In the conservatoire young Tofig Guliyev familiarized with works of great classics of the past – Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Schubert and other composers.

In 1931, being the student at the Asaf Zeynally Music School in Baku, Tofig Guliyev wrote a song to Mirza Alakbar Sabir’s poem – “About a schoolboy” according to his teacher’s advice.

Beginning from 1935, Tofig Guliyev began to work as a conductor at Azerbaijan Drama Theatre named after Mashadi Azizbeyov.

Tofig Guliyev’s activity as folklorist, which was begun in the 1930s had a great importance not only in creative biography of the composer, but also in musical-social life of Azerbaijan.

The Estrada orchestra, which was established by the composer and called Red Army ensemble was allotted to 402nd infantry division and had concerts in front line during the war.

During some years with theatres, he wrote songs for spectacles “The twelfth night” of W. Shakespeare, “A young guard” of Fadeyev, “Aydin” of Jafar Jabbarly, “On the distant shores” of H.Seyidbeyli and I.Gasimov, “Brothers” of Rasul Rza, “Strange man” of N. Hikmat, “Shirvan’s beauty” of A. Mamedkhanly.

Tofig Guliyev began creative collaboration with the eminent singer Rashid Behbudov, one of the best performers of the composer’s songs.

In 1958, the composer began to work in Azerbaijan State Academic Philharmonic Hall named after Muslim Magomayev, and later became the director.

During these years the composer wrote poems fortepiano and among them were “Lezghinka”, “Variations”, songs “Branchy gold” (Jarkov’s lyrics), “Don’t be proud”, “I love you”, “Kind country, Azerbaijan”.

During these years he wrote a lot of songs for drama spectacles, for “Anthony Grant’s crime” piece of M. Volibranskiy and R.Rubinstein, “When blossoms acacia” of M.Vishnyakov.

During these decades were written a lot of musical pieces for some films by Tofig Guliyev, which achieved great popularity “Under sultry sky” (1958), “Bakhtiyar” (1959), “Could he be forgiven?” (1959).