Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan (

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

: Անուշավան Գրիգորի Տեր-Ղևոնդյան; 8 March 1887 – 6 June 1961) was an Armenian composer, pedagogue, and sociocultural activist. His father was the photographer Grigor Ter-Ghevondyan; and his daughter, pianist Heghine Ter-Ghevondyan.

Early life

Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan received his general education and musical training in Tiflis (now

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

). In 1915 he graduated from the Faculty of Law of

St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

, as well as the

St. Petersburg Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory () (formerly known as the Petrograd Conservatory and Leningrad Conservatory) is a school of music in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty members ...

, where he studied with

Anatoly Lyadov Anatoly Konstantinovich Lyadov (; ) was a Russian composer, teacher and conductor. Biography Lyadov was born in 1855 in St. Petersburg, Russian Empire, into a family of eminent Russian musicians. He was taught informally by his conductor s ...

(harmony),

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov ( – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 and was instrumental i ...

(composition),

Vasily Kalafati Vasily Pavlovich Kalafati (, ''Vasilij Pavlovič Kalafati''; , Yevpatoria, Crimea – 20 March 1942, near Leningrad) was a composer and pedagogue of Greek descent in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. Kalafati was a pupil of Nikolai Ri ...

(counterpoint),

Jāzeps Vītols Jāzeps Vītols (; 26 July 1863 – 24 April 1948) was a Latvian composer, pedagogue and music critic. He is considered one of the fathers of Latvian classical music. Biography Vītols, born in Valmiera the son of a schoolteacher, began hi ...

(analysis of form) and

Maximilian Steinberg Maximilian Osseyevich Steinberg (; – 6 December 1946) was a Russian composer of classical music. Though once considered the hope of Russian music, Steinberg is far less well known today than his mentor (and father-in-law) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsa ...

(orchestration). In 1914, in partnership with Armenian composer and conductor Spiridon Melikyan, he undertook a scientific expedition to the

Shirak Province Shirak (, ) is a provinces of Armenia, province () of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering the provinces of Lori Province, Lori to the east and Aragatsotn Province, Aragatsotn to the south and southeast, and the cou ...

, one of the musically most fertile regions. This trip resulted in the compilation of 252 folk melodies that were of great value and have been widely used by Armenian composers and musicologists ever since. Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan himself arranged some of them into a symphonic work named ″Շիրակի էտյուդները″ (Shirak Etudes) (1916).

Music

Among his works there are two operas, «Սեդա» (Seda) (1922) and «Արեգակի ցոլքերում» (In the Rays of the Sun) (1949); two ballets, «Հրո հարսը» (Bride of Fire) (1923) and «Անահիտ» (Anahit) (1940); a vocal-

symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...

, «Վահագնի ծնունդը» (The Birth of Vahagn) (1923); a symphonic poem, «Ախթամար» (Akhtamar) (1923); choral works, romances, songs, and instrumental compositions. In his creations Ter-Ghevondyan displays an epic, as well as a lyrical strain. His scores display melodic originality, rhythmic ingenuity, and a colorful orchestration. He absorbs the Armenian folk flavor and the Russian classicism, combining them into a unique voice. He has authored a booklet on

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

published in 1933 and two volumes on

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

in 1934. Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan had a long-lasting pedagogical career. In 1917-1925 he taught at the Tiflis Conservatory; he was on the faculty and later was appointed rector of the

Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan (), also known as Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (YKSC) or Yerevan State Conservatory (YSC), is a state-owned college of music located in Yerevan, Armenia. The institute was founded in 1921 as a music st ...

, 1926–1934; director of

Baku Academy of Music The Hajibeyli Baku Academy of Music (Azeri: ''Hacıbəyli adına Bakı Musiqi Akademiyası'') is a music school in Baku, Azerbaijan. It was established in 1920 in Baku and was previously known as the Hajibeyli Azerbaijan State Conservatoire. H ...

, 1934–1938; head of the composition department of the Yerevan Conservatory, 1938–1959. There is a school named after him in the

Kanaker-Zeytun District Kanaker-Zeytun () is one of the 12 districts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, located in the northeastern part of the city. As of the 2022 census, the population of the district is 73,834. Located on a hill overlooking the central part of Yer ...

of Yerevan.

Awards

People's Artist of the Armenian SSR People's, branded as ''People's ViennaLine'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt GmbH'', is an Austro-Swiss airline headquartered in Vienna, Austria. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights mainly from its base at St. ...

in 1953 *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

in 1956

References

Bibliography

* Գիլինա, Եվգենյա. Անուշավան Տեր-Ղևոնդյան, Երևան, 1962. * Тигранов, Тигра́н. Армянский музыкальный театр.- т. 2, гл. 1.- Ереван, 1960, с. 7-28. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ter-Ghevondyan, Anoushavan 1887 births 1961 deaths Armenian composers Armenian musicologists Saint Petersburg State University alumni Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni Academic staff of the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan Academic staff of the Baku Academy of Music 20th-century musicologists