Spiritual Music in Yerevan in the Late Soviet Union (1964-1991) – American Research Institute of the South Caucasus

by Professor Oksana Nesterenko, Visiting Scholar, New York University, and ARISC Junior Research Fellowship awardee.

Keywords: Spiritual music; sacred text; symphony; Soviet Union; Soviet policy; Armenia; Avet Terterian; Tigran Mansurian; and David Haladjan.

Module Description: This module examines spiritual music in the Soviet Union during two time periods, the Brezhnev Era (1964-1985) and Perestroika (1985-1991), when a number of religiously imbued musical works were composed and performed in the Soviet Union. Students will explore the political context (official atheism) within which these works emerged and were subject to censorship. The module focuses on sacred and secular music in the Armenian tradition, and the works and experiences of three composers in Yerevan, Armenia: Avet Terterian, Tigran Mansurian, and David Haladjan.

Cover sheet | PowerPoint | Lecture Notes

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