Alexander Grigori Arutiunian ( hy, Ալեքսանդր Գրիգորի Հարությունյան), also known as Arutunian, Arutyunyan, Arutjunjan, Harutyunian or Harutiunian (23 September 1920 – 28 March 2012), was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

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 an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

, widely known for his 1950 Trumpet Concerto. A professor at

Yerevan State Conservatory Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan ( hy, Երևանի Կոմիտասի անվան պետական կոնսերվատորիա), also known as Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (YKSC) or Yerevan State Conservatory (YSC), is a state-owned college ...

, he was recognized with many awards for his work, including the

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

in 1949 and

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significa ...

in 1970, as well as numerous honors from his homeland of Armenia.

Biography

Arutiunian was born in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

First Republic of Armenia The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետութիւն), was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle ...

, in the family of Grigor and Eleonora Arutiunian. His father was a military serviceman. In 1927, Arutiunian became a member of the

's children group, then, at age 14, he was admitted to the Conservatory to the studios of Olga Babasyan (piano), and Sergei Barkhudaryan and Vardges Talyan (composition). He graduated from the Music Conservatory of

on the eve of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. After the war he moved to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, where between 1946 and 1948 he participated in the workshops of House of Armenian Culture, studied composition with Genrikh Litinsky. After graduation he returned to Yerevan to teach at the local Conservatory and in 1954 he was appointed artistic director of the Armenian State Philharmony. He was also a member of the Board of the

Union of Soviet Composers The Union of Russian Composers (formerly the Union of Soviet Composers, Order of Lenin Union of Composers of USSR () (1932- ), and Union of Soviet Composers of the USSR) is a state-created organization for musicians and musicologists created in 193 ...

, as well as of the Armenian SSR Composers' Union. In 1949, Arutiunian was awarded the

for his cantata ''Motherland'', a graduation piece he wrote as a student at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

. The USSR Radio Choir and Orchestra premiered this work in November 1948. Alexander Arutunian's tombstone in Komitas Pantheon

In 1949, Arutiunian composed the "Festive Overture" that was first performed in the Big Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic in November 1949, with

Yevgeny Mravinsky Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Mravinsky (russian: Евге́ний Алекса́ндрович Мрави́нский) (19 January 1988) was a Russian conductor, pianist, and music pedagogue; he was a professor at Leningrad State Conservatory. Biog ...

conducting. During the Moscow Music Congress

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet and Armenia ...

considered him as a promising Soviet composer."Moscow Music Congress"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'', 15 April 1957 He continued to win acclaim at home and abroad for his works, many of which are quickened by the folk traditions of

Armenian music The music of Armenia ( hy, հայկական երաժշտություն ''haykakan yerazhshtut’yun'') has its origins in the Armenian highlands, dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE, and is a long-standing musical tradition that encompass ...

. Other works of that kind include ''The Tale of Armenian People'' (1960), ''Ode to

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

'' (1967) and ''Hymn to the Brotherhood'' (1970). Some of Arutiunian's works for

wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitc ...

s include his 1950

concerto A concerto (; plural ''concertos'', or ''concerti'' from the Italian plural) is, from the late Baroque era, mostly understood as an instrumental composition, written for one or more soloists accompanied by an orchestra or other ensemble. The typ ...

for

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

, the concerto for

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

, and the

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...

''Armenian Scenes''. In 1988, inspired by the Spitak earthquake, Arutiunian composed his Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra, ''Armenia-88'' (dedicated to Ruben Aharonyan). The premiere took place in

in 1989.

Trumpet Concerto in A-flat major (1950)

Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto consists of seven continuous sections, although the work is categorized as a single movement: # Andante maestoso # Allegro energico # Meno mosso # Tempo I # Meno mosso # Tempo I # Cadenza & Coda The melodic and rhythmic characteristics of Armenian folk music are a strong influence in Arutiunian's work. As a composer, he expressed his nationality by incorporating the flavor of ''ashughner'' (folk minstrel) improvisations. At the time the concerto was written, his compositional style was similar to Khachaturian's. However, in the 1960s he tended towards classical forms and clearer tonality. Arutiunian's trumpet concerto was his sixth major composition, written in 1950. Arutiunian originally intended to write it in 1943 for a student of Tabakov, Zsolak Vartasarian, who was the principal trumpet in the

Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra The Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra (''ANPO'') (Armenian: Հայաստանի ազգային ֆիլհարմոնիկ նվագախումբ) is the national orchestra of Armenia. It was founded in 1925 as a symphony orchestra of the Yerevan S ...

