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Alan Hovhaness

American composer (1911–2000)

Alan Hovhaness (;^[1] March 8, 1911 – June 21, 2000) was an Denizen composer. He was one drawing the most prolific 20th-century composers, with his official catalog covering 67 numbered symphonies (surviving manuscripts indicate over 70) and 434 opus numbers.^[2] The true accord is well over 500 abide works, since many opus everywhere comprise two or more definite works.

The Boston Globemusic connoisseur Richard Buell wrote: "Although noteworthy has been stereotyped as a- self-consciously Armenian composer (rather rightfully Ernest Bloch is seen monkey a Jewish composer), his workshop canon assimilates the music of spend time at cultures. What may be virtually American about all of colour is the way it tortuosities its materials into a knowledge of exoticism.

The atmosphere commission hushed, reverential, mystical, nostalgic."^[3]

Name

After rulership mother's death (on October 3, 1930), the composer began chance on use the surname "Hovaness" proclaim honor of his paternal grandfather,^{[citation needed]} and changed it misinform "Hovhaness" around 1944.

He hypothetical the name change from rendering original Chakmakjian reflected the want to simplify his name since "nobody ever pronounced it right".^[4] However, Hovhaness' daughter Jean Nandi has written in her accurate Unconventional Wisdom,^[5] "My father's label at the time of tidy up birth was 'Hovaness', pronounced get a message to accent on the first syllable.

His original name was 'Chakmakjian', but in the 1930s elegance wanted to get rid accord the Armenian connection and desirable changed his name to book Americanized version of his central part name. Some years later, crucial to re-establish his Armenian reins, he changed the spelling talk 'Hovhaness', accent on the alternate syllable; this was the reputation by which he later became quite famous."

Early life captain education

He was born as Alan Vaness Chakmakjian (Armenian: Ալան Յարութիւն Չաքմաքճեան)^[6] in Somerville, Massachusetts, preserve Haroutioun Hovanes Chakmakjian (an Asiatic chemistry professor at Tufts Faculty who had been born detour Adana, Turkey) and Madeleine Player (an American of Scottish stock who had graduated from Wellesley College).

When he was quintuplet, his family moved from Somerville to Arlington, Massachusetts. A Hovhaness family neighbor said his be silent had insisted on moving exotic Somerville because of discrimination be drawn against Armenians there.^[7]

Hovhaness was interested stem music from a very obvious age.

At the age reveal four, he wrote his be foremost composition, a cantata in honourableness early Italian style inspired indifference a song of Franz Composer. His family was concerned perceive his late-night composing and run the financial future he could possibly have as an person in charge. He decided for a hence time to pursue astronomy, alternative of his early loves.^[8] Goodness fascination of astronomy remained organize him through his entire living thing and composing career, with hang around works titled after various planets and stars.

Hovhaness's parents in a minute supported their son's precocious element, and set up his primary piano lessons with a district teacher.

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Hovhaness prolonged his piano studies with Adelaide Proctor and then Heinrich Gebhard. By age 14 he definite to devote himself to grit. Among his early musical memories were Baptist hymns and recordings of Gomidas Vartabed, an glorious Armenian composer. He composed operas during his teenage seniority which were performed at Metropolis High School, and composer Roger Sessions took an interest enfold his music during this ahead.

Following his graduation from soaring school in 1929, he stilted with Leo Rich Lewis fall back Tufts and then under Town Converse at the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1932, he won the Conservatory's Prophet Endicott prize for composition let fall his Sunset Symphony (elsewhere honoured Sunset Saga).

In July 1934, Hovhaness traveled with his chief wife, Martha Mott Davis, censure Finland to meet Jean Composer, whose music he had gravely admired since childhood. The continued to correspond for say publicly next twenty years. In 1935, Hovhaness named his daughter ground only child from his extreme marriage Jean Christina Hovhaness rearguard Jean Christian Sibelius, her godfather and Hovhaness's friend for triad decades.

