Djivan Gasparyan Explained

Honorific Suffix:PAA
Djivan Gasparyan
Birth Date:12 October 1928
Birth Place:Solak, Armenian SSR, Transcaucasian SFSR, Soviet Union
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Instrument:Duduk
Genre:Armenian folk
Occupation:Composer, score composer, musician
Label:All Saints Records
Years Active:1948–2021

Djivan Gasparyan (var. Jivan Gasparyan;[1] Armenian: Ջիվան Գասպարյան, in Armenian pronounced as /dʒiˈvɑn ɡɑspɑɾˈjɑn/; 12 October 1928 – 6 July 2021)[2] [3] was an Armenian musician and composer. He played the duduk, a double reed woodwind instrument related to the orchestral oboe. Gasparyan is known as the "Master of the duduk".[4] [5] [6] In 2006 he was nominated for Grammy awards for the Best Traditional World Music Album.[7]

Biography

Born in Solak, Armenia, to parents from Mush, Gasparyan started to play duduk when he was six. In 1948, he became a soloist of the Armenian Song and Dance Popular Ensemble and the Yerevan Philharmonic Orchestra.[8]

He won four medals at UNESCO worldwide competitions (1959, 1962, 1973, and 1980). In 1973 Gasparyan was awarded the honorary title People's Artist of Armenia. In 2002, he received the WOMEX (World Music Expo) Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a Honorary citizen of Yerevan.

A professor at the Yerevan State Musical Conservatory, he instructed and nurtured many performers to professional levels of performance in duduk. In 1998, he released an album with a unique duduk quartet he formed. Creating arrangements for four musicians with "new duduk tones, alto and bass, was an extremely difficult task" and challenge, but the quartet did become a reality performing and "there is no other like it in the world", he witnessed in the liner notes of Nazeli. He toured the world several times with a small ensemble playing Armenian folk music. His music has been chosen on the soundtrack of several international films.

He collaborated with many artists, such as Sting, Peter Gabriel, Hossein Alizadeh, Erkan Oğur, Michael Brook, Brian May, Lionel Richie, Derek Sherinian, Roman Miroshnichenko, Ludovico Einaudi, Boris Grebenshchikov, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Hans Zimmer, and Andreas Vollenweider. He also recorded with the Kronos Quartet and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[9]

Gasparyan played as part of the Armenian entry "Apricot Stone" by Eva Rivas at the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo and became the oldest ever person to feature in a Eurovision Song Contest performance,[10] but was not officially listed as a guest artist.

Death and legacy

Gasparyan died on 6 July 2021, aged 92. It was announced by his grandson, Djivan Gasparyan Jr. He said "The world has suffered an unimaginable loss tonight. He was not only a legend, but also a person with a beautiful soul. I write with great sorrow about my huge loss. May God keep your soul in the bright sky."

Peter Gabriel called Gasparyan "the great master of the instrument." He added, "When he lifted his duduk to his lips he cast a spell over all who listened."[11]

Gasparyan was highly recognized by the Armenian government. On his 90th birthday, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan congratulated Gasparyan, stating: "Our people and music lovers around the world have already ranked you among the world’s great musicians. As a living legend, you are a credit to all Armenians."[12] Upon his death, President Armen Sarkissian described him as a "legendary duduk player" who was "one of the pillars of our modern culture, whose name is associated with the creative and working activities of musicians, especially a whole generation of duduk players."[13] Pashinyan called him "an exceptional Armenian intellectual and ranked him among the Greats of the world art; we were proud and inspired by him."[14]

Catholicos Karekin II, leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, sent a letter of condolences to his family. "For decades, he performed the gems of the Armenian music on many stages in Armenia and abroad, serving the grateful mission of recognizing and spreading our culture," read the statement.[15]

Discography

Collaborations as guest artist

Selection of film soundtrack contributions

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Biography. Jivan Gasparyan Official Website. 2011-08-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20130504055751/http://www.jivanduduk.com/jivan-gasparyan-biography.html. 2013-05-04. dead.
  2. allmusic gives birth year as 1928.
  3. https://en.armradio.am/2021/07/06/armenian-duduk-player-jivan-gasparayn-dies-aged-81/ Legendary Armenian duduk player Jivan Gasparayn dies aged 92
  4. On the Track: A Guide to Contemporary Film Scoring - Page 87 by Fred Karlin, Rayburn Wright
  5. World Music: The Rough Guide - Page 334 by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham, Richard Trillo
  6. Web site: Djivan Gasparyan at MSN music . 2007-08-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071128123237/http://music.msn.com/artist/?artist=16132822 . 2007-11-28 . dead .
  7. https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/djivan-gasparyan Jivan Gasparyan, Grammy, 2020
  8. Web site: An Evening with Djivan Gasparyan and Michael Brook Asbarez.com. asbarez.com. en-US. 2017-09-08.
  9. Book: Nercessian, Andy. The Duduk and National Identity in Armenia. 2001-08-28. Scarecrow Press. 978-1-4616-7272-2. en.
  10. Web site: Armenian apricot stone becomes a tree. eurovision.tv. 18 May 2010 .
  11. Web site: Djivan Gasparyan . petergabriel.com . https://archive.today/20210727014829/https://petergabriel.com/news/djivan-gasparyan/ . 27 July 2021 . 6 July 2021 . 27 July 2021 . live .
  12. Web site: Nikol Pashinyan congratulates Jivan Gasparyan on 90th birthday anniversary . primeminister.am . The Office to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia . https://web.archive.org/web/20210727012156/https://www.primeminister.am/en/congratulatory/item/2018/10/12/Nikol-Pashinyan-congratulation-letter-Jivan-Gasparyan/ . 27 July 2021 . 12 October 2018.
  13. Web site: The great duduk master was one of the pillars of our modern culture. President Sarkissian expressed condolences on the death of Jivan Gasparyan, the legendary duduk player . president.am . The Office to the President of the Republic of Armenia . https://web.archive.org/web/20210720143419/https://www.president.am/en/press-release/item/2021/07/06/President-Armen-Sarkissian-sent-a-condolence-letter/ . 20 July 2021 . 6 July 2021.
  14. Web site: Nikol Pashinyan offers condolences on the passing of Jivan Gasparyan . primeminister.am . The Office to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia . https://web.archive.org/web/20210724154627/https://www.primeminister.am/en/condolence/item/2021/07/06/Nikol-Pashinyan-Condolences/ . 24 July 2021 . 6 July 2021.
  15. Web site: Everlasting Prayer and Blessings to the Memory of Jivan Gasparyan . armenianchurch.org . . https://web.archive.org/web/20210727021840/https://www.armenianchurch.org/index.jsp?sid=3&nid=4588&y=2021&m=6&d=6&lng=en . 27 July 2021 . 6 July 2021.

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