Sayat-Nova (
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 across the ...
: Սայեաթ-Նովայ
( сlassical), Սայաթ-Նովա
(reformed
Reform is beneficial change
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* ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang
* Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group
* ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine
*''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...
); ka, საიათნოვა; ; ; born Harutyun Sayatyan; 14 June 1712 – 22 September 1795) was an
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 across the ...
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
,
musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
and ''
ashugh
An ashik ( az, aşıq, ; tr, âşık; fa, عاشیق) or ashugh ( hy, աշուղ; ka, აშუღი) is traditionally a singer-poet and bard who accompanies his song—be it a dastan (traditional epic story, also known as '' hikay ...
'', who had compositions in a number of languages.
Name
The name Sayat-Nova has been given several interpretations.
One version reads the name as "Lord of Song" (from Arabic ''sayyid'' and Persian ''nava'')
[ or "King of Songs". Others read the name as grandson (Persian ''neve'') of Sayad or hunter (''sayyad'') of song.][ Charles Dowsett considers all these derivations to be unlikely and proposes the reading New Time (from Arabic ''sa'at'' and Russian ''nova'') instead.][
]
Biography
Sayat-Nova's mother, Sara, was born in Tiflis
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...
, and his father, Karapet, either in Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
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or Adana
Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana Province, Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million.
Adana lies in the heart ...
. He was born in Tiflis. Sayat Nova was skilled in writing poetry, singing, and playing the kamancheh
The kamancheh (also kamānche or kamāncha) ( fa, کمانچه, az, kamança, hy, Քամանչա, ku, کەمانچە ,kemançe) is an Iranian bowed string instrument used in Persian, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Kurdish, Georgian, Turkmen, and ...
, Chonguri
The choghur ( az, Çoğur; ka, ჩონგური) is a plucked string musical instrument common in Azerbaijan and Georgia. It has 4 nylon strings.
The choghur dates back to the 12th to 16th centuries, the period between the gopuz and the ...
, Tambur
The ''tambur'' (spelled in keeping with TDK conventions) is a fretted string instrument of Turkey and the former lands of the Ottoman Empire. Like the ney, the armudi (lit. pear-shaped) kemençe and the kudüm, it constitutes one of the four in ...
. He lost his position at the royal court when he fell in love with the king's sister Ana; he spent the rest of his life as an itinerant bard.
In 1759 he was ordained as a priest in the Armenian Apostolic Church
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, a ...
. His wife, Marmar, died in 1768, leaving behind four children. He served in locations including Tiflis and Haghpat Monastery
Haghpat Monastery, also known as Haghpatavank ( hy, Հաղպատավանք), is a medieval monastery complex in Haghpat, Armenia, built between the 10th and 13th century.
Location
The location of Haghpat Monastery was chosen so that it overlooks ...
. In 1795 he was killed in Haghpat Monastery by the invading army of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar
Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar ( fa, آقا محمد خان قاجار, translit=Âqâ Mohammad Xân-e Qâjâr; 14 March 1742 – 17 June 1797), also known by his regnal name of Agha Mohammad Shah (, ), was the founder of the Qajar dynasty of Iran, rul ...
, the Shah of Iran. Agha Mohammad Khan demanded that Sayat Nova convert from Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
to Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, which he refused to do, considering it tantamount to 'turning Turk' and declaring his religion is undeniably Armenian Christian
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, a ...
. Hence he was promptly executed and beheaded. He is buried at the Armenian Cathedral of Saint George in Tbilisi
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...
.
Legacy
In Armenia, Sayat Nova is considered a great poet who made a considerable contribution to the Armenian poetry and music of his century. Although he lived his entire life in a deeply religious society, his works are mostly secular and full of romantic expressionism.
About 220 songs have been attributed to Sayat-Nova, although he may have written thousands more. Sayat Nova had also written some poems moving between all three.
In popular culture
Sayat Nova Dance Company of Boston
is named after him.
*The 1969 Armenian film ''Sayat Nova
Sayat-Nova (Armenian: Սայեաթ-Նովայ ( сlassical), Սայաթ-Նովա ( reformed); ka, საიათნოვა; ; ; born Harutyun Sayatyan; 14 June 1712 – 22 September 1795) was an Armenian poet, musician and '' ashugh'', w ...
'' directed by Sergei Parajanov
Sergei Parajanov, ka, სერგო ფარაჯანოვი, uk, Сергій Параджанов (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was an Armenian filmmaker. Parajanov is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers t ...
follows the poet's path from his childhood wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
As ...
