Composer. Called the "Father of Armenian Classical Music", he drew on the folk songs of his country to create a respected body of work. Born in what was then Soviet Georgia, he trained in Yerevan at the Komitas State Conservatory which is named for a martyr of the Armenian Genocide, joined the Red Army in 1942, and during World War II produced a number of patriotic pieces. Mirzoyan moved to Moscow for further education in 1946 then in 1948 returned to Armenia and a professorship of composition at his alma mater. Over the years he taught a number of significant figures in Armenian music while turning out several neoclassical compositions that have become a part of the international repertoire, among them a cello sonata, a string quartet, the "Symphony for Strings and Tympani" and the "Epitaph for String Orchestra". The head of the Armenian Composers Union from 1956 until 1991, he wrote the musical scores for a few Russian movies and received multiple honors including the Order of Lenin, the State Prize of the USSR, and designation as People's Artist of both the Soviet Union and the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. Mirzoyan died following a protracted illness.
Composer. Called the "Father of Armenian Classical Music", he drew on the folk songs of his country to create a respected body of work. Born in what was then Soviet Georgia, he trained in Yerevan at the Komitas State Conservatory which is named for a martyr of the Armenian Genocide, joined the Red Army in 1942, and during World War II produced a number of patriotic pieces. Mirzoyan moved to Moscow for further education in 1946 then in 1948 returned to Armenia and a professorship of composition at his alma mater. Over the years he taught a number of significant figures in Armenian music while turning out several neoclassical compositions that have become a part of the international repertoire, among them a cello sonata, a string quartet, the "Symphony for Strings and Tympani" and the "Epitaph for String Orchestra". The head of the Armenian Composers Union from 1956 until 1991, he wrote the musical scores for a few Russian movies and received multiple honors including the Order of Lenin, the State Prize of the USSR, and designation as People's Artist of both the Soviet Union and the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. Mirzoyan died following a protracted illness.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Mirzoyan memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
