Alexander Spendiaryan
| Alexander Spendiaryan (Spendiarov) |
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| Born |
Alexander Spendiarov November 1, 1871 Kakhovka,  Russian Empire
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| Died | May 7, 1928 (aged 56) Yerevan,  Armenian SSR
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| Era | 20th century |
| Notable work | Yerevan etudes, Almast opera |
Alexander Afanasyevich Spendiaryan (Spendiarov) (Armenian: Ալեքսանդր Ստեփանոսի Սպենդիարյան, Russian: Александр Афанасьевич Спендиаров, November 1, 1871, Kakhovka, Russian Empire – May 7, 1928, Yerevan, Armenia) was an Armenian born in Russia, music composer, conductor, founder of Armenian national symphonic music and one of the patriarchs of Armenian classical music. His compositions include the opera Almast (Armenian: Ալմաստ՝ brilliant) and the Yerevan Etudes, among others.
Spendiaryan was born on 1 November (as 20 October) 1871 in Kakhovka, province of Tavrik (modern Ukraine) in an Armenian family whose ancestry originated from Ani. His artistic abilities were formed in early childhood. He inherited his musical abilities from his mother who played piano. When Spendiaryan was seven he wrote a waltz. In 1890 he went to Moscow and studied for one year in the Natural Sciences faculty of Moscow University, and then in 1895 he graduated from the Law faculty. At the same time he continued his violin classes. In 1896 Spendiaryan went to St. Petersburg to show his compositions to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who greatly admired his music and encouraged him to turn deeper into his people's folklore. From 1896 to 1900 he took private composition lessons with Rimsky-Korsakov. According to Alexander Glazunov, "Rimsky-Korsakov was perfectly satisfied with the results of Spendiaryan's work and considered him a serious, talented composer with a great flair for composition".
Spendiaryan was awarded the Glinka prize three times for his three works: the symphonic picture "Three Palms" in 1908, the legend "Preacher Beda" in 1910 and the melody declamation "We’ll Have a Rest" in 1912. His symphonic pieces, songs and romances, choral works, and musico-declamatory pieces earned him high marks among audiences and professional musicians. Spendiaryan led concerts in Kharkov, Odessa, Moscow, Petersburg, Doni-Rostov and New Nakhijevan. He spent much of his time in Yalta and Sudak. While he was living in Crimea, Spendiaryan met Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky and Fyodor Shalyapin. Alexander Glazunov was also a guest at his house.
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