THE VIOLIN SONATA OF ARNO BABADJANIAN

Dina Bikzhanova

MUH 530: Bibliography and Research Skills

November 1, 2022
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Arno Babadjanian occupies a special place in the history of Armenian music of the

20th century as an author of academic and pop music and as a concert pianist. His works

clearly reflect the culture of the Armenian people.

The composer used various genres. He wrote a lot of pop songs, pieces for piano,

works for solo instruments with orchestra, piano duets and musicals. The composer's works

for chamber instrumental music include the Sonata for Violin and Piano in B-flat minor, a

bright and distinctive work that has become popular among performers. The sonata became

part of the repertoires of renowned violinists such as Eduard Grach1 and Valery Klimov2.

This paper will consider the creative path of Arno Babadjanian, take a look at the

history of the Sonata for Violin and Piano B flat minor, discover the specificities of

performing interpretations.

SECTION 1

Sonata for Violin and Piano B-flat minor in the context of the Arno Babadjanian’s

work

1. Biography and a brief description of Babadjanian work

Arno Babadjanian (1921 - 1983) was born in Yerevan. The boy became interested in

folk music, and at the age of 3, he was already playing by ear the folk tunes he had heard

before.

The famous composer Aram Khachaturian searched for young talents in kindergartens

1 Soviet violinist, laureate of the International Tchaikovsky Competition (1962). Head of the Violin
Department of the Moscow Conservatory, student of Oistrakh.
2 Soviet violinist, the first winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition (1958). Teacher,
People's Artist of the USSR (1989).
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and schools of Yerevan and unmistakably recognized the young talent of the five-year-old

boy.3 He suggested to Arno's parents that the boy needed a professional musical education.

His early schooling revealed the paramount quality that would become decisive for

Babadjanian in the future - the natural connection to Armenian folk music and the sensitive

embodiment of national traditions.

Arno Babadjanian was a prodigy as a pianist. He studied under the distinguished

pianists Elena Gnesina and Konstantin Igumnov. Contact with Igumnov played an essential

role in Babadjanian's artistic upbringing. The teacher paid particular attention to the music of

Johann Sebastian Bach and Sergey Rachmaninoff, which significantly influenced the

development of the young musician's talent as a composer.

Babajanian wrote in various musical genres, including popular songs, musicals, and

film music.

The 1950s were the most fruitful years for the composer. During this period of

creativity, he created his most significant works. These are the Heroic Ballad, which brought

him the State Prize of the USSR, the Piano Trio, Capriccio for the Piano, Poem Rhapsody

for the Symphony Orchestra, and the Violin Sonata.

In 1958-59 he wrote a sonata for Violin and Piano dedicated to Shostakovich. In 1975

Babadjanian wrote his last significant work, also dedicated to Shostakovich, String Quartet

No. 3, which became one of the best memorial dedications to the master.

Arno Babadjanian died on November 11, 1983 from complications caused by

leukemia. He was buried in Yerevan at the city cemetery (Tokhmakh).

2. History of creation and features of the style

Babajanian belongs to the type of master who, while remaining deeply national in the

nature of composing talent, rarely resorts to the use of authentic samples of folk art. The

author's melodies seem almost like direct folklore quotations – so great is their

3Anaida Grigorian, Arno Babadjanian, (Yerevan, 1961), 5.

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comprehension of the spirit of folk music. As Grigoryan writes, his music "is not at all folk in

external "similarity" with folklore, but – what is much more important – with all its spirit,

meaning, sound." 4

The idea of creating the Sonata originated while working on a Piano Trio, but

Babadjanian finished it only in 1959.5

The violin sonata was immediately noticed, arousing the interest of the musical

community. According to researchers G. Geodakyan and M. Ter-Simonyan, listeners are

fascinated by the deep emotional contrasts constantly present in the sonata. In their article,

they compare it with a poem about a contemporary, about "the formation of his character,

tempered in life's storms and courageous heroic struggle."6

Babadjanian's work is influenced by Russian classical music. "Babadjanian is brought

closer to Tchaikovsky by the principles of shaping, the development of thematic material, and

dramatic techniques. There are many similarities with Rachmaninoff: temperament,

masculinity, the immensity of the lyrical cantilena, some features of the piano texture

(juiciness of chord expositions, the predominance of large technique, etc.) ..."7

Babadjanian's violin sonata is an innovative work. The author's profound humanistic

ideas represent a significant artistic value of the sonata, which is contained in the enormous

effectiveness and struggle of passions. A dramatically rich composition with high dynamism

of development and very informative, although concise.

