Niyazi Taghizadeh-Hajibeyov was born in Tbilisi.

He studied violin at the Y. Shefferling School, in Moscow in the composition class of Mikhail Gnessin (1925-1926), and in the composition class of the Leningrad Central Music College (1929-1930). However, he could not finish his last education because he did not like the city atmosphere and was bored. Then he studied at the Yerevan Conservatory, and at the postgraduate course of the Azerbaijan State Conservatory (1933-1934).

Since 1935, he has been writing music for cinema. He is the author of the opera "Khosrov and Shirin" (1942), the ballet "Chitra" (1961), the "Zagatala Suite" (1934), "Return" (1939), the symphonic works "Concert Waltz", the two-part "Heroism" symphony (1944), the symphonic mugham "Rast" (1949), the opera-cantata "In 1920", the "Dance Suite" for symphonic orchestra and other musical works. He arranged Azerbaijani folk songs for symphonic orchestra and set mughams to music. He actively participated in the organization of the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra. His performing activity is more closely connected with the Opera and Ballet Theater. For many years he was the conductor (1951-1952), chief conductor, artistic director and director of this theater. He worked as the director of the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic (1979). He was the chief conductor of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater (1960-1961).

He starred as a conductor in the Russian film "When the Song Does Not End" (1964, directed by Roman Tikhomirov).

Honored Artist of Arts (1940), People's Artist (1955), People's Artist of the USSR (1959), Hero of Socialist Labor (1982), Laureate of the State Prizes of Azerbaijan (1967) and the USSR (1951, 1952), Laureate of the All-Union Review of Conductors (1946), Laureate of the International Nehru Prize (1974) Niyazi died in 1984 and was buried in the Alley of Honor.

Composer, conductor Niyazi is the son of composer Zulfugar Hajibeyov.