Arno Harutyuni Babajanian (January 22, 1921November 11, 1983) was a

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and

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 ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. He was made a

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный арти ...

in 1971.

Biography

Babajanian was born in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

on January 22, 1921. By age 5, his musical talent was apparent, and the composer

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet Armenians, Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered one of the leading Music of the Soviet Union#Classical music of the Soviet Union, Soviet composers. Khachaturian was born and rai ...

suggested that the boy be given proper music training. Two years later, in 1928, Babajanian entered 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 ...

. In 1938, he continued his studies in Moscow with

Vissarion Shebalin Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (; 29 May 1963) was a USSR, Soviet composer, music pedagogue. Rector of the Moscow Conservatory (1942-1948). People's Artist of the RSFSR (1947). Biography Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school t ...

. He later returned to Yerevan, where from 1950 to 1956 he taught at the conservatory. In 1952, he wrote the Piano Trio in F-sharp minor. It received immediate acclaim and was regarded as a masterpiece from the time of its premiere. Subsequently, he undertook concert tours throughout the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and Europe. In 1971, he was named the

. Babajanian wrote in various musical genres, including many popular songs in collaboration with leading poets such as

Yevgeny Yevtushenko Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko (; 18 July 1933 – 1 April 2017) was a Soviet and Russian poet, novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, publisher, actor, editor, university professor, and director of several films. Biography Early lif ...

and Robert Rozhdestvensky. Much of his music is rooted in Armenian folk music and folklore, which he generally uses in the virtuosic style of

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

and Khachaturian. His later works were influenced by

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

and Bartók. Praised by

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

as a "brilliant piano teacher", Babajanian was also a noted pianist and often performed his own works in concerts.

List of principal works

Piano works

for piano solo

* Prelude (1939) * Vagharshapat dance (1943) * Impromptu (1944) * Polyphonic sonata (1946, rev. 1956) * Capriccio (1952) * Six pictures (1963–64) * Poem (1965) * Meditation (1969) * Melody and Humoresque (1970) * Elegy (1978)

for two pianos

* Dance (1942) * Armenian Rhapsody (1950, ''co-composed by

Alexander Arutiunian Alexander Grigori Arutiunian (23 September 192028 March 2012), was a Soviet Union, Soviet and Armenian composer and pianist, widely known for his 1950 Trumpet Concerto (Arutiunian), Trumpet Concerto. A professor at Komitas State Conservatory of ...

'') * Festive (1960, includes percussive instruments. Co-composed by

)

Works for solo instrument and piano

* Violin sonata (1958) * Air and Dance for Cello (1961)

Chamber works

* String quartet No. 1 (1938-43) * String quartet No. 2 (1947-48, incomplete) * Piano Trio in F sharp minor (1952) * String quartet No. 3 (1975-76)

Orchestral works

* Poem-rhapsody (1954, rev. 1960 and 1980) * March of the Soviet Police (1977)

Concerto

* Piano concerto (1944) * Violin concerto (1948-49) * "Heroic ballade" for piano and orchestra (1950) * Cello concerto (1959-62)

Ballet pieces

* "Parvana" (Парвана) (1954–56; incomplete, probably lost) * "Stellar symphony" (Звездная симфония) (1960) * "Umbrellas" (Зонтики) * "Sensation" (Сенсация) * "Dance Suite" (Танцевальная сюита) (1971)

Pieces for stage orchestra

* In

Karlovy Vary Karlovy Vary (; , formerly also spelled ''Carlsbad'' in English) is a spa town, spa city in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 49,000 inhabitants. It is located at the confluence of the Ohře and Teplá (river), Teplá ri ...

(1959) * Armenian Lipsi (1960) * Rhythmic dance (1961) * Come to Yerevan (1961) * Festive Yerevan (1977) * Dvin (1979) * Nocturne (Concert piece for piano and orchestra) (1980) * Dreams (Concert piece for piano and orchestra) (1982)

Film scores

* Looking for the addressee (В поисках адресата) (1955) * Path of thunder (Тропою грома) (1956) * Personally known (Лично известен) (1957) * '' The Song of First Love'' (Песня первой любви) (1958) * ''

A Groom from the Other World ''A Groom from the Other World'' or () is a 1958 Soviet comedy film directed by Leonid Gaidai. Plot Head of "BORE" (Bush Oversight of Resort Establishments), Semyon Danilovich Petukhov is the consummate bureaucrat. With the institution entrusted t ...

