{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 250px; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- | colspan="2" style="margin-left: inherit; background:#DEB887; text-align:center; font-size: medium;" |Ancient Region of AnatoliaCilicia (Կիլիկիա)Cilicia (Κιλικία) |- align="center" | colspan="2" | |- style="vertical-align: top;" | Location | Southeastern Anatolia |- style="vertical-align: top;" | State existed: | 16-14th c. BC (as Kizzuwatna)12-8th c. BC (as Khilikku, Tabal, Quwê) till 546 BC |- style="vertical-align: top;" | Language | Luwian |- style="vertical-align: top;" | Historical capitals | Tarsos |- style="vertical-align: top;" | Roman province | Cilicia |- style="vertical-align: top;" |- align="center" | colspan="2" | |- style="vertical-align: top;" |- align="center" | colspan="2" | |- style="vertical-align: top;" } --> |} In antiquity, Cilicia (Turkish: Kilikya, Armenian: Կիլիկիա Greek: Κιλικία, Middle Persian: klkyʾy, Parthian: kylkyʾ) now known as Çukurova, was a commonly used name of the south coastal region of Asia Minor south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire. Cilicia extends inland from the southeastern coast of modern Turkey, due north and northeast of the island of Cyprus.

Geography

Cilicia extended along the Mediterranean coast east from Pamphylia, to the Amanus Mountains, which separated it from Syria. North and east of Cilicia lie the rugged Taurus Mountains that separate it from the high central plateau of Anatolia, which are pierced by a narrow gorge, called in Antiquity the Cilician Gates. Ancient Cilicia was naturally divided into Cilicia Trachaea and Cilicia Pedias divided by the Lamas Su. Salamis, the city on the east coast of Cyprus, was included in its administrative jurisdiction. The Greeks invented for Cilicia an eponymous Hellene founder in the purely mythic Cilix, but the historic founder of the dynasty that ruled Cilicia Pedias was Mopsus, identifiable in Phoenician sources as Mpš, the founder of Mopsuestia

Cilicia Trachea ("rugged Cilicia"— Greek: Κιλικία Τραχεία; the Assyrian Khilakku or Khilikku, also sometimes transcribed as Hilakku or Hilikku, classical "Cilicia") is a rugged mountain district formed by the spurs of Taurus, which often terminate in rocky headlands with small sheltered harbors, a feature which, in classical times, made the coast a string of havens for pirates, but which in the Middle Ages led to its occupation by Genoese and Venetian traders. The district is watered by the Calycadnus and was covered in ancient times by forests that supplied timber to Phoenicia and Egypt. Cilicia lacked large cities.

Cilicia Pedias ("flat Cilicia"— Greek: Κιλικία Πεδιάς; Assyrian Kue), to the east, included the rugged spurs of Taurus and a large coastal plain, with rich loamy soil, known to the Greeks such as Xenophon, who passed through with his 10,000 Greek mercenaries, for its abundance (euthemia), filled with sesame and millet and olives and pasturage for the horses imported by Solomon. Many of its high places were fortified. The plain is watered by the three great rivers, the Cydnus (Tarsus Çay), the Sarus (Seyhan) and the Pyramus (Jihun), each of which brings down much silt from the deforested interior and which fed extensive wetlands. The Sarus now enters the sea almost due south of Tarsus, but there are clear indications that at one period it joined the Pyramus, and that the united rivers ran to the sea west of Kara-tash. Through the rich plain of Issus ran the great highway that linked east and west, on which stood the cities of Tarsus (Tarsa) on the Cydnus, Adana (Adanija) on the Sarus, and Mopsuestia (Missis) on the Pyramus.

Early history

(now Tell Atchana) and Pillia of Kizzuwatna (now Cilicia). Ref:.]] Cilicia was settled from the Neolithic period onwards. Dating of the ancient settlements of the region from Neolithic to Bronze Age is as follows: Aceramic/Neolithic: 8th and 7th millennia BC; Early Chalcolithic: 5800 BC; Middle Chalcolithic (correlated with Halaf and Ubaid developments in the east): ca. 5400-4500 BC; Late Chalcolithic: 4500- ca. 3400 BC; and Early Bronze Age IA: 3400-3000 BC; EBA IB: 3000-2700 BC; EBA II: 2700-2400 BC; EBA III A-B: 2400-2000 BC. but he transferred the Cilicians far to the west and north and made them allies of Troy. The Cilician cities unknown to Homer already bore their pre-Greek names: Tarzu (Tarsus), Ingira (Anchiale), Danuna-Adana, which retains its ancient name, Pahri (perhaps modern Misis), Kundu (Kyinda, then Anazarbus) and Karatepe.

