The Tragic Pages of Armenian History in Alan Hovhaness’ Works

Abstract

The American Armenian composer Alan Hovhaness’ “otherness” in the context of the 20th century musical discourse can be explained by his Armenian-Scottish origins, Armenian-Eastern musical identity and his unique interpretation of different artistic traditions of eastern musical cultures - Indian, Japanese, Korean etc., available in his works. The tragic pages of Armenian history are reflected in Alan Hovhaness’ immense heritage; this article particularly focuses on the “Exile” symphony (No. 1, 1939), dedicated to the Armenian Genocide. The “Exile” is a kind of catharsis in the long run of Hovhaness’ pursuit of national spirit and musical identity to achieve solution to his psychological and creative crisis. The symphony became a symbolic self-acknowledgement of the composer’s Armenian identity, and an offering in commemoration of the Genocide victims in the realm of the musical space of the composer’s individual perceptions.