The sonata for violin and piano surprises with a rather sharp change in the composer's

style, the influence of Prokofiev and Shostakovich is noticeable. The article by Svetlana

Sarkisyan states that the dedication of the sonata to Shostakovich is "an act of creative

solidarity ... a change in attitude to the concept of thematic work."8

4 Grigorian, Arno Babadjanian, 59.

5 Grigorian, Arno Babadjanian, 43.
6 Georgiy Geodakyan, and Margarita Ter-Simonyan, "Chamber and Insrtumental music." Musical
culture of Armenian Republic, edited by Michael Berko, 223-285. Moscow: Music House, 1985, 247.
7Grigorian, Arno Babadjanian, 60.
8 Svetlana Sarkisyan, “Arno Babadjanian: Origins of a new style,” Music Academy, no. 2 (2002): 79-82.
Accessed Nov 1. 2022 https://mus.academy/articles/arno-babadzhanyan-istoki-novogo-stilya, 80.
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It is difficult not to agree with the musicologist Sarkisyan, Babadjanian manages to

catch the subtle stylistic balancing in Shostakovich's music, and, relying on the master's

experience, write an essay using the same methods of thematic deployment as Shostakovich -

concentrated and dispersed.

As the researcher notes in the article "Arno Babajanian: the origins of a new style,"

the first of the methods is manifested to a greater extent in the first and third parts, the second

- in the section of the side party of the first part and in the second part, although its initial

theme follows the method of thematically concentrated deployment.

Babadjanian uses twelve-tone series with repetitive sounds, while, as Sarkisyan notes,

Shostakovich turned to this only in the 70s. This suggests that Schoenberg's ideas did not

pass Babadjanian by. It is also no coincidence, according to the same researcher,

"Babadjanian introduces intellectual tension into emotional affect and expressive

expressiveness into a strictly defined thought."9

The middle section of the second part, written in a complex three-part form, is a vivid

example of the use of the dramatic technique of comparing different methods of thematic

deployment used in the creation of inventory polyphonic forms in the works of neoclassical

composers and typical for the Baroque period.10

Significantly, Babadjanian's new stylistic findings in the Violin Sonata find their

response in the following compositions of the composer. As stated in the article by Sarkisyan,

Babajanian consistently "improved the concept of monothematic variation" in his works. The

third quartet is a kind of outcome in Babadjanian's work. In this work, the composer reaches

the peak laid down "back in the late 50s in the Sonata for Violin and Piano, in which Arno

Babadjanian foresaw the prospects for updating the national language and thinking."11

9 Svetlana Sarkisyan, “Arno Babadjanian,” 81

10 Svetlana Sarkisyan, “Arno Babadjanian,” 81
11 Svetlana Sarkisyan, “Modern features of Arno Babadjanian’s music.” Music Academy, no. 1 (2011):
131-133. Accessed Nov 1. 2022 https://mus.academy/articles/sovremennye-cherty-muzyki-
ababadzhanyana, 132.
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SECTION 2

Stylistic and performance felicities

1. The form and dramaturgy

The first movement is written in sonata form with an introduction and a coda. The

slow introduction – Grave – largely determines the drama of the cycle. "Here are the "theses"

of the main images (primarily the first part)."12 It opens with a recitative phrase of the violin

— large-scale, courageous, heavy, which is a carrier of intense dramatic imagery

EXAMPLE 1. Babadjanian, Sonata for Violin and Piano, movt. I, mm. 1-3.

In parallel, a second image is being formed – energetic, filled with will. The third

essential element of Grave is the octave measured movements of the piano. The whole

introduction recreates "the prototype of the main conflict, which is revealed throughout the

entire three-part cycle."13 This theme is the core of the main party.

The energetic anxious theme of the main party Allegro energico is characterized by its

militant rhythm:

In this active and struggling image, impetuous aspiration is combined with a retarding
12Grigorian, Arno Babadjanian, 44.
13 Grigorian, Arno Babadjanian, 44.
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beginning:

EXAMPLE 2. Babadjanian, Sonata for Violin and Piano, movt. I, mm.