There exists evidence that circa 1650 BC both Hittite kings Hattusili I and Mursili I enjoyed freedom of movement along the Pyramus River(now the Ceyhan River in southern Turkey), proving they exerted strong control over Cilicia in their battles with Syria. After the death of Murshili around 1595 BC, Hurrians wrested control from the Hitties, and Cilicia was free for two centuries. The first king of free Cilicia, Isputahsu, son of Pariyawatri, was recorded as a "great king" in both cuneiform and Hittite heiroglyphs. Another record of Hittite origins, a treaty between Ishputahshu and Telepinu, king of the Hittites, is recorded in both Hittite and Akkadian.

In the next century, Cilician king Pilliya finalized treaties with both King Zidanta II of the Hittites and Idrimi of Alalakh, in which Idrimi mentions that he had assaulted several military targets throughout Eastern Cilicia. Niqmepa, who succeeded Idrimi as king of Alalakh, went so far as to ask for help from a Hurrian rival, Shaushtatar of Mitanni, to try and reduce Cilicia's power in the region. It was soon apparent, however, that increased Hittite power would soon prove Niqmepa's efforts to be futile, as the city of Kizzuwatna soon fell to the Hittites, threatening all of Cilicia. King Sunassura II was forced soon after to accept vassalization under the Hittites, and became the last king of ancient Cilicia.

In the 13th century BC, a major population shift occurred as the Sea Peoples, named by Egyptians as part Philistine, Sicilian, Tyrrhenian, Etruscan and Sardinian, overran Cilicia. The Hurrians that resided there deserted the area and moved northeast towards the Taurus, where they settled in the area of Cappadocia.

In the 8th century BC, the region was unified under the rule of the dynasty of Mukšuš, whom the Greeks rendered Mopsos Xenophon found a queen in power, and no opposition was offered to the march of Cyrus the Younger.

The great highway from the west existed before Cyrus conquered Cilicia. On its long rough descent from the Anatolian plateau to Tarsus, it ran through the narrow pass between walls of rock called the Cilician Gates. After crossing the low hills east of the Pyramus it passed through a masonry (Cilician) gate, Demir Kapu, and entered the plain of Issus. From that plain one road ran southward through another masonry (Syrian) gate to Alexandretta, and thence crossed Mt. Amanus by the Syrian Gate, Beilan Pass, eventually to Antioch and Syria; and another ran northwards through a masonry (Amanian) gate, south of Toprak Kale, and crossed Mt. Amanus by the Amanian Gate, Baghche Pass, to northern Syria and the Euphrates. By the last pass, which was apparently unknown to Alexander, Darius crossed the mountains prior to the battle of Issus. Both passes are short and easy, and connect Cilicia Pedias geographically and politically with Syria rather than with Asia Minor.

Alexander the Great

Alexander forded the Halys River in the summer of 333 BC, ending up on the border of southeastern Phrygia and Cilicia. He knew well the writings of Xenophon, and how the Cilician Gates had been "impassable if obstructed by the enemy". Alexander reasoned that by force alone he could frighten the defenders and break through, and he gathered his men to do so. In the cover of night they attacked, startling the guards and sending them and their satrap into full flight, setting their crops aflame as they made for Tarsus. This good fortune allowed Alexander and his army to pass unharmed through the Gates and into Cilicia.

After Alexander's death it was long a battleground of rival Hellenistic marshals and kingdoms, and for a time fell under Ptolemaic dominion (i.e. Egypt), but finally under that of the Seleucids, who, however, never held effectually more than the eastern half.

Roman Cilicia

, later converted into the city's south gate]] Cilicia Trachea became the haunt of pirates, who were subdued by Pompey in 67 BC following a Battle of Korakesion (modern Alanya), and Tarsus was made the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia. Cilicia Pedias became Roman territory in 103 BC first conquered by Marcus Antonius Orator in his campaign against pirates, with Sulla acting as its first governor, foiling an invasion of Mithridates, and the whole was organized by Pompey, 64 BC, into a province which, for a short time, extended to and included part of Phrygia. It was reorganized by Julius Caesar, 47 BC, and about 27 BC became part of the province Syria-Cilicia Phoenice. At first the western district was left independent under native kings or priest-dynasts, and a small kingdom, under Tarcondimotus, was left in the east; but these were finally united to the province by Vespasian, AD 72. It had been deemed important enough to be governed by a proconsul.