. However, Vartasarian died in the war and the concerto was not completed until 1950, so Aykaz Messlayan was the first performer of the concerto and

Timofei Dokschitzer Timofei Aleksandrovich Dokschitzer (russian: Тимофей Александрович Докшицер, 13 December 1921, Nizhyn, Ukraine — 16 March 2005, Vilnius) was a Soviet Russian trumpeter, and a professor in Gnesins Musical College. H ...

was the first to record this concerto. The concerto's introduction to the United States is solely due to Dokschitzer, a leading Soviet Russian trumpeter.

Personal life

In 1950, Arutiunian married Irina (Tamara) Odenova. Their marriage produced two children, a daughter, Narine (born 1951), who is a pianist and lawyer; and a son, Suren (born 1953), who is an artist-designer. His extended family includes three granddaughters and a grandson. He died aged 91 in his home city of Yerevan. Arutiunian is buried at the Komitas Pantheon which is located in the city center of Yerevan.

Awards

Alexander Harutyunyan 2020 stamp of Armenia

* 1949 –

* 1962 – People's Artist of the Armenian SSR * 1970 –

* 1972 – State Prize of Armenian SSR * 1977 – All-Union Alexandrov Prize (Gold medal) * 1983 – Orpheus Award (USA) * 1986 –

Prize * 1998 – Movses Khorenatsi medal * 2001 – Order of St. Mesrop Mashtots * 2004 – St Sahak and St Mesrop Order (Etchmiadzin, Armenia) * 2005 –

Armenian Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) ( hy, Հայաստանի Հանրապետության գիտությունների ազգային ակադեմիա, ՀՀ ԳԱԱ, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri az ...

Gold Medal * 1983 – Honorary Citizen of the State of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, USA * 1987 – Honorary Citizen of

City.

Works

Important works include: *1941 ''Impromptu for Cello and Piano'' *1946 ''Polyphonic Sonata'' in 3 movements; *1948 ''Cantata about the Motherland'' for soloist, choir and symphony orchestra in 5 movements (words by Ashot Grashi and

Sarmen Sarmen ( hy, Սարմեն), pseudonym of Armenak Sarkisyan ( hy, Արմենակ Սարգսյան; born in Pahvants village, Western Armenia, died February 18, 1984 in Yerevan) was a Soviet Armenian poet. He wrote the lyrics to the Anthem of ...

); *1949 ''Festive Overture'' for symphony orchestra; *1950 '' Concerto in A major for Trumpet and Orchestra'' (dedicated to Haykaz Mesiayan); *1950 ''Armenian Rhapsody'' (co-author:

Arno Babajanian Arno Harutyunovich Babajanian ( hy, Առնո Բաբաջանյան; russian: Арно Арутюнович Бабаджанян; January 22, 1921 – November 11, 1983) was a Soviet and Armenian composer and pianist. He was made a People's Artist ...

) *1951 ''Concertino for piano and symphony orchestra'' in 3 movements (dedicated to Arutiunian's daughter, Narine) *1952 ''Armenian Dances'' for symphony orchestra in 5 movements *1955 ''Concert Scherzo'' for trumpet and symphony orchestra *1957 ''Symphony'' in 4 movements (dedicated to Tamara Odenova, spouse and friend) *1957 ''Armenian Fantasy'' for pops band (co-author: Konstantin Orbelyan) *1960 ''A Legend about the Armenian People'' vocal-symphonic poem in 4 movements (words by Ashot Grashi) *1964 ''Concerto-Fantasy Contrastsfor wind quintet and symphony orchestra'' *1966 ''Sinfonietta'' for string orchestra in 4 movements *1967 ''Sayat-Nova'', opera in three acts, libretto: H.Khanjyan *1973 ''Theme with Variations for trumpet and symphony orchestra'' *1980 ''Concerto for flute and string orchestra'' in 2 movements; revised in 2009 with a new cadenza and dedicated to James Strauss *1983 ''Aria et Scherzo'' in 2 movements for trumpet and piano *1984 ''Armenian Sketches'' suite for brass quintet in 4 movements *1986 ''Sasuntsis' dance'' for string quartet and piano (arrangement) *1988 ''Concerto for violin and string orchestra'' in 4 movements (dedicated to Ruben Aharonyan) *1989 ''Dance'' for four trombones *1990 ''Rhapsody for trumpet and pops band'' *1991 ''Concerto for trombone and symphony orchestra'' in 3 movements (dedicated to

Michel Becquet Michel Becquet (born 4 February 1954 Limoges) is a French trombonist and professor at the Conservatoire de Lyon. Life From a young age he played piano and horn, taught by his father, a professional horn player, until he turned to the trombone, a ...

