Tigran Yeghiayi Mansurian (; born January 27, 1939) is a leading Armenian composer of classical and film music, People's Artist of the Armenian SSR (1990), and Honored Art Worker of the Armenian SSR (1984). He is the author of orchestral, chamber, choir, and vocal works which have been played across the world.

Biography

Mansurian was born in Beirut,

Greater Lebanon The State of Greater Lebanon (; ), informally known as French Lebanon, was a state declared on 1 September 1920, which became the Lebanese Republic (; ) in May 1926, and is the predecessor of modern Lebanon. The state was declared on 1 Septembe ...

on January 27, 1939. His family moved to 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 ...

in 1947 and settled 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 ...

in 1956, where he continued his education. He studied first at the

Romanos Melikian Romanos Hovakimi Melikian (; October 1, 1883 – March 30, 1935) was an Armenian composer, conductor, and educator. He played a significant role in the developing Armenian classical music and established Armenian musical institutions such as Kom ...

Music School under the Armenian composer Edvard Baghdasaryan and later at the

Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory 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 ...

. During his years of study, he wrote different works of varied genres and was awarded for some of them. He taught modern music theory at the Conservatory from 1967 to 1986. He was the Rector of the Conservatory from 1992 to 1995. An

ECM ECM may refer to the following: Economics and commerce * Engineering change management * Equity capital markets * Error correction model, an econometric model * European Common Market Mathematics * Lenstra's Elliptic curve method for factor ...

album of Mansurian's music, ''Monodia'', was nominated for the 2004

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for "Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)" and "Best Classical Contemporary Composition". In 2017, ECM's recording of Mansurian's ''Requiem'' was nominated for two Grammys. The ''Requiem'' received the Presidential Award of Armenia for its commemoration of the victims of the

Armenian Genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

. On January 27, 2024, a concert of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra commemorating Mansurian's 85th birthday occurred at Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Yerevan. Included was his viola concerto, ''"...and then I was in time again"'', played by Sergey Poltavsky. The program concluded with excerpts of Mansurian's film music.

Recordings

*Tigran Mansurian: ''String Quartets'' - Rosamunde Quartett (

1905) *Tigran Mansurian: ''"…and then I was in time again", Lachrymae, Confessing with Faith'' –

Kim Kashkashian Kim Kashkashian (born August 31, 1952) is an American violist. She has spent her career in the U.S. and Europe and collaborated with many major contemporary composers. In 2013 she won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. She i ...

, viola;

Jan Garbarek Jan Garbarek () (born 4 March 1947) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist, who is also active in classical music and world music. Garbarek was born in Mysen, Østfold, southeastern Norway, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław Gar ...

, soprano saxophone; The Hilliard Ensemble;

Christoph Poppen Christoph Poppen (born 9 March 1956) is a German conductor, violinist and academic teacher. Career Poppen was born in Münster. As a violinist, he was awarded first prize in the Kocian Violin Competition age 14. He studied the violin with Kur ...

, conductor;

Münchener Kammerorchester The Munich Chamber Orchestra (, or MKO) is a German chamber orchestra based in Munich. Its primary concert venue is the Prinzregententheater, Munich. The MKO also gives concerts in Munich at such venues as the Pinakothek der Moderne and the ', an ...

. (CD ECM 1850/51) *Tigran Mansurian: ''Havik, Duet for viola and percussion'' –

, viola; Robyn Schulkowsky, percussion; Tigran Mansurian, piano, voice. (CD ECM 1754) *Tigran Mansurian: Quasi parlando - Patricia Kopatchinskaja, violin; , violoncello; Amsterdam sinfonietta; Candida Thompson. (ECM new series 2323) *Tigran Mansurian: Con Anima - Kim Kashkashian, viola; Varty Manouelian, violin; Steven Vanhauwaert, piano; Moyses Pogossian. ECM 2687 *Tigran Mansurian: ''Konzerte'' - Liana Issakadze, violin; Ivan Monighetti, violoncello; Georgian Chamber Orchestra; Liana Issakadze. (Orfeo C 415 971 A)

Works

Mansurian's compositions range from large scale orchestral works to individual

art song An art song is a Western world, Western vocal music Musical composition, composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical music, classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is ...

s. He also composed several film scores between 1968 and 1980. In 2017, a recording of Mansurian's ''Requiem'', dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, was released by ECM. Mansurian's film music is melody, lyricism, and greatly contributes to the completion of the film's artistic description.