'' (Жених с того света) (1958) * Bride from the North (Невеста с севера) (1975) * My heart is in the Highlands (В горах мое сердце) (1975) * Baghdasar's divorce (Багдасар разводится с женой) (1976) * Chef contest (Приехали на конкурс повара) (1977) * The flight starts from the Earth (Полет начинается с земли) (1980) * The mechanics of happiness (Механика счастья) (1982)

Songs (over 200 in total; selection)

* "Nocturne" ("Ноктюрн", originally for piano and orchestra) * "Bring me back the music" (""Верни мне музыку") * "Beauty queen" ("Королева красоты") * "Wedding" ("Свадьба") * "Best city in the world" ("Лучший город Земли"), originally performed by Jean Tatlian and made a classic by Muslim Magomayev * "Grateful to you" ("Благодарю тебя") * "Ferris wheel" ("Чертово колесо") * "Heart on snow" ("Сердце на снегу") * "The blue taiga" ("Голубая тайга") * "Dum spiro, spero" (Пока я помню, я живу) * "Aria-vocalise" (Ария-вокализ)

Honors, prizes and medals

* 1935 - First two prizes for two songs dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Soviet Armenia * 1937 - First prize for the best performance of

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 ...

's Piano Variations at Yerevan Conservatoire * 1939 - First prize for the best performance of works by Soviet composers * 1945 - Medal "for defence of the Caucasus" * 1945 - Medal "for valiant labour" * 1947 - Second prize for three piano pieces (or the Piano Concerto) at the 1st World Festival of Youth and Students in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

* 1951 - Stalin Prize, third degree, for the "Heroic Ballade" for piano and orchestra * 1953 - Second prize for the song "Fly Aloft the Friendship Banner" at the 2nd World Festival of Youth and Students in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

* 1956 -

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 ...

* 1956 -

Meritorious Artist Merited Artist, Honored Artist, etc., is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Russian Federation, Union Republics, and autonomous republics, also in some other Eastern Bloc states, as well as in a number of post-Soviet states. In Russian language ...

of the

Armenian SSR The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (ArSSR), also known as Soviet Armenia, or simply Armenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Soviet Armenia bordered the Soviet republics ...

* 1962 -

People's Artist People's Artist is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Union republics, in some other Eastern bloc states (and communist states in general), as well as in a number of post-Soviet states, modeled after the title of the People's Artist of the U ...

of the Armenian SSR * 1967 - Armenian SSR State prize for "6 pictures" for piano solo * 1971 -

* 1973 - Best composer's award at the 2nd Tokyo Music Festival for the song "Ferris wheel" * 1973 - Honorable citizen of two cities in

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

* 1981 -

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

* 1983 (posthumously) - Armenian SSR State prize for the OST for the film "Mechanics of happiness" A

minor planet According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''minor ...

, 9017 Babadzhanyan, was named after him. A

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

777-300ER The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The 777 is the world's largest twinjet and the most-built wide-body airliner. ...

of the Russian airline

Aeroflot PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...

, was named after him.

Legacy

Babajanian is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Soviet era. File:Arno Babajanian 2021 stamp of Armenia.jpg, Babajanian on an Armenian stamp File:Arno Babajanian 2021 stamp of Artsakh.jpg File:ArmenianStamps-116.jpg File:Առնո Բաբաջանյանի անվ. համերգասրահ 3.jpg, Arno Babajanian Concert Hall, Abovyan Street, Yerevan File:Arno Babajanian, Yerevan, June 2016.jpg, Babajanian's statue in Yerevan Arno Babjanyan's plaque, Yerevan.JPG, Arno Babajanian's plaque on Mashtots Avenue, Yerevan

Notes

References

External link

Arno Babajanian Piano Trio in f# minor sound-bites and short bio
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Babajanian, Arno People from Yerevan 1921 births 1983 deaths 20th-century Armenian classical composers Armenian classical pianists Soviet classical pianists Soviet composers Soviet male composers Musicians from Yerevan People's Artists of Armenia People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Stalin Prize Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan alumni Armenian film score composers 20th-century male composers