Under Emperor Diocletian's Tetrarchy (circa 297), Cilicia was governed by a Consularis; with Isauria and the Syrian, Mesopotamian, Egyptian and Libyan provinces, formed the Diocesis Orientis (in the third century the African component was split off as diocese Aegyptus), part of the pretorian prefecture also called Oriens ('the East', also including the dioceses Asiana and Pontus, both in Anatolia, and Thraciae on the Balkans), the rich bulk of the eastern Roman Empire.

In the 7th century it was invaded by the Muslim Arabs, who held the country until it was reoccupied by the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus II in 965.

Roman Cilicia exported the goats-hair cloth, Cilicium, of which tents were made. Tarsus was also the birthplace of the early Christian missionary and author St. Paul, writer (or purported writer) of 13 of the 27 writings included in the New Testament.

Armenian Kingdom

During the time of the Crusades, the area was controlled by the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The Seljuk Turkish invasions of Armenia were followed by an exodus of Armenians migrating westward into the Byzantine Empire, and in 1080 Ruben, a relative of the last king of Ani, founded in the heart of the Cilician Taurus a small principality which gradually expanded into the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia. This Christian state, surrounded by Muslim states hostile to its existence, had a stormy history of about 300 years, giving valuable support to the crusaders, and trading with the great commercial cities of Italy.

Gosdantin (1095–1100) assisted the crusaders on their march to Antioch, and was created knight and marquis. Thoros I (1100–1123), in alliance with the Christian princes of Syria, waged successful wars against the Byzantines and Seljuk Turks. Levond II (Leo the Great (r. 1187-1219)), extended the kingdom beyond Mount Taurus and established the capital at Sis. He assisted the crusaders, was crowned King by the Archbishop of Mainz, and married one of the Lusignans of the crusader kingdom Cyprus.

Hetoum I (r. 1226-1270) made an alliance with the Mongols, sending his brother Sempad to the Mongol court to submit in person. The Mongols then assisted with the protection of Cilicia from the Mamluks of Egypt, until the Mongols themselves converted to Islam. When Levond V died (1342), John of Lusignan was crowned king as Gosdantin IV; but he and his successors alienated the native Armenians by attempting to make them conform to the Roman Church, and by giving all posts of honor to Latins, until at last the kingdom, falling prey to internal dissensions, succumbed in 1375 to the attacks of the Egyptian Mamluks.

Cilicia Trachea was conquered by the Ottomans in the 15th century, but Cilicia Pedias remained independent until 1515.

Ottoman Empire

In the fifteenth century, Cilicia fell under Ottoman dominion and officially became known as the Adana Vilayet. Cilicia was one of the most important regions for the Ottoman Armenians because it managed very well to preserve Armenian character throughout the years. In fact, the Cilician highlands were densely populated by Armenian peasants in small but prosperous towns and villages such as Hadjin and Zeitun, two mountainous areas where autonomy was maintained until the nineteenth century. In ports and cities of the Adana plain, commerce and industry were almost entirely in the hands of the Armenians and it remained so thanks to a constant influx of Armenians from the highlands. Their population was continuously increasing in numbers in Cilicia contrarily to other parts of Ottoman Turkey where it was, since 1878, receding due to repression. This is true despite the fact that in 1909, Armenians were subjected to a massacre in Adana.

From December 1918 to October 1921, after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, the French controlled Cilicia. According to the Treaty of Sèvres signed in 1920, Cilicia was to become an independent Armenian state under French Authority. That treaty had never gone into effect because of the Turkish War of Independence. Measures were taken to repopulate the region with Armenians. More than 170,000 refugees, the majority of whom originated from Cilicia, were to be taken back to their homes by the French and British. The Armenians formed the Armenian National Union which acted as an unofficial Cilician Armenian government composed of the four major political parties and three Armenian religious denominations. However, rivalries between the French and British, and Kemalist incursions shattered Armenian aspirations for an autonomous Cilicia. On October 21, 1921, France signed the Treaty of Ankara with the Kemalist revolutionaries and relinquished Cilicia to Turkey.

Republic of Turkey

After the Franco-Turkish war, and consequent battles during Turkish War of Independence the region become part of the Republic of Turkey in 1921 with the Treaty of Lausanne. The modern Turkish provinces Mersin, Adana, and Osmaniye are located in former Cilicia.