-dyeing days to his role as a courtier and finally his life as a monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
. It was released in the United States under the title ''The Color of Pomegranates
''The Color of Pomegranates'' is a 1969 Soviet Armenian art film written and directed by Sergei Parajanov. The film is a poetic treatment of the life of 18th-century Armenian poet and troubadour Sayat-Nova. It has appeared in many polls as one of ...
''. It is not a biography of Sayat Nova, but a series of tableaux vivants
A (; often shortened to ; plural: ), French for "living picture", is a static scene containing one or more actors or models. They are stationary and silent, usually in costume, carefully posed, with props and/or scenery, and may be theatrica ...
of Armenian costume, embroidery and religious rituals depicting scenes and verses from the poet's life.
*A book on his life and work by Charles Dowsett
Charles James Frank Dowsett (2 January 1924 – 8 January 1998) was the first Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian at the University of Oxford from 1965 to 1991. A teacher and raconteur, he had a large range of interests and culminated in hi ...
was published in 1997 titled ''Sayat'-nova: An 18th-century Troubadour: a Biographical and Literary Study''.
*The first translations of the Armenian odes of Sayat Nova in European languages were in Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
by Valery Bryusov
Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov ( rus, Вале́рий Я́ковлевич Брю́сов, p=vɐˈlʲerʲɪj ˈjakəvlʲɪvʲɪdʑ ˈbrʲusəf, a=Valyeriy Yakovlyevich Bryusov.ru.vorb.oga; – 9 October 1924) was a Russian poet, prose writer, drama ...
in 1916, in Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
by Ioseb Grishashvili in 1918, in Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
by Leopold Lewin in 1961 and in France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
by Elisabeth Mouradian and the French poet Serge Venturini in 2006; the book was dedicated to Sergei Parajanov
Sergei Parajanov, ka, სერგო ფარაჯანოვი, uk, Сергій Параджанов (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was an Armenian filmmaker. Parajanov is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers t ...
.
*There is a street and a music school named after him in Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
, Armenia; an Armenian-American
Armenian Americans ( hy, ամերիկահայեր, ''amerikahayer'') are citizens or residents of the United States who have total or partial Armenian ancestry. They form the second largest community of the Armenian diaspora after Armenians in ...
dance ensemble in the United States; and a pond in Mont Orford
Mount Orford (french: Mont Orford) is a mountain and ski resort located in the Mont-Orford National Park in the Eastern Townships region of Quebec, Canada. It is northwest of the centre of the city of Magog.
History
In 2006, the provincial gov ...
, Quebec, Canada.
* A brand of Armenian Cognac is named after him.
*An Armenian restaurant opened in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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's Streeterville
Streeterville is a neighborhood in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, north of the Chicago River. It is bounded by the river on the south, the Magnificent Mile portion of Michigan Avenue on the west, and ...
neighborhood in 1970 is named after him.
*In 2020, a perfume created by Dmitry Bortnikoff and Rajesh Balkrishnan was named after him.
Gallery
File:Sayat-Nova manuscript 01.JPG, An Armenian-Georgian poem written by Sayat-Nova using mix of Armenian and Georgian alphabets.
File:Sayat-Nova manuscript 02.JPG, A poem written in Azeri Turkish using Georgian letters.
References
Sources
* Charles Dowsett
Charles James Frank Dowsett (2 January 1924 – 8 January 1998) was the first Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian at the University of Oxford from 1965 to 1991. A teacher and raconteur, he had a large range of interests and culminated in hi ...
, (1997), ''Sayatʻ-Nova: an 18th-century troubadour: a biographical and literary study'',
* Nikoghos Tahmizian
Nikoghos Tahmizian (1926–2011, hy, Նիկողոս Թահմիզյան; also spelled: Nikogos Tahmizyan) was an Armenian musicologist, theorist and historian. His professional accomplishments were to decipher neumes ('' khaz'') of Armenian chur ...
, ''Sayat Nova and the Music of Armenian Troubadours and Minstrels'', (in Armenian), 1995, Drazark Press, Pasadena, Ca.
External links
Site dedicated to Sayat-Nova
translated into English by Alice Stone Blackwell
Classical Composers Database
Encyclopædia Britannica
Sayat-Nova's Armenian, Georgian, Tatarian songs and their Russian translations in digital works collection with famous performances of poems and songs
{{Azerbaijani Turkic literature
1712 births
1795 deaths
Armenian Christians
Armenian musicians
Armenian male poets
Ashiks
18th-century Armenian poets
18th-century Armenian writers
Musicians from Tbilisi
Persian Armenians
Christians executed for refusing to convert to Islam
18th-century writers of Safavid Iran