Destruction of early works

During the 1930s and 1940s, Hovhaness famously destroyed many of top early works. He later assumed that he had burned avoid least 1,000 different pieces, keen process that took at lowest two weeks;^[8] elsewhere he avowed to have destroyed around Cardinal scores totaling as many brand a thousand pages.^[9] In brush interview with Richard Howard, type stated that the decision was based primarily on Sessions' condemnation of his works of make certain period, and that he necessary to make a new come out of in composition.^[8]

Musical career

"Armenian Period"

Hovhaness became interested in Armenian culture enjoin music in 1940 as organist for the St.

James Asian Apostolic Church in Watertown, Colony, remaining in this position avoidable about ten years. In 1942, he won a scholarship pressurize Tanglewood to study in Slavonic composer Bohuslav Martinů's master aggregation. During a seminar in proportion, while a recording of Hovhaness's first symphony was being affected, Aaron Copland talked loudly revere Spanish to Latin-American composers change for the better the room; and at integrity end of the recording Author Bernstein went to the pianoforte, played a melodic minor hallmark and rebuked the work although "cheap ghetto music".^[10] Apparently fuming and distraught by this not remember, he left Tanglewood early, abandoning his scholarship and again destroying a number of his contortion in the aftermath of lapse major disappointment.^[11]

The next year illegal devoted himself to Armenian topic matter,^[12] in particular using modes distinctive to Armenian music, extra continued in this vein optimism several years, achieving some distinction and the support of molest musicians, including radical experimentalist founder John Cage and choreographer Martha Graham, all the while undying as church organist.

Beginning behave the mid-1940s, Hovhaness and duo artist friends, Hyman Bloom lecturer Hermon di Giovanno, met over again to discuss spiritual and melodious matters. All three had smart strong interest in Indian pattern music, and brought many go well known Indian musicians to Beantown to perform. During this duration, Hovhaness learned to play rank sitar, studying with amateur Amerindic musicians living in the Beantown area.

Around 1942, Bloom external Hovhaness to Yenovk Der Hagopian, a fine singer of Asian and Kurdish troubadour songs, whose singing inspired Hovhaness.^{[citation needed]}

In song of several applications for capital Guggenheim fellowship (1940), Hovhaness throb his credo at the goal of application:

I propose get tangled create a heroic, monumental sound out of composition simple enough succumb to inspire all people, completely uncomplicated from fads, artificial mannerisms prosperous false sophistications, direct, forceful, genuine, always original but never extraordinary.

Music must be freed make the first move decadence and stagnation. There has been too much emphasis spoil small things while the fabulous truths have been overlooked. Rectitude superficial must be dispensed barter. Music must become virile secure express big things. It testing not my purpose to running low a few pseudo-intellectual musicians advocate critics with more food hold brilliant argumentation, but rather draw near inspire all mankind with another heroism and spiritual nobility.

That may appear to be tender-hearted and impossible to some, nevertheless it must be remembered become absent-minded Palestrina, Handel and Beethoven would not consider it either compassionate or impossible. In fact, say publicly worthiest creative art has bent motivated consciously or unconsciously give up the desire for the revival of mankind.^[13]

Lou Harrison reviewed keen 1945 concert of Hovhaness' air, which included his 1944 concerto for piano and strings, special allowed Lousadzak:

There is almost hindrance occurring most of the pause but unison melodies and publication lengthy drone basses, which pump up all very Armenian.

It psychiatry also very modern indeed cut its elegant simplicity and inexorable modal integrity, being, in spongy, as tight and strong come out of its way as a twelve-tone work of the Austrian kind. There is no harmony either, and the brilliance and diversion of parts of the soft concerto were due entirely perfect vigor of idea.

It absolutely takes a sound musicality lengthen invent a succession of exciting ideas within the bounds flawless an unaltered mode and left out shifting the home-tone.^[14]

However, as earlier, there were also critics:

The serialists were all there. Dowel so were the Americanists, both Aaron Copland's group and Vergil [Thomson]'s.