Stage

*''The Snow Queen'' (ballet in two acts with a scenario by Vilen Galstyan, after the story by

Hans Christian Andersen Hans Christian Andersen ( , ; 2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogue (literature), travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales. Andersen's fai ...

), 1989

Orchestral

*''Concerto'', for organ and small orchestra, 1964 *''Partita'', for large orchestra, 1965 *''Music for Twelve Strings'', 1966 *''Preludes'', for large orchestra, 1975 *''To the Memory of Dmitry Shostakovich'', for cello and large orchestra, 1976 *''Canonical Ode'', for harp, organ and 2 string orchestras, 1977 *Concerto No. 2, for cello and string orchestra, 1978 *''Double Concerto'', for violin, cello and string orchestra, 1978 *''Tovem'', for small orchestra, 1979 *''Nachtmusik'', for large orchestra, 1980 *''Because I Do Not Hope'' (in memory of

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

), for small orchestra, 1981 *''Concerto'', for violin and string orchestra, 1981 *''Concerto'' No. 3, for cello and small orchestra, 1983 *''Postludio Concerto'', for clarinet, cello, string orchestra, 1993 *''Concerto'', for viola and string orchestra, 1995 *''Fantasy'', for piano and string orchestra, 2003 *Concerto No. 2 (''Four Serious Songs'') for violin and string orchestra, 2006 *Concerto No. 2 (''Three Arias - Sung Out the Window Facing Mount Ararat'') for viola and orchestra, 2008 *Concerto No. 4 (''Ubi est Abel frater tuus?'') for cello and small orchestra, 2010 *''Romance'' for violin and string orchestra, 2011 *''Quasi parlando'' for cello and string orchestra, 2012

Chamber music

*''Sonata,'' for viola and piano, 1962 *''Sonata'', for flute and piano, 1963 *''Sonata No. 1'', for violin, piano, 1964 *''Allegro barbaro'', for solo cello, 1964 *''Sonata No. 2'', for violin and piano, 1965 *''Piano Trio'', for violin, cello, and piano, 1965 *''Psalm'', for two flutes and violin, 1966 *''Interior'', for

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

, 1972 *''Silhouette of a Bird'', for

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

, 1971–73 *''Sonata No. 1'', for cello and piano, 1973 *''Sonata No. 2'', for cello and piano, 1974 *''Wind Quintet'', for flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon, 1974 *''The Rhetorician'', for flute, violin, double bass, and harpsichord, 1978 *''Capriccio'', for solo cello, 1981 *''String Quartet No. 1'', 1983–84 *''String Quartet No. 2'', 1984 *''Five Bagatelles'', for violin, cello, and piano, 1985 *''Tombeau'', for cello and percussion, 1988 *''Postludio'', for clarinet and cello, 1991-92 (also has a concerto version) *''String Quartet No. 3'', 1993 *''Concerto'', for English horn, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, and trombones, 1995 *''Hommage à

Anna Akhmatova Anna Andreyevna Gorenko rus, А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко, p=ˈanːə ɐnˈdrʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈrʲɛnkə, a=Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.ru.oga, links=yes; , . ( – 5 March 1966), better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova,. ...

'', for bass clarinet, qanun (

zither Zither (; , from the Greek ''cithara'') is a class of stringed instruments. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a ...

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

, and

marimba The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the mari ...

, 1997 *''Duo'', for viola and percussion, 1998 *''Dance'', for viola and percussion, 1998 *''Lacrimae'', for

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly small ...

and viola, 1999; *''Lamento'', for violin, 2002 (also has version for viola) *''Three Medieval Taghs'', for viola and percussion, 1998–2004 *''Testament'', for string quartet, 2004 *''Ode an den Lotus'' (Ode to the Lotus) for viola solo, 2012

Piano

*''Sonatina No. 1'', 1963 *''Petite Suite'', 1963 *''Sonata No. 1'', 1967 *''Miniatures'', 1969 *''Three Pieces'', 1970–71 *''Nostalgia'', 1976 *''Three Pieces for the Low Keys'', 1979 *''Sonatina No. 2'', 1987

Choral

*''Three Poems'', for mixed chorus, 1969 (text by Kostan Zaryan) *''Spring Songs'', for mixed chorus, 1996 (text by

Hovhannes Tumanyan Hovhannes Tumanyan (, classical spelling: Յովհաննէս Թումանեան, – March 23, 1923) was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the national poet of Armenia. Tumanyan wrote poems, q ...

), *''Confessing with Faith'', for four male voices and viola, 1998 (text by Nerses Shnorhali) *''Ars Poetica'' concerto for mixed chorus, 1996–2000 (text by

Yeghishe Charents Yeghishe Charents (; , 1897 – November 27, 1937) was an Armenian poet, writer and public activist. Charents' literary subject matter ranged from his experiences in the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and frequently Armenia and Arme ...

