Alan Hovhaness facts for kids

An older Hovhaness seen working on a manuscript, c. 1970-79

Alan Hovhaness (born March 8, 1911 – died June 21, 2000) was an American composer. He was also of Armenian heritage. Hovhaness was one of the most active composers of the 1900s. He wrote a huge amount of music, including 67 symphonies and over 500 other musical pieces. Many of his works are still enjoyed today.

A music critic named Richard Buell once said that Hovhaness used music from many different cultures in his work. He described Hovhaness's music as calm, spiritual, and a bit mysterious.

About Alan Hovhaness

His Early Life

Alan Hovhaness was born as Alan Vaness Chakmakjian in Somerville, Massachusetts. His father, Haroutioun Hovanes Chakmakjian, was an Armenian chemistry professor. His mother, Madeleine Scott, was American with Scottish roots. When Alan was five, his family moved to Arlington, Massachusetts.

After his mother passed away in 1930, he started using the last name "Hovaness" to honor his grandfather. Around 1944, he changed it to "Hovhaness." He said he wanted to simplify his name because people often mispronounced "Chakmakjian."

Discovering Music

Hovhaness loved music from a very young age. He wrote his first song at just four years old! His family was worried about his late-night composing. They also wondered how he would make a living as an artist. For a short time, he thought about studying astronomy, which he also loved. His interest in stars and planets stayed with him. Many of his musical pieces are named after them.

His parents soon supported his musical talent. He began taking piano lessons. By age 14, he decided to become a composer. He was inspired by Baptist hymns and Armenian music. He even wrote two operas in high school. These were performed at Arlington High School. After high school, he studied music at Tufts and the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1932, he won a prize for his composition called Sunset Symphony.

In 1934, Hovhaness traveled to Finland to meet the famous composer Jean Sibelius. He greatly admired Sibelius's music. They stayed in touch for 20 years. Hovhaness even named his daughter, Jean Christina, after Sibelius.

A Fresh Start

During the 1930s and 1940s, Hovhaness did something surprising. He destroyed many of his early musical works. He later said he burned at least 1,000 different pieces. This process took him weeks. He explained that he wanted to start fresh with his compositions.

His Musical Career

Armenian Music Period

In 1940, Hovhaness became very interested in Armenian culture and music. He worked as an organist at the St. James Armenian Apostolic Church in Watertown, Massachusetts for about ten years. In 1942, he won a scholarship to study music at Tanglewood. During a class, some famous composers criticized his music. This made him very upset. He left Tanglewood early and destroyed more of his works.

After this, he focused on Armenian themes in his music. He used special musical styles from Armenia. He became well-known and gained support from other artists. These included composer John Cage and dancer Martha Graham.

Hovhaness also met with artist friends who loved Indian classical music. He even learned to play the sitar, an Indian instrument. He also met a singer of Armenian and Kurdish songs, who inspired him.

In 1940, Hovhaness wrote about his goals for music. He wanted to create a "heroic, monumental style of composition." He wanted music to be simple enough to inspire everyone. He believed music should be free from trends and be direct and sincere. He felt music should help people feel new heroism and spiritual nobility.

His 1944 piano concerto, Lousadzak, was reviewed by composer Lou Harrison. Harrison noted its "elegant simplicity" and strong Armenian style. However, not everyone liked his new style at first. Some critics were very surprised by how different it was.

Lousadzak was also special because it used a new technique Hovhaness called "spirit murmur." This is where instruments repeat phrases in an unplanned way. It creates a rich "cloud" of sounds.

Armenian friends in New York helped Hovhaness a lot. They organized concerts of his music. This led to many of his works being recorded in the 1950s. These recordings helped him become a recognized composer in America. In 1946, he composed an opera called Etchmiadzin, which was about an Armenian story.

Moving to New York

In 1948, Hovhaness started teaching at the Boston Conservatory. He taught there until 1951. In 1951, he moved to New York City to become a full-time composer. He also worked for the Voice of America, writing scripts and directing music.

From this time on, he explored music from many different cultures. He received special grants for his compositions in 1953 and 1954. He wrote music for a Broadway play, a ballet for Martha Graham, and documentaries for NBC.

His biggest success came in 1955. His Symphony No. 2, Mysterious Mountain was performed for the first time. It was a big hit! That same year, a record company released many of his works. Between 1956 and 1958, he taught summer classes at the Eastman School of Music.

Journeys to Asia

From 1959 to 1963, Hovhaness traveled to India, Hawaii, Japan, and South Korea. He studied the ancient traditional music of these countries. He then added parts of these styles into his own music. In India, he learned about Carnatic music and collected many traditional melodies. He even learned to play the veena, an Indian instrument.

In Japan, he studied gagaku music, which is traditional Japanese court music. He learned to play several Japanese wind instruments. He also studied and played the shamisen, a Japanese string instrument. To show his love for Japanese music, he wrote Fantasy on Japanese Woodprints in 1965. This was a concerto for xylophone and orchestra.

In 1963, he wrote another ballet score for Martha Graham called Circe. He also started his own record label to release his music. In 1965, he visited Russia, Georgia, and Armenia. This was the only time he visited his father's homeland. He donated his handwritten Armenian music to a museum in Armenia.

Later Life

Hovhaness received several honorary music degrees. In the early 1970s, he moved to Seattle, where he lived for the rest of his life. In 1973, he composed his last ballet score for Martha Graham. Over the next 20 years, he wrote 37 new symphonies!

In 1975, he created a major work called The Rubaiyat, A Musical Setting. This piece was for a narrator and orchestra. It was based on the poems of Omar Khayyam, a Persian poet.

He continued to compose for Asian instruments. In 1981, he wrote two pieces for an Indonesian gamelan orchestra. Alan Hovhaness passed away on June 21, 2000. He was survived by his sixth wife, Hinako Fujihara Hovhaness, who was a singer. He also had a daughter, Jean Nandi, who plays the harpsichord.

Partial list of compositions

Films with his music

• 1956 – Narcissus
• 1957 – Assignment: Southeast Asia (NBC-TV documentary)
• 1966 – Nehru: Man of Two Worlds (CBS News series)
• 1982 – Everest North Wall
• 1984 – Winds of Everest

See Also

In Spanish: Alan Hovhaness para niños