Khachaturian – Masquerade Suite – Waltz (piano solo with sheet music)

Aram I. Khachaturian

Aram Ilich Jacaturián (in Russian, Ара́м Ильи́ч Хачатуря́н; in Armenian, Արամ Խաչատրյան, Aram Xačatryan; Tiflis, Georgia, June 6, 1903 – Moscow, May 1, 1978) was a Soviet composer and director of Armenian origin. It is considered that it was one of the main Soviet composers.

Born and raised in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, Jachaturián moved to Moscow in 1921 after the Sovietization of the Caucasus. Without prior musical training, he enrolled in the Gnessin Musical Institute, later studied at the Moscow Conservatory in the Nikolai Miaskovski class, among others. His first great work, the piano concert (1936), popularized his name inside and outside the Soviet Union.

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He was followed by the concert for violin (1940) and the concert for cello (1946). The other significant compositions of him include Masquerade Suite (1941), the Hymn of the RSS Armenia (1944), three symphonies (1935, 1943, 1947) and around 25 sound bands. Jachaturián is better known for his music: Gayaneh (1942) and Spartacus (1954). Its most popular piece, the ‘dance of the saber’ of Gayaneh, has been widely used in popular culture and has been versioned by musicians from around the world.4 Its style is characterized by colorful harmonies, captivating rhythms, virtuosity, improvisations and sensual melodies’.

During most of his career, Khachaturian was approved by the Soviet government and held several important positions in the union of Soviet composers since the late 1930 Shostakovich, was officially denounced as a ‘formalist’, and his nicknamed music ‘anti-people’ in 1948, but was later restored that year. After 1950 he taught at the Gnessin Institute and at the Moscow Conservatory, and went on to direct. He traveled to Europe, Latin America and the United States with concerts from his own works. In 1957, Khachaturian became the secretary of the Union of Soviet composers, a position he held until his death.

Khachaturian, who created the first score of music, symphony, concert and film of Armenian ballet, is considered the most famous Armenian composer of the twentieth century. Following the established musical traditions of Russia, he widely used Armenian popular music and, to a lesser extent, caucasics, oriental and Central Europe and the Middle East in his works. He is very appreciated in Armenia, where he is considered a ‘national treasure’.