Aram Khachaturian (June 6, 1903–May 1, 1978) was a Soviet-Armenian composer whose works were often influenced by Armenian folk music.[ Listen to a famous tune we all know 'Sabre Dance' composed by Aram Khachaturian]. He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Imperial Russia to a poor Armenian family.

Armenia (1998) 50 Dram (front) - Portrait of Aram Khachaturian and Yerevan Opera House

In his youth, he was fascinated by the music he heard around him, but at first he did not study music or learn to read it. In 1921, he travelled to Moscow to join his brother, unable to speak a word of Russian. Although he had almost no musical education, Khachaturian showed such great talent that he was admitted to the Gnessin Institute where he studied cello under Mikhail Gnessin and entered a composition class (1925).

<== Yerevan Opera House
In 1929, he transferred to the Moscow Conservatory where he studied under Nikolai Myaskovsky. In the 1930s, he married the composer Nina Makarova, a fellow student from Myaskovsky’s class. In 1951, he became professor at the Gnessin State Musical and Pedagogical Institute (Moscow) and the Moscow Conservatory. He also held important posts at the Composers’ Union, which would later severely denounce some of his works as being “formalist” music, along with those of Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich. These three composers became the so called “titans” of Soviet music, enjoying world-wide reputation as some of the leading composers of the 20th century.

Khachaturian’s works include concertos for violin (also transcribed for flute), cello, and piano (the latter originally including an early part for the flexatone), concerto-rhapsodies for the same instruments, three symphonies—the third containing parts for fifteen additional trumpets and organ, and the ballets Spartak (AKA Spartacus) and Gayane (music of which was used in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey). The latter ballet features in its final act what is probably his most famous movement, the "Sabre Dance.

The "Sabre Dance" is a movement in the final act of Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian's ballet Gayane, completed in 1942. It evokes a whirling war dance in an Armenian dance, where the dancers display their skill with sabres.

Armenia (1998) 50 Dram (back) - 'Sabre Dance' by Aram Khachaturian and Mt Ararat (background)

Due to its exceptionally exciting rhythm, the Sabre Dance established a place for itself in common concert practice, leading also to various adaptations in popular music. In its middle section it uses an Armenian folk song from Gyumri, Armenia.
<== Mt Ararat from Yerevan
He also composed some film music and incidental music for plays such as the 1941 production of Mikhail Lermontov’s Masquerade. The cinematic quality of his music for Spartacus was clearly seen when it was used as the theme for a popular BBC drama series, The Onedin Line, during the 1970s. Since then, it has become one of the most popular of all classical pieces for UK audiences. Joel Coen’s The Hudsucker Proxy also prominently featured music from Spartacus and Gayane (Sabre Dance included) mixed with the original compositions by Carter Burwell. He was also the composer for the state anthem of the Armenian SSR, whose tune is one of the five current choices to become the next state anthem of Armenia. The climax of Spartacus’ second movement was also used in Ice Age: The Meltdown.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia articles "Aram Khachaturian" and 'Sabre Dance'