Azerbaijani composer Gara Abulfaz Garayev was born in 1918 in Baku. After studying in Azerbaijani conservatories, he went to Moscow State Conservatory, then returned as instructor at the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Society. Besides being involved in the Azerbaijan Composers' Society, he was also politically active and spent time as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet. He died in Moscow 1982 and was buried in Baku.