Edward Manukyan

Edward Manukyan

Edward Manukyan (Armenian: Էդվարդ Մանուկյան, Russian: Эдвард Манукян) - (b. July 27, 1981) is an Armenian-born composer residing in Southern California. One of the last students to have studied composition under Rowan Taylor, Manukyan made significant progress, despite his scant formal training in music, and he was accepted into the Master's program at the California State University in Los Angeles. A prolific composer of orchestral works, Manukyan devoted himself to composing contemporary music, leaning heavily upon Armenian national folklore. He created over a dozen large-scale compositions, including a Concerto-Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra, Symphonic Fantasy for Wind Orchestra and Armenian Suite. Most of Manukyan’s works bespeak about inspirations of Armenian patriotic themes with titles such as Heroic Song About Homeland, Dawn In Ararat Valley, Lament For Homeland etc.

Early life

It was not until his last years at high school that Manukyan showed interests in music, although he always excelled in arts, literature and sciences. He learned English through self-teaching and in 1997 he won state scholarship to study languages and psychology at the Yerevan State Linguistic University after V. Brusov. During his student years, Manukyan committed himself entirely to studying music and performing bass with local groups. He soon became a regular member with the Armenian "Renaissance" Chamber Orchestra, directed by conductor Tigran Padaryan. Manukyan also wrote his own music, which was featured by the orchestra as part of its regular program. Among those were songs, the lyrics of which the composer had penned himself, and jazz instrumental pieces. Manukyan also formed his own jazz quartet and gave concerts at various venues in Yerevan.

Career in United States

Upon moving to the United States in 2002, Manukyan shifted his interests towards classical music after studying the works of his compatriot Aram Khachaturian. He took composition classes from acclaimed American composer Rowan Taylor and went on to further study with composers John Kennedy, James Newton and pursued his Master's Degree from the California State University, Los Angeles (2005-2007). He also studied instrumental and choral conducting with Stephen Piazza and David Buck. Manukyan's music was performed by the Los Angeles Symphonic Winds, the Valley Brass Ensemble and solo artists such as Michael Mertens, Melissa James, Anna Beth and others.

Style and Influences

Edward Manukyan's compositional style was mainly influenced by the middle-generation Soviet composers, such as Aram Khachaturian, Dmitry Shostakovich and Sergey Prokofiev, as well as the Armenian successors of their traditions, Alexander Arutiunian, Edward Mirzoyan, Tigran Mansuryan etc. Later he drew influences from Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky, although his style remained simple and easily accessible for large audiences due to its closeness to Armenian folk music.

In the extended program notes of the "Symphonic Fantasy for Wind Orchestra", his Master's Project at the CSULA, Manukyan wrote:

Ever since I relocated from my native Armenia to the United States, I have been paying a close attention to the cultural developments in the Armenian communities of Southern California, especially those which relate to music. I have noticed that the idea of what is “Armenian music” among Armenians is very vague and often wrong, since the communities consist of immigrants not only from Armenia but from many other countries as well. Various national influences have eventually caused mischaracterization and even disintegration of Armenian folklore, which has some very distinct characteristics, recognized and thoroughly refined by the famous late 19th century musicologist Soghomon Soghomonyan (Komitas). Today, even in Armenia, not only authentic music is not developed but it is not even being preserved properly. As a composer who has begun to realize what treasure folk music really is, I suffer greatly at seeing the mass indifference to it. Thousands of people join organizations to save the whales and other animals that are going extinct. People are very sentimental about preserving the nature, and, of course, they should be even more so. But folk music - that marvelous phenomenon, which contains the highest degree of musical thought and meaningful simplicity, having developed through a long human evolution - will soon go extinct too if it is not preserved in contemporary forms. The existence of archived recordings of folk songs does not at all guarantee that folklore will thrive, just as the breeding of captured tigers in fenced preserves does not guarantee their survival.

One can see this philosophy behind Manukyan's every work. He often takes a simple rhythmic motif such as the following File:68motif1.png and develops it, applying other layers and colors. His Armenian Fanfare (here arranged for brass quartet) is a good example that illustrates this point.

File:Armenian fanfare.png

In other works, such as the Trio for Clarinet, Violin and Piano (2007), Manukyan carries his principles of development even further by using a thematic combination of these two elements:

and developing them in order to draw material for the violin cadenza, which is written in an improvisatory style:

List of Works

Chamber

• Suite for brass quartet Nos. 1 & 2 (2005)
• Duet for violin and piano (2005)
• Quartet for flute, tuba, violin and piano (2006)
• Trio for clarinet, violin and piano (2007)

Orchestral

• Concerto-Rhapsody for piano and orchestra (2004)
• Romance (2005)
• Five Pieces for orchestra (2005)
• Armenian Suite for Wind Orchestra (2005)
• Symphonic Poem for Wind Orchestra (2006)

Piano

• Caucasian Waltz (2003)
• Dance for piano duo (2003)
• Elegia (2006)
• Ten Pieces for piano (2006)

External links

• http://www.edwardmanukyan.com