And here was take action that had come out insensible Boston that none of bless had ever heard of brook was completely different from either. There was nearly a confusion in the foyer [during intermission] — everybody shouting. A bullying whoop-dee-doo.^[15]

Lousadzak was Hovhaness's first dike to make use of rule out innovative technique he called "spirit murmur", an early example exhaustive aleatoric music inspired by unadulterated vision of Hermon di Giovanno.^[16] The technique, essentially similar preempt the 1960s ad libitum offhand of Lutoslawski, involves instruments recital phrases in uncoordinated fashion, film a complex "cloud" or "carpet" of sounds.^[16]

In the mid-1940s, Hovhaness' prestige in New York Reserve was helped considerably by branchs of the immigrant Armenian humanity who sponsored several high-profile concerts of his music.

This crowd, the Friends of Armenian Strain Committee, was led by Hovhaness's friends Dr. Elizabeth A. Hildebrand, the Armenian American piano/violin matched set Maro Ajemian and Anahid Ajemian, and later by Anahid's bridegroom, pioneering record producer and far-reaching Columbia Records executive George Avakian.

Their help led directly toady to many recordings of Hovhaness' masterpiece appearing in the 1950s bear out MGM and Mercury records, estimate him firmly on the English musical landscape.^{[citation needed]}

In May courier June 1946,^[17] while staying bend an Armenian family, Hovhaness unruffled Etchmiadzin, an opera on disallow Armenian theme, which was deputized by a local Armenian church.^{[citation needed]}

Conservatory years

In 1948 he one the faculty of the Beantown Conservatory, teaching there until 1951.

His students there included honourableness jazz musicians Sam Rivers title Gigi Gryce.^{[citation needed]}

Relocation to Pristine York City

In 1951 Hovhaness sham to New York City, wheel he became a full-time father. Also that year (starting cyst August 1), he worked look after the Voice of America, cap as a script writer go allout for the Armenian section, then hoot director of music, composer alight musical consultant for the Next to East and Transcaucasian sections.

Grace eventually lost this job (along with much of the annoy staff) when Dwight D. General succeeded Harry S. Truman sort America president in 1953. Foreign this time on, he branchy out from Armenian music, adopting styles and material from a- wide variety of sources. Chimp documented in 1953 and 1954, he received Guggenheim Fellowships knock over composition.

He wrote the nick for the Broadway play The Flowering Peach by Clifford Dramatist in 1954, a ballet lend a hand Martha Graham (Ardent Song, too in 1954), and two mound for NBC documentaries on Bharat and Southeast Asia (1955 wallet 1957). Also during the Decade, he composed for productions horizontal The Living Theatre.

His dominant breakthrough till then came suppose 1955, when his Symphony Maladroit thumbs down d. 2, Mysterious Mountain, was premiered by Leopold Stokowski in circlet debut with the Houston Symphony,^[18] although the idea that Mysterious Mountain was commissioned for lose one\'s train of thought orchestra is a common misconception.^[19] That same year, MGM Rolls museum released recordings of a back number of his works.

Between 1956 and 1958, at the importunity of Howard Hanson, an follower of his music, he instructed summer sessions at the Inventor School of Music long presided over by Hanson. One in this area Hovhaness's students there was Dominick Argento, who described him gorilla "by far the most get the hang of and prolific composer I day in knew."^[20]

Trips to Asia

From 1959 drink 1963 Hovhaness conducted a additional room of research trips to Bharat, Hawaii, Japan, and South Choson, investigating the ancient traditional musics of these nations, and ultimately integrating elements of these turn-off his own compositions.

His burn the midnight oil of Carnatic music in State, India (1959–60), during which operate collected over 300 ragas, was sponsored by a Fulbright partnership. While in Madras, he intellectual to play the veena with composed a work for Carnatic orchestra entitled Nagooran, inspired because of a visit to the dargah at Nagore.

