Hovhannes Parajanyan

Hovhannes Parajanyan was born on January 6, 1917, in Tbilisi, into an intelligent family. His mother, Natalya Ter-Ionisyan, graduated from the Institute for Noble Maidens and played the piano beautifully (later, already in Yerevan, she gave private piano lessons). His father, Haykaz Parajanyan (uncle of the famous director Sergei Parajanov), was an engineer.

In 1929, the Parajanyan family moved to Yerevan. At the music school after Alexander Spendiaryan, Professor Olga Babasyan became Onik’s first teacher (his relatives called him Onik). At the conservatory, he studied with one of the founders of the piano department, Yevgenia Khosrovyan.

In 1937, during mass repressions, Hovhannes Parajanyan’s father was arrested and shot. But the family learned about it only in 1953, living in hope of the return of Haykaz Parajanyan.

In May 1940, Parajanyan successfully graduated from the Yerevan State Conservatory. At the final exam, he was one of the first in Yerevan to perform Aram Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto in D-flat major, Op. 38 (conducted by Raisa Sarkisova). As a token of gratitude, Aram Khachaturian presented the soloist with handwritten notes of his Concerto with his signature on it.

On March 4, 1941, the rector of the conservatory, Konstantin Saradzhev, wrote a letter of recommendation to his friend, professor of the Moscow State Conservatory, Alexander Goldenweiser. However, Hovhannes Parajanyan did not have time to use this letter. On June 22, 1941, war invaded the lives of Soviet people. In the very first days of the war, Hovhannes Parajanyan enlisted himself as a volunteer at the military office of the Spandaryan region. He was sent to serve at Yerevan airport. Working as a military truck driver, Onik found time for music: he organized a small ensemble in which he played the accordion.

Hovhannes Parajanyan began his activities as an accompanist while he was at school. After the war, from 1946, for many years he was the accompanist of Radio (and later Television) of Armenia, successfully performing with soloists — vocalists and instrumentalists (the broadcasts were still live). The Public Radio of Armenia preserved more than two hundred recordings with piano accompaniment by Hovhannes Parajanyan, apart from numerous performances on live radio broadcasts. Among the soloists with whom he performed were the following singers: Gohar Gasparyan, Avak Petrosyan, Shara Talyan, Armenak Ter-Abramyan, Hovhannes Badalyan, Ruben Matevosyan, Flora Khorenyan, Sergei Galstyan, Anahit Tutunjyan, violinists Avet Ter-Gabrielyan, Hrachya Bogdanyan, Zoya Petrosyan, Aram Shamshyan, cellists Gurgen Adamyan, Geronti Talalyan, Medea Abrahamyan, flutists Hayk Kasabian and Levon Aloyan; clarinetist Gegham Fldjyan, trumpeters Haykaz Mesiayan and Michael Khachatryan, oudist Karo Aristakesyan (recording of Vivaldi’s Lute Concerto!), tar player Soghomon Seyranyan, and singer A. Shahmiryan (France).

The collections of Radio Armenia contain recordings of Hovhannes Parajanyan with the Violin Ensemble of the State Television and Radio of Armenia, as well as the Ensemble of Folk Instruments named after Aram Merangulyan.

The first radio recording is dated 1950 (with A. Ter-Abramyan), and the last (with F. Khorenyan) is dated 1989 (Parajanyan was then 72 years old).

A particularly large number of works were recorded by G. Adamyan, M. Abrahamyan, G. Bogdanyan, S. Galstyan, Z. Petrosyan, A. Ter-Abramyan, and F. Khorenyan.

The All-Union company “Melodia” released records with performances of various soloists accompanied by Hovhannes Parajanyan.

He participated in events of the Armenian Philharmonic and the Union of Composers of Armenia, as well as in solo concerts of many performers.

The list of works by Armenian composers, first performed by a Parajanyan accompanist, is extensive.

The works by Sayat-Nova, Komitas, A. Spendiaryan, N. Tigranyan, A. Khachaturian, and other composers were constantly performed by Parajanyan. Often he was not only the first performer-interpreter, but also the editor of the works of Armenian composers. Here are the names of those composers: A. Arutiunian, E. Abrahamyan, G. Adamyan, V. Araratyan, G. Armenyan, R. Atayan, A. Babajanyan, S. Balasanyan, N. Galanteryan, S. Dzherbashyan, Komitas-Aslamazyan, D. Ghazaryan, S. Kesayan, V. Kotoyan, A. Kocharyan, A. Mailyan, A. Manukyan, M. Mazmanyan, R. Melikian, S. Melikian, G. Mirzoyan, M. Mirzayan, E. Mirzoyan, Mkrtychyan, S. Naghdyan, E. Hovhannisyan, E. Saaruni, S. Saroyan, A. Satunts, A. Satyan, A. Stepanyan, G. Syuni, V. Talyan, A. Ter-Ghevondyan, A. Shamshyan, A. Shishyan, and others.

In 1956, Hovhannes Parajanyan participated in the Decade of Armenian Art and Literature in Moscow, in 1964 — in a concert of Armenian art masters in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses.

In 1967, on his 50th anniversary, Hovhannes Parajanyan was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Armenia. Among his numerous certificates, there was the Certificate of Honor from the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Armenia.

Since the mid-1940s, Parajanyan worked as an accompanist, and in the 70s he began teaching artistic accompaniment at the Tchaikovsky Secondary Music School, instilling accompanist skills in young musicians. He was one of the pioneers in creating the Violin Ensemble (later the Violin Ensemble of the State Television and Radio of Armenia) at the Tchaikovsky Secondary Music School. For some time, he worked at the Romanos Melikian Music College and was also the accompanist of the Aram Merangulyan State Folk Instruments Ensemble.

In 1970, Hovhannes Parajanyan was invited by the rector of the Yerevan State Conservatory Ghazaros Saryan to teach at the newly founded department of accompanist training. In 1977, he was confirmed in the rank of Associate Professor, and in 1980 – Professor (brilliant characteristics were given to him by Aram Khachaturyan, Alexander Arutiunian, Arno Babajanyan, Edvard Mirzoyan, and other outstanding musicians). Over the years of teaching at the department, more than eighty students graduated from Hovhannes Parajanyan’s class. In 1990-1991, Professor Parajanyan headed the department of accompanist training at the Yerevan State Conservatory. Today, one of his students, Associate Professor Sahenik Maghakyan teaches at this department.

At the invitation of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR, Hovhannes Parajanyan became a member of the jury of the First All-Russian competition of young accompanists in Kazan in 1991.

Hovhannes Parajanyan’s second wife was choirmaster Clara Ishkhanyan-Parajanyan. Their children Narine and Hayk (now living in the USA) chose the piano profession. Their daughter Teresa is a design engineer.