Mythological namesake

Greek mythology mentions another Cilicia, as a small region situated immediately southeast of the Troad in northwestern Asia Minor, facing the Gulf of Adramyttium. The connection (if any) between this Cilicia and the better-known and well-defined region mentioned above is unclear. This Trojan Cilicia is mentioned in Homer's Iliad and Strabo's Geography, and contained localities as Thebe, Lyrnessus and Chryse. These three cities were all attacked and sacked by Achilles during the Trojan War.

In Prometheus Bound (v 353) Aeschylus makes mention of the Cilician caves, where the earth-born, hundred-headed monster Typhon dwelt before he withstood the gods and was stricken and charred by Zeus's thunderbolt.

See also

Notitia dignitatum

References

Further reading

Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 282/283, Symposium: Chalcolithic Cyprus. pp. 167–175.

Engels, David. 2008. Cicéron comme proconsul en Cilicie et la guerre contre les Parthes. In: Revue Belge de Philologie et d'Histoire 86, pp. 23–45.

Pilhofer, Susanne. 2006. Romanisierung in Kilikien? Das Zeugnis der Inschriften (Quellen und Forschungen zur Antiken Welt 46). Munich: Herbert Utz Verlag.

Yuri Babayan - Cilicia

External links

Ancient Cilicia - texts, photographs, maps, inscriptions

Jona Lendering, "Ancient Cilicia"

Cilicia

Armenian Kingdom in Cilicia

Pilgrimages to Historic Armenia and Cilicia

WorldStatesmen- Turkey

Category:Adana Province Category:Historical regions of Anatolia Category:Ancient Roman provinces Category:Anatolia Category:Ancient Greek geography Category:Seleucid Empire Category:Ptolemaic Empire Category:546 BC disestablishments Category:States and territories established in the 16th century BC

Name	Leroy Anderson
Caption	Leroy Anderson on the CD cover of The Best of Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride
Birth date	June 29, 1908
Birth place	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Death date	May 18, 1975
Death place	Woodbury, Connecticut
Known for	Light orchestral music composer
Occupation	Composer
Nationality	United States
Spouse	Eleanor Firke (married in 1942)

Leroy Anderson (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was an American composer of short, light concert pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. John Williams described him as "one of the great American masters of light orchestral music."

Early life

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Swedish parents, Anderson was given his first piano lessons by his mother, who was a church organist. He continued studying piano at the New England Conservatory of Music. In 1925 Anderson entered Harvard University, where he studied theory with Walter Spalding, counterpoint with Edward Ballantine, harmony with George Enescu, composition with Walter Piston and double bass with Gaston Dufresne. He also studied organ with Henry Gideon. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1929 and Master of Arts in 1930.

Career

Anderson continued studying at Harvard, working towards a PhD in German and Scandinavian languages. (Anderson spoke English and Swedish during his youth but he eventually became fluent in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, German, French, Italian, and Portuguese.) During this time he was also working as organist and choir director at the East Milton Congregational Church, leading the Harvard University Band, and conducting and arranging for dance bands around Boston. His arranging work came to the attention of Arthur Fiedler in 1936 and Anderson was asked to show Fiedler any original compositions. Anderson's first work was Jazz Pizzicato in 1938. Fiedler suggested that a companion piece be written and thus Anderson wrote Jazz Legato in 1938.

In 1942 Leroy Anderson joined the U.S. Army, and was assigned to Iceland as a translator and interpreter. Later in 1945 he was assigned to the Pentagon as Chief of the Scandinavian Desk of Military Intelligence. But his duties did not prevent him from composing, and in 1945 he wrote "The Syncopated Clock" and "Promenade". Anderson was a reserve officer and was recalled to active duty for the Korean War. In 1951 Anderson wrote his first hit, "Blue Tango", earning a Golden Disc and the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts.

His pieces and his recordings during the fifties conducting a studio orchestra were immense commercial successes. "Blue Tango" was the first instrumental recording ever to sell one million copies. His most famous pieces are probably "Sleigh Ride" and "The Syncopated Clock", both of which are instantly recognizable to millions of people. In 1950, WCBS-TV in New York City selected "Syncopated Clock" as the theme song for The Late Show, the WCBS late-night movie. Mitchell Parish added words to "Syncopated Clock", and later wrote lyrics for other Anderson tunes, including "Sleigh Ride", which was not written as a Christmas piece, but as a work that describes a winter event. Anderson started the work during a heat wave in August 1946. The Boston Pops' recording of it was the first pure orchestral piece to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Music chart. From 1952 to 1961, Anderson's composition "Plink, Plank, Plunk!" was used as the theme for the CBS panel show I've Got A Secret.