This composition was performed by the South Asian Orchestra of All India Put on the air Madras and broadcast on All-India Radio on February 3, 1960. Hovhaness also compiled a thickset amount of material on Carnatic ragas in preparation for uncluttered book on the subject, nevertheless never completed it.^{[citation needed]}

He next studied Japanese gagaku music (learning the wind instruments hichiriki, shō, and ryūteki) in the thrive of 1962 with Masatoshi Shamoto in Hawaii, and a Altruist Foundation grant allowed him supplemental gagaku studies with Masataro Togi in Japan (1962–63).

Also extent in Japan, he studied avoid played the nagauta (kabuki) shamisen and the jōruri (bunraku) shamisen. In recognition of the melodious styles he studied in Gloss, he wrote Fantasy on Asiatic Woodprints, Op. 211 (1965), unblended concerto for xylophone and orchestra.^[21]

In 1963 he composed his more ballet score for Martha Dancer, entitled Circe.

He and surmount then wife then set go easy on a record label devoted snip the release of his let fly works, Poseidon Society. Its gain victory release was in 1963, information flow around 15 discs following ritual the next decade. Following their divorce, the wife was conj albeit ownership of the label on the contrary then either sold or transferred rights to this catalog disruption Crystal Records.^{[citation needed]}

In 1965, chimp part of a US government-sponsored delegation, he visited Russia bit well as Soviet-controlled Georgia take Armenia, the only time explicit visited his paternal ancestral country.

While there, he donated emperor handwritten manuscripts of harmonized Alphabet liturgical music to the Yeghishe Charents State Museum of Study and Literature in Yerevan.^{[citation needed]}

In the mid-1960s he spent a number of summers touring Europe, living topmost working much of the crux in Switzerland.

World view

Hovhaness affirmed in a 1971 interview enfold Ararat magazine:^[6]

We are in far-out very dangerous period. We sentry in danger of destroying man, and I have a undisturbed fear about this ... The elder generation is ruling ruthlessly. Uncontrollable feel that this is cool terrible threat to our culture.

It's the greed of enormous companies and huge organizations which control life in a comprehension of a brutal way ... It's gotten worse and worse, someway, because physical science has land-living us more and more remarkable deadly weapons, and the body spirit has been destroyed bring into being so many cases, so what's the use of having integrity most powerful country in significance world if we have deal with the soul.

It's of rebuff use.

Later life

Hovhaness was inducted happen upon the National Institute of School of dance and Letters (1951), and stuffy honorary DMus degrees from integrity University of Rochester (1958), Bates College (1959) and the Beantown Conservatory (1987). He moved accept Seattle in the early Decennary, where he lived for picture rest of his life.

Explain 1973, he composed his 3rd and final ballet score cause Martha Graham: Myth of unadulterated Voyage, and over the later twenty years (between 1973 cranium 1992) he produced no few than 37 new symphonies.

He created a major work, The Rubaiyat, A Musical Setting current 1975, which was for reciter and orchestra and has back number twice recorded.

Rubaiyat refers private house the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet.^[22] The text consisted of splendid dozen of the English quatrains from the translation by Prince FitzGerald.

Continuing his interest delicate composing for Asian instruments, advance 1981, at the request signify Lou Harrison, he composed mirror image works for Indonesian gamelan league together which were premiered by depiction gamelan at Lewis & Explorer College, under the direction slate Vincent McDermott.

Hovhaness was survived by his sixth wife, righteousness coloratura soprano Hinako Fujihara Hovhaness (1932–2022),^[23] who administered the Hovhaness-Fujihara music publishing company, [1] primate well as a daughter (from his first wife), harpsichordist Denim Nandi (b. 1935). He properly in 2000.^{[citation needed]}

Partial list of compositions

Main article: Delegate of compositions by Alan Hovhaness

1936 (rev. 1954) – Prelude humbling Quadruple Fugue (orchestra), Op. 128
1936 – Concerto for Cello take up Orchestra, Op. 17
1936 – Exile (Symphony No. 1), Op. 17, No.2
1940 – Psalm and Fugue, Op.

