Sayat-Nova
| Sayat-Nova Սայաթ-Նովա |
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 Soviet stamp from 1962 devoted to Sayat-Nova's 250 anniversary. |
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| Born | Harutyun Sayatyan June 14, 1712 Tiflis, Kartli, Persia |
| Died | November 22, 1795 (aged 83) Haghpat, Persian Empire |
| Occupation | Poet, ashik |
| Nationality | Armenian |
| Spouse(s) | Marmar |
Sayat-Nova (Armenian: Սայաթ-Նովա; Persian: سید نوا; Azerbaijani: سید نوا / Səyyad Nova; Georgian: საიათ-ნოვა) (born as Harutyun Sayatyan (Armenian: Հարություն Սայադյան on 14 June 1712, Tiflis – died 22 September 1795, Haghpat), was an Armenian[1] poet, musician and ashik who had compositions in a number of languages. His adopted name Sayat Nova meant "Master of Songs" in Persian.
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[edit] Biography
Sayat-Nova's mother, Sara, was born in Tbilisi, and his father, Karapet, either in Aleppo or Adana. He himself was born in Tbilisi. Sayat Nova was skilled in writing poetry, singing, and playing the kamancheh, Chonguri, Tambur.[2] He performed in the court of Erekle II of Georgia, where he also worked as a diplomat and, apparently, helped forge an alliance between Georgia, Armenia and Shirvan against the Persian Empire. He lost his position at the royal court when he fell in love with the king's sister, and spent the rest of his life as an itinerant bard.
In 1759 he was ordained as a priest in the Armenian Apostolic Church. His wife Marmar died in 1768, leaving behind four children. He served in various locations including Tbilisi and Haghpat Monastery. In 1795 he was killed in the monastery by the invading army of Agha Mohammed Khan, a Persian Knight, representing the Qajar tribe, an Azeri branch of the Oghuz Turks, for refusing to denounce Christianity and convert to Islam. He is buried at the Cathedral of Saint George, Tbilisi.
[edit] Legacy
About 220 songs have been attributed to Sayat-Nova, although he may have written thousands more. His compositions assume the form of traditional Armenian songs[3]. Most of his surviving songs are in Azerbaijani, the lingua franca of the Caucasus at that time,[4] but he also wrote in Armenian, Georgian and Persian. He wrote all his known poems using the Georgian alphabet.[5][citation needed] A number of his songs are sung to this day.
In Armenia, Sayat Nova is considered a great poet who made a considerable contribution to the Armenian poetry of his century. Although he lived his entire life in a deeply religious society, his poems are mostly secular and full of romantic expressionism.
[edit] In popular culture
Sayat-Nova is considered by many to be the greatest ashik (folk singer-songwriter) that ever lived in the Caucasus.
- Composer Alexander Arutiunian wrote an opera called "Sayat Nova" about him.
- The 1968 Armenian film Sayat Nova directed by Sergei Parajanov follows the poet's path from his childhood wool-dying days to his role as a courtier and finally his life as a monk. It was released in the United States under the title The Color of Pomegranates. It is not so much a biography of Sayat Nova but a series of tableaux vivants of Armenian costume, embroidery and religious rituals interspersed with scenes and verses from the poet's life.
- A book on his life and work by Charles Dowsett was published in 1997 titled Sayat'-nova: An 18th-century Troubadour: a Biographical and Literary Study.
- The first translations of the Armenian odes of Sayat Nova in European languages was in France by Elisabeth Mouradian and the French poet Serge Venturini in 2006; the book was dedicated to Sergei Parajanov.
- There is a street and a music school named after him in Yerevan, Armenia, as well as an Armenian-American dance ensemble in the United States, a pond located in Mont Orford, Quebec, Canada.
- There is a restaurant in Chicago, frequented by Brett "Bizzy B" Ze'monster, called Sayat-Nova.
[edit] Bibliography
- Charles Dowsett, (1997), Sayatʻ-Nova: an 18th-century troubadour: a biographical and literary study, ISBN 90-6831-795-4
[edit] References
- ^ Sayat-Nova. Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- ^ Dowsett, Charles (1997), p. 4
- ^ Eugenia Popescu-Judetz. "Studies in oriental arts". Tamburitzans Institute of Folk Arts, 1981; p. 66
- ^ Thomas de Waal. Black Garden. NYU Press, 2003; p. 80
- ^ Dowsett, Charles (1997), p. 7
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sayat-Nova (Armenian Wikiquote) |
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Armenian Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Sayat-Nova Armenian Film
- Armenianmusicarch.com
- Love Song translated into English by Alice Stone Blackwell
- Classical Composers Database
- Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Sayat-Nova in QWIKI [1]