Anderson's musical style, heavily influenced by George Gershwin and folk music of various lands, employs creative instrumental effects and occasionally makes use of sound-generating items such as typewriters and sandpaper. (Krzysztof Penderecki also uses a typewriter in his orchestral music, in "Fluorescences", but with a decidedly less humorous effect.)

Anderson wrote his Piano Concerto in C in 1953 but withdrew it, feeling that it had weak spots. In 1988 the Anderson family decided to publish the work. Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra released the first recording of this work; three other recordings have since been released. It is a conservative Romantic work in sonata form, heavily influenced by Rachmaninoff and American popular music, and somewhat resembles Copland's tonal works in style.

In 1958, Anderson composed the music for the Broadway show Goldilocks with orchestrations by Philip J. Lang. Even though it earned two Tony awards, Goldilocks did not achieve commercial success. Anderson never wrote another musical, preferring instead to continue writing orchestral miniatures. His pieces, including "The Typewriter", "Bugler's Holiday", and "A Trumpeter's Lullaby" are performed by orchestras and bands ranging from school groups to professional organizations.

Anderson would occasionally appear on the Boston Pops regular concerts on PBS to conduct his own music while Fiedler would sit on the sidelines. For "The Typewriter" Fiedler would don a green eyeshade, roll up his sleeves, and mime working on an old typewriter while the orchestra played.

Anderson was initiated as an honorary member of the Gamma Omicron chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia at Indiana State University in 1969.

In 1975, Anderson died of cancer in Woodbury, Connecticut and was buried there.

For his contribution to the recording industry, Leroy Anderson has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1620 Vine Street. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1988 and his music continues to be a staple of "pops" orchestra repertoire. In 1995 the Harvard University Band's new headquarters was named the Anderson Band Center in honor of Leroy Anderson.

In 2006, one of his piano works, "Forgotten Dreams", written in 1954, became the background for a British TV advertisement for mobile phone company '3'. Previously, Los Angeles station KABC-TV used the song as its sign-off theme at the end of broadcast days in the 1980s, and Mantovani's recording of the song had been the closing theme for WABC-TV's "Eyewitness News" for much of the 1970s.

The Typewriter was used as the theme song for Esto no tiene nombre, a Puerto Rican television comedy program -loosely based on the US television series Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In- produced by Tommy Muñiz between the late 1960s and late 1970s.

His first name was pronounced the classical way, with the stress on the second syllable; "Luh-ROY" rather than the now prevalent pronunciation of that name, "LEE-roy".

Works

Alma Mater (1954)

Arietta (1962)

Balladette (1962)

Belle of the Ball (1951)

Birthday Party (1970)

Blue Tango (1951)

Bugler's Holiday (1954)

Cambridge Centennial March of Industry (1946)

The Captains and the Kings (1962)

Chatterbox (1966)

Chicken Reel (1946)

China Doll (1951)

A Christmas Festival (1950) (9:00)

A Christmas Festival (1952) (5:45)

Clarinet Candy (1962)

Classical Jukebox (1950)

Concerto in C Major for Piano and Orchestra (Pianokonsert i C-dur) (1953)

The Cowboy and His Horse (1966)

Do You Think That Love Is Here To Stay? (1935)

Easter Song (194-)

Fiddle-Faddle (1947)

The First Day of Spring (1954)

Forgotten Dreams (1954)

The Girl in Satin (1953)

The Golden Years (1962)

Goldilocks

Goldilocks Overture (1958)

Come to Me (1958)

Guess Who (1958)

Heart of Stone (Pyramid Dance) (1958)

He'll Never Stray (1958)

Hello (1958)

If I Can't Take it With Me (1958)

I Never Know When to Say When (1958)

Lady in Waiting (1958)

Lazy Moon (1958)

Little Girls (1958)

My Last Spring (1958)

Save a Kiss (1958)

Shall I Take My Heart and Go? (1958)

Tag-a-long Kid (1958)

The Pussy Foot (1958)

Town House Maxixe (1958)

Who's Been Sitting in My Chair ? (1958)

Governor Bradford March (1948)

Harvard Fantasy (1936)

Hens and Chickens (1966)

Home Stretch (1962)

Horse and Buggy (1951)

The Irish Suite (1947 & 1949)