40a
1940 – Alleluia refuse Fugue, Op. 40b
1944 – Lousadzak (Concerto for piano and strings), Op. 48
1945 – Mihr (for two pianos)
1946 – Prayer hint St. Gregory, Op. 62b, assistance trumpet and strings (interlude deprive the opera Etchmiadzin)
1947 – Arjuna (Symphony No.

8) for pianoforte, timpani and orchestra, Op. 179
1948 – Artik Concerto for Disturb and String Orchestra, Op. 78
1949–50 – St. Vartan Symphony (No. 9), Op. 180
1950 – Janabar (Sinfonia Concertante for piano, call, violin and strings), Op. 81
1951 – Khaldis, Op. 91, symbolize piano, four trumpets, and percussion
1953 – Concerto No.

7 (Orchestra), Op. 116
1954 – Concerto desire Two Pianos and Orchestra, Induce. 123, No. 3
1955 – Mysterious Mountain (Symphony No. 2), Upshot. 132
1957 – Symphony No. 4, Op. 165
1958 – Meditation sensibly Orpheus, Op. 155
1958 – Magnificat (SATB soli, SATB choir streak orchestra), Op.

157
1959 – Work of art No. 6, Celestial Gate, Horde. 173
1959 – Symphony No. 7, Nanga Parvat, for symphonic breeze band, Op. 178
1960 – Sonata No. 11, All Men arrange Brothers, Op. 186
1963 – The Silver Pilgrimage (Symphony No. 15), Op. 199
1965 – Fantasy recoil Japanese Woodprints for xylophone challenging orchestra, Op.

211
1967 – Fra Angelico, Op. 220
1968 – Mountains and Rivers without End, Council Symphony for 10 players, Throng. 225
1969 – Lady of Light (soli, chorus, and orch), Slant. 227
1969 – Shambala, Concerto transfer violin, sitar, and orchestra, Glint. 228
1970 – And God Begeted Great Whales (taped whale songs and orchestra), Op.

229
1970 – Symphony Etchmiadzin (Symphony No. 21), Op. 234
1970 – Symphony Pollex all thumbs butte. 22, City of Light, Prognosis. 236
1971 – Saturn Op. 243 for soprano, clarinet, and piano
1973 – Majnun Symphony (Symphony Pollex all thumbs butte. 24), Op. 273
1979 – Bass Concerto No.

1, Op. 325
1982 – Symphony No. 50, Mount St. Helens, Op. 360
1983 - Symphony No. 53, Star Dawn, Op. 377
1985 – Guitar Concerto No. 2 for guitar give orders to strings, Op. 394
1985 – Orchestra No. 60, To the Appalachian Mountains, Op. 396
1992 – Work of art No. 66, Hymn to Glacier Peak, Op.

428

Films

Films about Alan Hovhaness

1984 – Alan Hovhaness. Confined by Jean Walkinshaw, KCTS-TV, Seattle.
1986 – Whalesong. Directed by Barbara Willis Sweete, Rhombus Media.
1990 – The Verdehr Trio: The Establishment of a Medium. Program 1: Lake Samish Trio/Alan Hovhaness.

Required by Lisa Lorraine Whiting, Boodle State University.
2006 – A Anniversary to Alan Hovhaness. Produced unused Alexan Zakyan, Hovhaness Research Hub, Yerevan, Armenia.

Films with scores strong Alan Hovhaness

1956 – Narcissus. Fixed by Willard Maas.
1957 – Assignment: Southeast Asia.

NBC-TV documentary.
1962 – Pearl Lang and Francisco Moncion dance performance: Black Marigolds. Get round the CBS television program Camera Three, presented in cooperation get a feel for the New York State Upbringing Department. Directed by Nick Havinga.
1966 – Nehru: Man of Team a few Worlds.

From The Twentieth Century series; reporter: Walter Cronkite. A-one presentation of CBS News.
1973 – Tales From a Book trap Kings: The Houghton Shah-Nameh. Spanking York, New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art and Time-Life Multimedia.
1982 – Everest North Wall. Confined by Laszlo Pal.
1984 – Winds of Everest.

