Armenian Musical Composer, Pianist, and Teacher. He was born into a family of wealthy entrepreneurs in Smyrna (now İzmir), a city in the Ottoman Empire. As a little boy, it was soon discovered that the was a child prodigy and he soon began taking piano lessons and writing short piano pieces. In July 1879, with the encouragement of his teacher, he left for Weimar, Germany, hoping to audition for Franz Liszt. Liszt advised him to go to Austria and work with Professor Anton Door at the Vienna Conservatory. There, he divided his time between studying the piano and composition, making his Vienna debut in 1885, an event which received many accolades in the local press. He continued to compose, writing many character pieces, including waltzes, mazurkas, nocturnes and impromptus. He dedicated his 6 Etudes (1881) to Franz Liszt and a number of pieces to Victor Hugo. On February 24, 1887, he gave a highly successful recital in Vienna's Saal Bösendorfer. A busy concert schedule followed, with him scoring artistic triumphs in France, England, Germany, Austria and Italy. During his travels, he became closely acquainted with, among others, the Russian composer and pianist Anton Rubinstein, the French composer Jules Massenet, the French pianist Joseph-Édouard Risler and the French lexicographer Guy de Lusignan. In 1912, he took up permanent residence in Geneva, Switzerland, where he continued to compose, teach and perform. However, over time he became increasingly hard of hearing and became somewhat of a bitter recluse, cutting himself off from the world. During this difficult time, he befriended Aimée Rapin, the armless Swiss painter, who nursed and consoled him. He was also haunted by the tragic events of the 1915 Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turks. Fortunately, his family was able to escape to Athens, Greece following the Great Fire of Smyrna in 1922 which followed the Turkish occupation of the city. He died around the age of 75. His piano, along with his manuscripts and reminiscences, is now housed at the Charents Museum of Literature and Arts of Armenia.
Armenian Musical Composer, Pianist, and Teacher. He was born into a family of wealthy entrepreneurs in Smyrna (now İzmir), a city in the Ottoman Empire. As a little boy, it was soon discovered that the was a child prodigy and he soon began taking piano lessons and writing short piano pieces. In July 1879, with the encouragement of his teacher, he left for Weimar, Germany, hoping to audition for Franz Liszt. Liszt advised him to go to Austria and work with Professor Anton Door at the Vienna Conservatory. There, he divided his time between studying the piano and composition, making his Vienna debut in 1885, an event which received many accolades in the local press. He continued to compose, writing many character pieces, including waltzes, mazurkas, nocturnes and impromptus. He dedicated his 6 Etudes (1881) to Franz Liszt and a number of pieces to Victor Hugo. On February 24, 1887, he gave a highly successful recital in Vienna's Saal Bösendorfer. A busy concert schedule followed, with him scoring artistic triumphs in France, England, Germany, Austria and Italy. During his travels, he became closely acquainted with, among others, the Russian composer and pianist Anton Rubinstein, the French composer Jules Massenet, the French pianist Joseph-Édouard Risler and the French lexicographer Guy de Lusignan. In 1912, he took up permanent residence in Geneva, Switzerland, where he continued to compose, teach and perform. However, over time he became increasingly hard of hearing and became somewhat of a bitter recluse, cutting himself off from the world. During this difficult time, he befriended Aimée Rapin, the armless Swiss painter, who nursed and consoled him. He was also haunted by the tragic events of the 1915 Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turks. Fortunately, his family was able to escape to Athens, Greece following the Great Fire of Smyrna in 1922 which followed the Turkish occupation of the city. He died around the age of 75. His piano, along with his manuscripts and reminiscences, is now housed at the Charents Museum of Literature and Arts of Armenia.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
Advertisement