) *1992 ''Concerto for tuba and symphony orchestra'' in 3 movements (dedicated to

Roger Bobo Roger Bobo (born June 8, 1938) is an American tuba virtuoso and brass pedagogue. He retired from active tuba performance in 2001 in order to devote his time to conducting and teaching. He gave what is reputed to be the first solo tuba recital in ...

) *1998 ''Suite for oboe, horn and piano'' in 3 movements *2004 ''Children's Album'' for piano

Filmography

Music for films

*''Urvakannere heranum en lernerits'' (Ghosts Leave the Peaks, 1955) *''Sirtn e yergum'' (The Heart Sings, 1957) *"Im ynkeroj masin" (About My Friend, 1958) *''Za chas do rassveta'' (An Hour Before the Dawn, 1973, TV) *''Nahapet'' (1977) (as ''Life Triumphs'' in United States) *''Aleph, lectures contades'' (2000) Italian TV episode (soundtrack: "Concerto for trombone and orchestra")

As actor

*''Lalvari vorskane'' (Lalvar Hunter, 1967) as Zako

Bibliography

Autobiography

*Alexander Arutiunian ''Հուշեր'' emoirs Yerevan: Amrots, 2000 (Armenian) *Alexander Arutiunian ''Воспоминания'' emoirs Yerevan: Amrots, 2000 (Russian)

Publications about Alexander Arutiunian

*Sergei Koptev
''Ալեքսանդր Հարությունյան''
lexander Arutiunian Yerevan: Haypethrat, 1962. (Armenian) *Izabella Eolyan
''Александр Арутюнян''
lexander Arutiunian Moscow: Sovetskii Kompozitor. 1962 (Russian) *Mikhail Kokzhayev
''Александр Арутюняна: Особенности композиторского стиля''
lexander Arutiunian: Features of the Composer's Style Moscow: Kompozitor, 2006 (Russian) *Vyacheslav Yedigaryan, ''Фортепианное творчество Александра Арутюняна'' iano Works of Alexander Arutiunian Yerevan: Komitas, 2011. (Russian) *Mikhail Kokzhayev, ''полифонии в музыке Александра Арутюняна'' olyphony in the Music of Alexander Arutiunian Yerevan: Komitas, 2012. (Russian) *''Alexander Arutiunian: What the photos tell'', comp. R. Yesayan and ed. Narine Arutiunian. Yerevan: Komitas, 2014. (English/Russian/Armenian) *Fred Sienkiewicz,
Forefathers, antecedents, and the development of Alexander Arutiunian's ‘Big Soviet’ Armenian style
'. D.M.A. Dissertation, Boston University, 2019.

Dictionary articles

* ''Arutiunian, Alexander'' by Don Michael Randel, in 'The Harvard concise dictionary of music and musicians', 1999, 757 pages, p. 36
''Alexander Arutiunian''
in

Great Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Great Soviet Encyclopedia'' (GSE; ) is one of the largest Russian-language encyclopedias, published in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1990. After 2002, the encyclopedia's data was partially included into the later ''Bolshaya rossiyskaya e ...

br>

References

External links

Official Site

*

* [http://abel.hive.no/trumpet/haydn/comparison.html Neil Davidson, 'Comparison between J. Haydn Trumpet Concerto in Eb and A. Arutiunian Trumpet Concerto in Ab'. Harrogate Grammar School, Music A level project 1999]
Arutiunian's memorial tombstone at Komitas Pantheon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arutiunian, Alexander 1920 births 2012 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century classical pianists 21st-century classical composers 21st-century classical pianists Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan alumni Academics of the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan Musicians from Yerevan People's Artists of Armenia People's Artists of the USSR Stalin Prize winners Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Operetta composers Armenian composers Armenian film score composers Armenian opera composers Armenian pianists Soviet classical musicians Soviet composers Soviet film score composers Soviet male composers Soviet music educators Soviet opera composers Soviet classical pianists Male classical pianists Burials at the Komitas Pantheon