who is sayat nova A sculpture Sayat-Nova in Yerevan; Sayat-Nova was officially recognized as the greatest gusan (folk singer-songwriter) that ever lived in the Caucasus (the area between the Black and the Caspian sea , shared among current Armenia, Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan).
The world-famous Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian wrote an opera called "Sayat Nova". There is a street and music school named after him in Yerevan, Armenia, as well as an Armenian-American dance ensemble in the United States, and a pond located in Mont Orford, Quebec Canada.
The 1968 art film "Sayat Nova" directed by Sergei Parajanov - which was banned in the Soviet Union - follows the poet's path from his childhood wool-dying days to his role as a courtier and finally his life as a monk It was released in the United States under the title The Color of Pomegranates. It is not so much a biography of Sayat Nova but a series of tableaux of Armenian costume, embroidery and religious ritual interspersed with scenes and verses from the poet's life.
In Armenia Sayat Nova is also considered a poet with a considerable contribution to the Armenian poetry of his century. Despite the fact that he lived his entire life in a deeply religious society, his poems are mostly secular and full of Romantic expressionism. Charles Dowsett, Armenian scholar in 1997 entitled Sayat Nova, published a book on his life and worked an 18th century Troubadour a Biographical and Literary Study.
The great Armenian troubadour Sayat Nova was born in 1712 to a peasant family in the village of Sanahin, not far from Tiflis, the capital of the Caucasian nation of Georgia. Named Haroutiun Sayakian at birth, the great musician and lyric poet remembered by the Armenian’s as Sayat Nova or King of Songs, homage to his status in the Armenian community.
As a boy, Haroutiun gained regional recognition for his fine singing voice, interpretations of folk songs, and as an emerging virtuoso of the kemencha (a violin-like instrument with 3 strings, tuned in 4ths and played with a bow, using the German-style bowing often employed by bass players. The normal playing position for the kemencha is on the left knee, fingered by the left hand, and bowed with the right.) The young man also enjoyed some fame as the author or lyric poetry.
In his early teens, the Sayakian family moved to Tiflis, the capitol of the Kingdom of Georgia. Tiflis, or Tbilisi, was then, as it remains today, an important center of Armenian culture, music and literature in generally acknowledged that Sayat Nova served as an apprentice to a weaver. There are references to this detail in some of his songs. Weaving, dyeing of wool, and preparation of products for the weaving industry has long been a "signature" trade of the Armenian peasant community in this region of historic Armenia.
Daily basis Haroutiun Sayakian exposed to the rich tradition of troubadour performances in the area. Many of these performers, referred to as “kousans” it is known to this day. The title of “kousan” added as a prefix to the name of a well-known artist. (i.e. Kousan Ashot, Kousan Setrag, etc.) Had Haroutiun not been endowed with the name Sayat Nova, he is likely to have been known as Kousan Haroutiun.
Sayat Nova was renowned for his superb command of the Armenian language. However, his fluency in Georgian, Persian, and Azerbaijani allowed him to perform for the widest possible audience, and to gain fame far beyond his own ethnic group. The cosmopolitan community of Tiflis embraced him and made this young Armenian genius their own. The known body of songs attributed to Sayat Nova numbers about 220, the true volume of work is likely to have been in the thousands. It should note that these works, though notated in the 19th century have largely passed down as an aural tradition. The songs are in the standard repertory of every Armenian musician, and are widely known in every Armenian community.
As his fame spread, Sayat Nova was summoned to the Court of Heracle II’ the 18th century King of Georgia. The King placed him in the service of the Court as a Royal Musician and Poet. His popularity and skill even allowed him to become a trusted advisor to the King in matters of state and relations with foreign powers. In this area, Sayat Nova believed to have "brokered" an alliance between the Caucasian nations of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in the struggle to liberate them from Persian domination.
His fall from grace in the Court caused by his love for the King’s sister Princess Anna the King, fearing the power and influence that would likely accrue to Sayat Nova because of a marriage to Anna, expelled the great kousan from the Court.
Sayat Nova spent the remainder of his life as an itinerant bard and singer, plying his services and skills wherever possible. As is traditional for musicians, he is likely to have performed daily in the simplest venues, perhaps even providing extemporaneous entertainment.
The greatness’s Armenian “kousans” Sayat Nova gut killed in 1795 by the invading forces of the Persian Knight, Agha Mohammed Khan. {He is the most revered of all the Armenian troubadours.}
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