The lyrical second theme provides the mood of restrained grief and sadness, bringing

a bright contrast. Even though Babajanyan does not use folklore quotes, here, according to

researchers Geodakian and Ter-Simonyan, it is safe to say that this topic is written in the

genre of tragic songs "Antuni" or "Krunk." Turns, "singing" of the main sound of the melody

is a feature inherent in the folk epic song.14:

EXAMPLE 3. Babadjanian, Sonata for Violin and Piano, movt. I, mm.

14Geodakyan, and Ter-Simonyan, "Chamber and Insrtumental Music," 249.

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Development is the most intense section in the development of the first movement. At

the end of this section and the beginning of the reprise comes the central tragic climax of the

whole movement.

The development begins with the measured movements of the piano. Here's what

Grigoryan writes about it: "There is no action here. A person seems to gather his thoughts,

and a string of images passes before his eyes. So there is a small episode of the dance

warehouse, bright, smiling (from this episode the threads stretch to the second movement of

the sonata)."15

EXAMPLE 4. Babadjanian, Sonata for Violin and Piano, movt. I, mm. 1-3.

Further, the development moves into a new phase – sharp rhythms and energetic

15 Grigorian, Arno Babadjanian, 46.

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melody ups. Of particular importance is the initial motif of the second theme. Stern, and

ascetic, it asserts images of evil:

EXAMPLE 5. Babadjanian, Sonata for Violin and Piano, movt. I, mm. 1-3.

The reprise enters as the conclusion of the struggle. A sharp chord interrupts the

conduct of the main theme. Silence is interrupted by a lonely voice (the return of the second

theme, which sounds mournful and concentrated).

The sonata's second movement is written in a complex three-part reprise with a coda.

The main theme bears the features of the refrain, as it is repeated three times. The first

movement of the main theme, Andante sostenuto, is entrusted to the piano part:

EXAMPLE 6. Babadjanian, Sonata for Violin and Piano, movt. II, mm. 1-4.

This theme sounds by the piano pp in a single-voice arrangement. The continuation of

this theme moves on to the violin. Here the composer seeks to bring the timbres of the

instruments closer together. For example, the pizzicato reception of the violin is imitated by

the piano so that the one-voice melody given to the two instruments builds into a unified line.

The melody, which sounds delicate and fragile, is shaded by the intonation instability [3,
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p.248].

The rhythm - emphasizes restlessness and becomes the

leitrhythm of the whole movement.

The middle section - Presto - is built on scales material - "a rushing fantastical

whirlwind" [3. p. 250].

EXAMPLE 7. Babadjanian, Sonata for Violin and Piano, movt. II, mm. 1-4.

The middle section of the theme also transitions from one instrument to another.

The composer uses various sonic devices: harmonics in the violin part and the high

register of the piano.

As a stark reminder, at the end of the middle section, the leitmotif from the first

movement sounds in enlargement:

EXAMPLE 8. Babadjanian, Sonata for Violin and Piano, movt. II, mm. 1-4.

Afterward, the calm and balanced second theme returns, but in the coda of the second

movement, passages in the piano part of the middle section of the second movement and the

harmonic in the violin part finish the second movement.

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The finale is written in the rondo sonata form. It begins with a boisterous, unstoppable

theme full of energy, which is one of the modifications of the leitmotif16

EXAMPLE 9. Babadjanian, Sonata for Violin and Piano, movt. III, mm. 1-9.

The finale's second theme is close to the lyrical theme of the first movement. Once

again, the mood of grief and sorrow returns. Here is what Grigoryan writes about it: "Despite

the wide range of sound, the melody is not rich in nuances. It is dominated, in essence, by a

single intonation. It is a kind of mournful call, also accentuated by the trembling sounds of

the piano (which resemble the waltz-like theme from the first movement of Shostakovich's

Symphony 10)."17

The return of the introduction theme with the "chimes" of the main theme of the finale

comes in the climax of the third movement. The conclusion of the work is full of affirming

heroic power. The affirmation of the final image comes here not immediately but as a result

16 Geodakyan, and Ter-Simonyan, "Chamber and Insrtumental Music," 250.

17 Grigorian, Arno Babadjanian, 46.
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of acute dramatic twists and turns.18

2. Sonata’s performances by Arno Babadjanian

The first to publicly play Babadjanian's Violin Sonata was Yerevan violinist Hacop

Vartanyan, who was previously a member of the first performers of the composer's Piano

Trio and the author himself. Over time, the composer recorded the sonata with prominent

violinist Valery Klimov and later with Eduard Grach.

