Chukhadzhian, Tigran

Born 1837 in Constantinople; died Mar. 11 (23), 1898, in Izmir. Armenian composer, conductor, and figure in the music world.

Chukhadzhian lived in Constantinople, where he studied with the composer G. Eranian; he pursued further study in Milan from 1861 to 1864. Joining with other progressive members of the Armenian community in Turkey in their effort to develop a national culture, he helped organize an Armenian music society, music theaters, a music press, and public concerts and lectures.

Chukhadzhian combined European compositional techniques with the modal harmonies found in the folk music of the western Armenian mountaineers. His compositions include works for piano, songs (including art songs), chamber music, symphonic works, and music for the theater. In addition to the first Armenian opera, Arshak II (1868; excerpts performed 1873; performed in its entirety 1945, Yerevan), Chukhadzhian composed the operafairy play Zemire (1890) and satiric musical comedies involving humble characters, including Arif (1872; plot inspired by Gogol’s The Inspector-General), The Bald Village Elder (1873), and The Pea Vendor (1875).