The Irish Washerwoman (1947)

The Minstrel Boy (1947)

The Rakes of Mallow (1947)

The Wearing of the Green (1949)

The Last Rose of Summer (1947)

The Girl I Left Behind Me (1949)

Jazz Legato (1938)

Jazz Pizzicato (1938)

Love May Come and Love May Go (1935)

Lullaby of the Drums (1970)

March of the Two Left Feet (1970)

Melody on Two Notes (1966)

Mother's Whistler (1940)

The Music in My Heart (1935)

An Old Fashioned Song (196-)

Old MacDonald Had a Farm (1947)

The Penny Whistle Song (1951)

The Phantom Regiment (1951)

Piece for Rolf (1961)

Plink, Plank, Plunk! (1951)

Promenade (1945)

Sandpaper Ballet (1954)

Saraband (1948)

Scottish Suite (1954)

The Bluebells of Scotland

Turn Ye To Me

Second Regiment Connecticut National Guard March (1973)

Serenata (1947)

Sleigh Ride (1948)

Song of Jupiter (1951)

Song of the Bells (1953)

Suite of Carols for Strings (1955)

Suite of Carols for Brass (1955)

Suite of Carols for Woodwinds (1955)

Summer Skies (1953)

The Syncopated Clock (1945)

Ticonderoga March (1939)

To a Wild Rose (1970) (Edward MacDowell)

A Trumpeter's Lullaby (1949)

The Typewriter (1950)

You Can Always Tell a Harvard Man (1962)

Waltz Around the Scale (1970)

The Waltzing Cat (1950)

Wedding March for Jane and Peter (1972)

What's the Use of Love? (1935)

The Whistling Kettle (1966)

Woodbury Fanfare (1959)

References

"Leroy Anderson: A Bio-Bibliography", Praeger 2004, Chapter 2 - "Works", Pages 25–81.

"Published Music" of the Leroy Anderson's official website, maintained by his family.

External links

Official Leroy Anderson website maintained by his family.

Leroy Anderson Foundation official website maintained by his family.

Once Upon a Sleigh Ride PBS website devoted to a 1999 documentary about Anderson; biographical sketches, photographs, etc.

Leroy Anderson Papers at Yale University Music Library

Category:1908 births Category:1975 deaths Category:20th-century classical composers Category:American classical musicians Category:Harvard University alumni Category:American composers Category:American military personnel of World War II Category:Light music composers Category:People from Cambridge, Massachusetts Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:American people of Swedish descent Category:Easy listening music

Daniel Decker is a Puerto Rican - American composer, singer and recording artist known for his unique blending of musical influences from around the globe and infusing them into his own works.

Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, raised in Solvay, New York, trained at the Crane School of Music in New York, he has incorporated many diverse musical elements he has encountered along the way. He incorporates classical, jazz, pop and world music influences into his music.

He has received critical acclaim for his collaborations with Armenian composer Ara Gevorgian. “Noah’s Prayer” (originally entitled “Mush”) chronicles Noah’s journey to Mount Ararat. “Noah’s Prayer” was debuted in 2002 in Sardarapat, Armenia to celebrate Armenian Independence day. In attendance were Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians (head of the Armenian Apostolic Church), as well as ambassadors from countries around the world. The concert, which was broadcast live on Armenian television, and via satellite to over 30 nations, has catapulted Decker to celebrity status in Armenia.

The day after the 2002 concert, he heard Gevorgian’s composition entitled “Adana” and felt it was the perfect vehicle to tell the story of the Armenian Genocide, an issue that moved him deeply. Thus, a second collaboration was born. Named after the city where one of the first massacres of the Armenian people took place, “Adana” tells the story of the Armenian Genocide, during which soldiers of the Ottoman Empire forced 1.5 million Armenians into starvation, torture and extermination because they would not renounce their Christian faith. As with their first collaboration, Decker wrote the song’s epic lyrics to complement the musical landscape of Ara Gevorgian. “I wrote ”Adana” not only as a way to draw international attention to a terrible tragedy, but as a source of healing to the Armenian people,” explains Decker. "Daniel has done a great thing for the people of Armenia,” says Gevorgian. Cross Rhythms, Europe’s leading religious magazine and web portal said of “Adana”, “seldom has a disaster of untold suffering produced such a magnificent piece of art..”

He was officially invited by the Armenian government to sing “Adana” at a special concert in Yerevan, Armenia on April 24, 2005 to commemorate the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, which was broadcast live on Armenian television, and featured on BBC news and CNN throughout the world. To date, “Adana” has been translated into 17 languages and recorded by singers and musicians around the world.