According to Teroganyan, Babadjanian called Klimov himself and offered to play

with him in one of the concerts of the plenum of the Union of Composers in Moscow, his

new composition – a sonata for violin and piano. Klimov agreed, although he had no idea

what kind of music the composer was offering him to perform. As for the piano part, Klimov

said that it stunned him. It turned out to be so technically difficult, requiring such arms

stretching, that some pianists try to adapt to it in some special way [15, p. 46].

The following are the memories of V. Klimov after the joint performance of the

sonata at the concert: "The success of the Violin Sonata at that long-ago concert was

grandiose. Everyone congratulated the author of the music. The happy faces of D.

Kabalevsky and D. Shostakovich come to mind. Has anyone or anything made them express

genuine pleasure in listening to music and say words of approval to their young fellow artist?

These great masters considered it their duty to immediately tell Babajanian about the

significance of his creative achievement" [15, p. 47].

Klimov performed the sonata on many tours in Russia and abroad. "It has always

been warmly percieved and has been an enormous success — it is still in my repertoire.

Besides, I teach it to some of my students.”

Below are the memories of Eduard Grach: “our rehearsals should be mentioned

separately. It would seem that Arno Babajanian, known to everyone as a buffoon, a kind man,

transformed beyond recognition during joint classes. Improvisation? As if not so! He knew

18 Grigorian, Arno Babadjanian, 50.

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exactly what he wanted to hear in the violin part, as, for example, in such and such an

episode, it would be necessary to embody ritenuto or rubato... he pedantically demanded

compliance with everything contained in the notes, both in the actual sheet music text and in

the commentary text. It goes without saying that the difficult rehearsals did not affect our

long-term friendly relations at all. Naturally, creative meetings after the trip to Germany

continued on the concert stage, on the radio, and in the company "Melody," and

Babajanyan’s sonata for violin and piano remained among the most revered works that made

up my repertoire.”[15, p. 53].

Both violinists conveyed the essence of this work in their own way, but very deeply.

It is also important that the author himself was a partner in the ensemble of both Klimov and

Grach. Hence, one would expect some one-dimensional reading. In fact, it turned out that this

is far from the case. Each performance is very original and individual.

CONCLUSION

Arno Babadjanian's Sonata for Violin and Piano in B-flat minor is a bright original

work in which, as a result of creative rethinking of Armenian national origins and Russian

classical traditions, the composer's own individual musical style was established. The work,

written in 1959, is still included in the repertoire of outstanding musicians and is studied in

the class of chamber ensembles of universities and music schools.

Using the principles of shaping and dramatic techniques close to Tchaikovsky, some

features of the piano texture, the immensity of the lyrical cantilena, a temperament close to

Rachmaninov, a 12-step diatonic scale based on the ideas of Schoenberg and a "flair" for the

subtle stylistic balancing of Shostakovich and Prokofiev, Arno Babadjanian creates a vivid

work, while preserving the Armenian national origins of music in his style language.

The sonata was performed by many famous musicians, including Eduard Grach and
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Valery Klimov. In their memoirs about their collaboration with Babadjanian, Grach and

Klimov emphasize the technical complexity of the violin part of the Sonata and the need for a

high professional level of performers of this work. The main task at the same time, despite

the extremely difficult material of the work, is to reveal the depth of the content of the Sonata

for Violin and Piano in B flat minor by Arno Babadjanian.

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of Arno Babadjanian." Theoretical problems of extra-European musical cultures.

Moscow, GMPI Gnesinyh, 1983.

Babadjanian, Arno. Violin Sonata in B-flat Minor.

https://classic-online.ru/uploads/000_notes/6300/6228.pdf

Babadjanian, Arno. Violin Sonata in B-flat Minor, performed by EduaRD GRACH and

ARNO BABDJANIAN, 1972. https://classic-online.ru/archive/?file_id=48926

Babadjanian, Arno. Violin Sonata in B-flat Minor. performed by Valery Klimov and Arno

Babadjanian, 1968. https://classic-online.ru/archive/?file_id=36848

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Which Blends European Pieces and Works by Armenian Composers, Begins a Second

Season.” Los Angeles Times E.3 (2006): 3.

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