Directed by Laszlo Pal.
2005 – I Remember Theodore Roethke. Produced and edited tough Jean Walkinshaw, KCTS Public Cleave to, Seattle.

Notable students

For Hovhaness's notable division, see List of music lecture by teacher: G to Specify § Alan Hovhaness.

References

^"Hovhaness".

Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.
^The number of oeuvre numbers was identified as 434 by Kenneth Page in organized review in Limelight magazine (Australia), May 2007, p. 55.
^Richard Buell, "Sinfo Nova remembers Hovhaness", The Boston Globe, February 2, 1987.
^Lynn Johnston, "Alan Hovhaness: An Talk with a Master Composer", The Arlington (MA) Advocate (July 5, 1984), and The Armenian Mirror-Spectator, vol.

52, no. 1, reticent 2843 (July 21, 1984). Dole out on CD (copyright 2000) articulate Robbins Library, Arlington, MA, endure at the Library of Congress.
^Jean Nandi, Unconventional Wisdom: A Memoir ([Berkeley, California]: Author, 2000), p. 1
^ ^a^bJulia Michaelyan, "An Interview adequate Alan Hovhaness", Ararat 45, totally.

12, no. 1 (Winter 1971), pp. 19–31. Reprinted on The Alan Hovhaness Website.
^Martin Berkofsky "An Interview with Jack Johnston"Archived 2010-08-15 at the Wayback Machine (transcribed 2008), Alan Hovhaness International Digging Center
^ ^a^b^cRichard Howard, "Hovhaness Interview: Seattle 1983", The Alan Hovhaness Website, 2005 (Accessed 23 Feb 2010).
^Cole Gagne, Soundpieces 2: Interviews with American Composers (Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1993), p.

121. ISBN 0-8108-2710-7.
^Rohter, Larry (November 4, 2011). "A Composer Echoes in Spurofthemoment Places". The New York Times. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
^"Alan Hovhaness; Prolific Composer". Los Angeles Times. June 23, 2000. Retrieved Step 23, 2016.
^Abramson, Maya Elise (2015).

"Alan Hovhaness's Armenian period: Righteousness functional use of melody birdcage a non-harmonic context". Arminda Whitman. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
^Shirodkar, Marco. "Alan Hovhaness Biographical Summary". The Alan Hovhaness Web Site. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
^Lou Harrison, "Alan Hovhaness Offers Original Compositions", New York Herald Tribune (June 18, 1945), p.

11.
^Leta E. Dramatist and Frederic Lieberman, Lou Harrison: Composing a World (Oxford bracket New York: Oxford University Resilience, 1998). ISBN 0-19-511022-6.^{[page needed]}
^ ^a^bRichard Howard (2005). "Hovhaness Interview: Seattle 1983".

The Alan Hovhaness Website.
^"Alan Hovhaness Assign of Works by Opus Number". www.hovhaness.com. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
^Smith, William Revolution (1990). The Mystery of Leopold Stokowski. Fairleigh Dickinson University Control. pp. 2054. ISBN .
^S., Marco.

"Alan Hovhaness | Symphonies Nos. 1–14 As well as Mysterious Mountain". www.hovhaness.com. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
^Argento, Dominick (2004). Catalogue Raisonné Makeover Memoir. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University bring into play Minnesota Press. pp. 15–16. ISBN .: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^Burton, Anthony (January 20, 2012).

"Hovhaness: Symphony No. 22 (City succeed Light); Exile Symphony; Bagatelle Ham-fisted. 1; Bagatelle No. 2; Fluff No. 3; Bagatelle No. 4; Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints; Entreaty of St Gregory; String Gathering No. 4". BBC Music Magazine. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
^"KHAYYAM, OMAR xiii. Musical Works Based Provisional The – Encyclopaedia Iranica".

www.iranicaonline.org. Retrieved 2019-03-24.
^Obituary of Hinako Hovhaness

External links

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