While Decker sings across the globe, he has found a special place in his heart for the Armenian people. He has been working with relief organizations to bring aid to the poorest regions and to those that have been hit the hardest, children and the elderly.

His latest CD, “My Offering”, is a clear example of his approach to composing. Engaging pop with exotic instrumentation like flamenco guitars and Armenian duduk and kanun are particular highlights. In Decker’s words, “from classical tradition, to Latin jazz and pop, to modern spiritual songs and Brazilian samba, I applaud what makes each of us unique.”

In addition to “Noah’s Prayer and “Adana”, both of which feature the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra, the disc features eight additional tracks including, “My Offering”, Decker’s contribution to the world of modern worship songs. In the tradition of Passion and Hillsongs, “My Offering" is a concert favorite and seems destined for modern worship songbooks worldwide. “There Is A Place” is a spirited Brazilian samba that makes you get on your feet and move. Infectious melody and rich arrangement, with luscious vocals and powerful horns, Latin guitars and percussion. “Dust in the Wind” is a rare cover version of the Kansas original that moves the song into fresh territory with an inventive rearrangement by Decker. The final track “And So It Goes” is a fitting conclusion to such a rich musical palette. It is an intimate piano ballad reflecting back on the brevity of life, yet looking optimistically towards the future.

References

External links

Daniel Decker's website

Daniel Decker Youtube channel

Daniel Decker Myspace page

Category:American composers Category:American male singers Category:Living people

Name	Arthur Meschian
Background	solo_singer
Born	March 03, 1949
Occupation	Musician, architect
Genre	Rock
Years active	1960s–present

Arthur (Artashes) Meschian (, born March 3, 1949, Yerevan) is an Armenian rock musician, singer, composer, artist and architect. He is also known as one of the founders of Armenian rock. He is the co-author of different architectural projects, including Zvartnots Airport and the new building of Matenadaran in Armenia.

Meschian was the leader of the "Apostles" (Arakyalner), an Armenian underground rock-band in the 1960-70's that become the "voice of the generation" during the period of stagnation and Soviet censure. Three students of the Yerevan State Politechnic Institute were singing about pain and sorrow (they used the lyrics written by Moushegh Ishkhan and Meschian). General themes in the songs included the philosophy of life's meaning, pain and mercy or joy and pride.

In 1976 "Apostles" were banned by Soviet censorship, by the end of the 80's, the "iron curtain" fell and Meschian moved to the United States with his family. He formed the "Arakyalner-90" band and recorded four studio albums featuring both old works from "Apostles" and new songs.

"Catharsis" was very popular with some of the best-known old songs such as "Song of conscience", "Steps", "I used to know", "With the pain of the world" and "Where were you, God?" . In 1996 he returned to Armenia and become the Chief architect of Yerevan, then he came back to Boston, and started working as an architect there.

In 2005, Arthur Meschian permanently moved back to Yerevan, where he now works as an architect. He gave a number of concerts throughout Armenia in 2005 and 2006. He is "retired" from music now - fans hope that not for long.

"If we lose the light of art, the darkness will drive us crazy...", says Arthur Meschian.

Discography

In 1970's "Apostles" recorded the "Requiem" album, dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims. The album was never released by the Soviet recording studio Melodiya

"The Monologue of an insane violinist" (Khent jutakahari menakhosutyunn), 1992

"Catharsis", 1995

"Wander" (Taparum), 1995

"Communion" (Haghordutyun), 1996

"Live At Aram Khachatryan Concert Hall", 2005

"Arthur Meschian Live 2006", 2007

References

External links

Arthur Meschian's youtube channel

OFFICIAL SITE

Arthur Meschian: The Voice of Conscience, by Emma Grigoryan, "Noev Kovcheg" newspaper, Moscow, #120, 2007, in Russian

Comeback (Arthur Meschian)

Rock in Armenia and Armenians in Rock

Arthur Meschian and Apostles, by Simon Simonian, Razbirat

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Armenian rock Category:Armenian architects Category:State Engineering University of Armenia alumni

Name	Arno Babajanian
Background	non_performing_personnel
Born	January 22, 1921Yerevan, Armenia
Died	November 11, 1983Moscow, USSR
Occupation	Composer, pianist

Arno Harutyuni Babajanian (; ; January 22, 1921 – November 11, 1983) was a Soviet Armenian composer and pianist, People's Artist of the Armenian SSR (1956) and Soviet Union (1971). He was awarded the State Prizes of USSR (1951, 1953) and Armenian SSR (1967, 1983).