) *''Motet'', two mixed choruses, 2000 (text by Grigor Narekatsi), *''On the Shores of Eternity'', for mixed chorus, 2003 (text by

Avetik Isahakyan Avetik Sahaki Isahakyan (; October 30, 1875 – October 17, 1957) was an Armenian lyric poet, writer and public activist. Biography Isahakyan was born in Alexandropol (present-day Gyumri, Armenia) in 1875. He was educated at the Gevorgian S ...

)

Vocal

*''Three Romances'', for

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano (, ), or mezzo ( ), is a type of classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A bel ...

and piano, 1966 (text by

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...

, translated into Armenian by Hamo Sahyan) *''Four Hayrens '' for mezzo-soprano (or viola) and piano, 1967 (text by Nahapet Kuchak) *''Intermezzo'', for

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

and ensemble, 1972-73 (text by Vladimir Holan), score lost) *''I am Giving You a Rose'', for soprano, flute, cello, and piano, 1974 (text by Matevos Zarifyan) *''Three Nairian Songs'', for

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

and large orchestra, 1975–76 (text by Vahan Teryan) *''Three Madrigals'', for soprano, flute, cello, piano, 1974–81 (text by Razmik Davoyan), *''Sunset Songs'', for soprano and piano, 1984–85 (a song-cycle to text by Hamo Sahyan) *''The Land of Nairi'' for soprano and piano, 1986 (a song-cycle to text by Vahan Teryan), *''Miserere'', for soprano and string orchestra, 1989 (texts by

Saint Mesrob Mesrop Mashtots (; , ' 362February 17, 440 AD) was an Armenian linguist, composer, theologian, statesman, and hymnologist. He is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is best known for inventing the Armenian alphabet AD, ...

based on the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

in Armenian translation) *''Madrigal IV'', for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and

tubular bells Tubular bells (also known as chimes) are musical instruments in the Percussion instrument, percussion family. Their sound resembles that of church bells, carillons, or a bell tower; the original tubular bells were made to duplicate the soun ...

, 1991 (text by Alicia Kirakosyan) *''Requiem'', for soprano, baritone, mixed chorus and string orchestra, 2011

Film scores

*'' The Color of Pomegranates'', 1968 (directed by

Sergei Parajanov Sergei Iosifovich Parajanov (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was a Soviet film director and screenwriter. He is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers to be one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Parajanov was born to ...

) *The Color of Armenian Land, 1968 (directed by

Mikhail Vartanov Mikhail Vartanov (, , February 21, 1937 – December 29, 2009) was a Soviet filmmaker and cinematographer who made significant contribution to world cinema with the documentary films ''Parajanov: The Last Spring'' and ''Seasons''. He is considere ...

) *''Autumn Pastoral'', 1971 (directed by Mikhail Vartanov) *''And So Every Day'', 1972 (directed by Mikhail Vartanov) *'' We and Our Mountains'', 1969 (directed by

Henrik Malyan Henrik Sureni Malyan (, also transliterated Henrik Malian; September 30, 1925 – March 14, 1988) was an Armenian film director and writer. He was born in Telavi, Georgia. Malyan's uncle was the actor David Malyan. He studied chess at an e ...

) *''

Seasons of the Year ''Seasons of the Year'' (; ), also called ''The Seasons'' or ''Four Seasons'', is a 1975 Soviet–Armenian short documentary film, directed and written by Artavazd Peleshyan. It was his second and last collaboration with cinematographer Mikhail ...

'', 1975 (directed by Artavazd Peleshyan) *''Autumn Sun'', 1979 (directed by Bagrat Oganesyan) *''Legend of the Clown'', 1979 (directed by Levon Asatryan) *'' A Piece of Sky'', 1980 (directed by Henrik Malyan) *'' The Tango of Our Childhood'', 1984 (directed by Albert Mkrtchyan)

References

External links

Mansurian film scores for Parajanov and Vartanov filmsTigran Mansurian - Armenian National MusicTigran Mansurian
on Other Minds Festival website
Tigran Mansurian-Confessing With Music
Documentary Film {{DEFAULTSORT:Mansurian, Tigran 1939 births Living people Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan alumni Armenian composers 20th-century Armenian classical composers 21st-century classical composers Armenian musicians Musicians from Beirut Lebanese people of Armenian descent Armenian male classical composers 20th-century male composers 21st-century male musicians