songs and romances.

On November 23, 1973, he received the honour of Ouvrier d'art honour from the Azerbaijani SSR. In 1983 he received the rank of professor. On 31 December 1990, he was honoured with the honorary title of Artist of the People of the Azerbaijani SSR. In 1996, he was elected a Doctor of Arts of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Arts. In 1994-2000, T. Bakikhanov became winner of the Abbasgulu aga Bakikhanov Prize. He received the Order of Glory in 2000. In 1998, 2000 and 2001, he performed at the Bellapais International Music Festival (respectively in the second, fourth and fifth editions) in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus but also in Moscow, Tbilisi and in recent years in Istanbul, Izmir, Tehran and Bulgaria.

Criticisms, monographs