( 1903 – May 1 1978 ) was an Armenian Composer whose works were often influenced by Armenia n Folk Music .
Aram Khachaturian was born in Tbilisi , Georgia , Imperial Russia to a poor Armenian family. In his youth, he was fascinated by the music he heard around him, but at first he did not study music or learn to read it. In 1921, he travelled to Moscow to join his brother, unable to speak a word of Russian. Although he had almost no musical education, Khachaturian showed such great talent that he was admitted to the Gnessin Institute where he studied Cello under Mikhail Gnessin and entered a composition class (1925).
In 1929, he transferred to the Moscow Conservatory where he studied under Nikolai Myaskovsky . In the 1930s, he married the composer Nina Makarova , a fellow student from Myaskovsky's class. In 1951 , he became professor at the Gnessin State Musical and Pedagogical Institute (Moscow) and the Moscow Conservatory. He also held important posts at the Composers' Union, which would later severely denounce some of his works as being "formalist" music, along with those of Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich . These three composers became the so called "titans" of Soviet Music , enjoying world-wide reputation as some of the leading composers of the 20th century.
Khachaturian's works include concertos for ''). The latter ballet features in its final act what is probably his most famous movement, the " Sabre Dance ".
He also composed some ''.
Khachaturian was enthusiastic about , secretary of the Communist Party's Central Committee , delivered the so-called Zhdanov Decree in 1948. The decree condemned Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Khachaturian, and other Soviet composers as "formalist" and "antipopular" . All three accused composers were forced to apologize publicly. The decree affected Khachaturian profoundly: "Those were tragic days for me... I was clouted on the head so unjustly. My repenting speech at the First Congress was insincere. I was crushed, destroyed. I seriously considered changing professions" (Yuzefovich, 190).
He died in Moscow on May 1 , 1978 , just short of his 75th birthday. He was buried in Yerevan , Armenia , along with other distinguished Armenians who made Armenian art accessible for the whole world. In 1998, he was honored by appearing on Armenian paper money (50 Dram ).
- Symphonies
- ---Symphony No. 1 (1934)
- ---Symphony No. 2 ''The Bell Symphony'' (two versions: 1943, 1944)
- ---Symphony No. 3 ''Symphony-Poem'' (1947)
- Dance Suite (1933)
- Suite from ''Gayane'' No. 1 (1943)
- Suite from ''Gayane'' No. 2 (1943)
- Suite from ''Gayane'' No. 3 (1943)
- State Anthem Of The Armenian SSR (1944)
- ''The Russian Fantasy'' (1944)
- Suite from ''Masquerade'' (1944)
- ''Ode in Memory of Vladimir Ilich Lenin'' (1948)
- Suite from ''Battle of Stalingrad'' (1949)
- ''Triumphal Poem'', a festive poem (1950)
- Suite from ''The Valencian Widow'' (1952)
- Suite from ''Spartacus'' No. 1 (1955)
- Suite from ''Spartacus'' No. 2 (1955)
- Suite from ''Spartacus'' No. 3 (1955)
- Symphonic Pictures from ''Spartacus'' (1955)
- ''Salutatory Overture'' (1958)
- Suite from ''Lermontov'' (1959)
- ''Poem about Stalin'' (1938)
- Three Arias (Poem, Legend, Dithyramb), for high pitched voice and orchestra (1946)
- ''Ode of Joy'', ballade for female soloist, chorus, violins, harps, and orchestra (1956)
- ''Ballade about Motherland'', for soloist and symphony orchestra (1961)
- Piano Concerto (1936)
- Violin Concerto (1940), also exists as a flute concerto version
- Cello Concerto (1946)
- Concerto-Rhapsody for violin and orchestra (1961)
- Concerto-Rhapsody for cello and orchestra (1963)
- Concerto-Rhapsody for piano and orchestra (1968)
- String Quartet (1931)
- Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano (1932)
- Poem (1925)
- Poem (1926)
- Waltz-Etude (1926)
- Andantino (1926)
- Variations on the ''Solvage'' Theme (1928)
- Seven Recitatives and Fugues (1928, 1966)
- Suite (Toccata, Waltz-Capriccio, Dance) (1932)
- Dance No. 3 (1933)
- March No. 3 (1934)
- ''Budenovka'', a mass dance (undated)
- Choreographic Waltz (1944)
- Three Pieces (Ostinato, Romance, Fantastic Waltz) (1945)
- Album for Children No. 1, 10 pieces (1947)
- Waltz from ''Masquerade'' (1952)
- Piano Sonatina (1959)
- Piano Sonata (1961)
- Album for Children No. 2 (1965)
- Dance No. 1, for violin and piano (1926)
- Allegretto, for violin and piano (1929)
- Song-Poem (in Honor of Ashugs), for violin and piano (1929)
- Violin Sonata (1932)
- Nocturne from ''Masquerade'', for violin and piano (1941)
- ''Roaming Ashug's Song'', for cello and piano (1925)
- Elegy for Cello and Piano (1925)
- Piece for Cello and Piano (1926)
- ''Dream'', for cello and piano (1927)
- Sonata for Solo Cello (1974)
- ''Pantomime'', for oboe and piano (1927)
- ''Mass Dance'', for Bayan (1932)
- ''Uncle Baghdasar'' (1927)
- ''Khatabala'' (1928)
- ''Oriental Dentist'' (1928)
- ''Debt of Honor'' (1931)
- ''Macbeth'' (1933)
- ''Devastated Home'' (1935)
- ''Great Day'' (1937)
- ''Baku'' (1937)
- ''The Valencian Widow'' (1940)
- ''Masquerade'' (1941)
- ''Kremlin Chimes'' (1942)
- ''Sound Scout'' (1943)
- ''The Last Day'' (1945)
- ''Southern Bale'' (1947)
- ''Tale About The Truth'' (1947)
- ''Ilya Golovin'' (1949)
- ''Spring Current'' (1953)
- ''Guardian Angel from Nebraska'' (1953)
- ''Lermontov'' (1954)
- ''Macbeth'' (1955)
- ''King Lear'' (1958)
- Combat March No. 1
- Combat March No. 2 (1930)
- Dancing Music (on the theme of an Armenian song) (1932)
- March No. 3 (''Uzbek March'') (1932)
- Dance (on the theme of an Armenian song) (1932)
- ''To The Heroes of the Patriotic War'', a march (1942)
- ''March of the Moscow Red Banner Militia'' (1973)
- Ehrenburg, I., Khachaturian, A., and Pomerantsev, V. (1953). "Three Soviet artists on the present needs of Soviet art". '' Soviet Studies '', 5(4), 427–434.
- Yuzefovich, V. (1985). ''Aram Khachaturyan'' (N. Kournokoff & V. Bobrov, Trans.). New York: Sphinx Press. ISBN 0823686582.
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