Biography

Babajanian (Babadjanian) was born in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. By age 5, his extraordinary musical talent was clearly apparent, and the composer Aram Khachaturian suggested that the boy be given proper music training. Two years later, in 1928 at the age of 7, Babajanian entered the Yerevan State Musical Conservatory. In 1938, he continued his studies in Moscow with Vissarion Shebalin. He later returned to Yerevan, where from 1950–1956 he taught at the conservatory. It was during this period (1952) that he wrote the Piano Trio in f# sharp minor. It received immediate acclaim and was regarded as a masterpiece from the time of its premiere. Subsequently, he undertook concert tours throughout the Soviet Union and Europe. In 1971, he was named a People’s Artist of the Soviet Union. As a composer, Babajanian was active in most genres and even wrote many popular songs in collaboration with the leading poets such as Yevgeny Yevtushenko and Robert Rozhdestvensky among others. Much of Babajanian’s music is rooted in Armenian folk music and folklore. But generally, the way in which he uses uses Armenian folk music is in the virtuosic style of Rachmaninov and Khachaturian. His later works were influenced by Prokofiev and Bartók. Praised by Dmitri Shostakovich as a "brilliant piano teacher", Babajanian was also a noted pianist and often performed his own works in concerts.

He received the Stalin Prize of 1950 for his Heroic Ballade for piano with orchestra and the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

Gallery

References

Some of the information on this page appears on the website of Edition Silvertrust but permission has been granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

External links

Arno Babajanian Piano Trio in f# minor sound-bites and short bio

Category:1921 births Category:1983 deaths Category:Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory alumni Category:Armenian composers Category:Soviet composers Category:20th-century classical composers Category:Stalin Prize winners Category:People's Artists of Armenia Category:People's Artists of the USSR Category:Armenian classical pianists Category:Armenian pianists

Name	Ara GevorgyanԱրա Գևորգյան|
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Born	April 19, 1960Yerevan, Armenia
Genre	Pop, Folk, Fusion
Years active	1983–present

Ara Gevorgyan (Gevorgian) (, born April 19, 1960, Yerevan) is an Armenian musician, composer and musical producer. In 2004 he was awarded by the Honorary Artist of the Republic of Armenia title by the President Robert Kocharyan.

Biography

Gevorgian is the son of well-known Armenian folk-singer Valya Samvelyan. He studied at #31 school of Yerevan and at the A. Tigranyan musical school at the same time. During the two years he studied at Yerevan #8 college of Fine Arts. From 1983 to 1987 he studied at Armenian State Pedagogical University after Khachatur Abovyan at the faculty of woodwind instruments and pop music department. In 1987-1989 Gevorgian taught conducting at the same Institute, then he worked at Armenian Television ("3 Alik" TV program).

In 1983 he founded the "Rally" Armenian pop-rock band, the participant of "Song-85" festival.

He participated in the Opening Ceremony of the Cultural Year of Armenia in Russia hosted at the Moscow Kremlin Music Hall and honored by the presence of the presidents of Armenia and Russia Robert Kocharyan and Vladimir Putin respectively and the famous singer Charles Aznavour.

Ara Gevorgian co-operates with Jivan Gasparyan, Ian Gillan, Demis Roussos, Pedro Eustache, Daniel Decker and others. Among his most popular songs are "Adana", "Artsakh", "Ov Hayots Ashkharh" and "Ovkyanosits ayn koghm". Gevorgyan also composed the music for Russian prima ballerina Anastasia Volochkova's "Golden cage" ballet dedicated to the Bolshoi Theater[2][3].

He is married, has a daughter and a son.

He has been awarded by the "Mikhail Lomonosov" Russian medal and the gold medal of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia.

Discography

1995 "Ovkianosits Ayn Koghm" (Over the ocean)

1997 "Nostalgie"

1999 "Ani" (a prize winner of Armenian Music Awards in the USA)

2001 "Khor Virab" (a prize winner of Armenian Music Awards in the USA).

External links

Ara Gevorgian's Official site

Ara Gevorgyan-My Sardarabad

Gevorgyan at MTV.AM

Armenian Music Center

Ara Gevorgian's Concert Video - My Sardarapad

References

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Yerevan State Pedagogical University alumni Category:Armenian musicians