Anahit Tsitsikian
Encyclopedia
Anahit Tsitsikian (1926–1999) was the first renowned Armenia
n woman-violin
ist who during the Soviet
times toured around the world in more than 100 cities; a professor who taught at the State Conservatory
in Yerevan
for approximately 40 years; a journalist who wrote more than 300 articles, scenarios for television and radio programs; a scientist who established a new branch of Armenian musicology The History of Performing Art and dedicated the last 20 years of her life to basic researches in the field of ancient music history
, becoming the founder of a new science in Armenian Musical Archaeology.
Anahit Tsitsikian was Merited Artist of Armenia or People's Artist of Armenian SSR (1967), PhD
of Musical Science
(1970) and Professor of Music (1982).
She studied at the Yerevan State Conservatory from 1946–1950, as a student of Professor Karp Dombayev. She was granted the Stalin Scholarship. In 1954 she completed her graduate course at the Moscow State Conservatory (adviser - Professor Konstantin Mostras
).
She began performing professionally at elementary school age; her performances included many solo performances as well as with symphonic orchestras. Beginning in 1961 she was the principal soloist at the Armenian Philharmonic Hall. Ms. Tsitsikian performed throughout the Republics of the former Soviet Union and in 27 countries around the world. As a violinist she produced four vinyl discs under the Melodiya
label. The music of modern Armenian composers held a special place in Ms. Tsitsikian’s repertoire. She was often the co-author, editor and first interpreter of their original pieces.
Starting in 1950, she worked as a professor at the Yerevan State Conservatory, and she established three new courses in its curriculum: The History and Theory of Bowed Instruments, The History of Armenian Performing Arts, and A Course of Music Teaching Practice.
Tsitsikian started scientific research while she was still a student of the Conservatory. The research focused on bowing art, instrumentology and Musical Archaeology, which in fact she founded in Armenia. Ms. Tsitsikian spoke five languages, and lectured in English, French, and German. She participated in numerous international scientific conferences and she also published her own articles in Armenia and abroad.
During her artistic life Professor Anahit Tsitsikian performed in more than 1000 recitals, recorded sixty pieces of archived music and authored more than 300 articles and scenarios for many radio and television programs. She was a member of many local and international organizations such as: Composer’s Union of Armenia or Union of Soviet Composers
, Composers of USSR, Armenian Theater Union, Journalist’s Union, Women’s Committee of the USSR, AOKSZ (The Cultural liaison committee of Armenia with foreign countries), “History of World Culture” Committee in the Academy of Science, USSR; The World Scientific Association of Historical Archaeology, etc.
Anahit Tsitsikian died on May 2, 1999.
In 1999 Anahit Cultural Foundation was established to continue her work and fulfill her dreams.
The mission of the foundation is to facilitate the promotion of Armenian music by supporting musicians in their professional education and work, setting up and implementing cultural programs and events and activating the integration of Armenian music into the international music society.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n woman-violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist who during the Soviet
Armenian SSR
The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet...
times toured around the world in more than 100 cities; a professor who taught at the State Conservatory
Yerevan State Musical Conservatory
Yerevan State Musical Conservatory or Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory, is a conservatory located in Yerevan, Armenia. It was founded in 1921 as a music studio, and re-founded two years later as a higher musical education institution.-History:...
in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
for approximately 40 years; a journalist who wrote more than 300 articles, scenarios for television and radio programs; a scientist who established a new branch of Armenian musicology The History of Performing Art and dedicated the last 20 years of her life to basic researches in the field of ancient music history
Music history
Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is the highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies the composition, performance, reception, and criticism of music over time...
, becoming the founder of a new science in Armenian Musical Archaeology.
Anahit Tsitsikian was Merited Artist of Armenia or People's Artist of Armenian SSR (1967), PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
of Musical Science
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
(1970) and Professor of Music (1982).
Bio
Anahit Tsitsikian was born on 26 August 1926, in Leningrad (currently St. Petersburg), Russia, into a family of an engineer and a doctor. She began playing the violin at the age of six. Her teachers were the musicians Gregory Ginsburg and later on the professor Lev Tsaitlin. At the beginning of World War II, she left Leningrad for Armenia. Even though she moved from Leningrad at the age of fifteen, the city left an unforgettable mark on her development as a person and musician. She remained an individual with fine taste, and a careful and sincere approach and attitude toward historical legacy; and she was gentle and respectful toward her friends, colleagues and students.She studied at the Yerevan State Conservatory from 1946–1950, as a student of Professor Karp Dombayev. She was granted the Stalin Scholarship. In 1954 she completed her graduate course at the Moscow State Conservatory (adviser - Professor Konstantin Mostras
Konstantin Mostras
Konstantin Georgiyevich Mostras was a Russian violinist, pupil of Boris Sibor, a teacher at the Moscow Philharmonic Society school and at the Moscow Conservatory ....
).
She began performing professionally at elementary school age; her performances included many solo performances as well as with symphonic orchestras. Beginning in 1961 she was the principal soloist at the Armenian Philharmonic Hall. Ms. Tsitsikian performed throughout the Republics of the former Soviet Union and in 27 countries around the world. As a violinist she produced four vinyl discs under the Melodiya
Melodiya
Melodiya is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major record company/label of the Soviet Union.-History:It was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya"...
label. The music of modern Armenian composers held a special place in Ms. Tsitsikian’s repertoire. She was often the co-author, editor and first interpreter of their original pieces.
Starting in 1950, she worked as a professor at the Yerevan State Conservatory, and she established three new courses in its curriculum: The History and Theory of Bowed Instruments, The History of Armenian Performing Arts, and A Course of Music Teaching Practice.
Tsitsikian started scientific research while she was still a student of the Conservatory. The research focused on bowing art, instrumentology and Musical Archaeology, which in fact she founded in Armenia. Ms. Tsitsikian spoke five languages, and lectured in English, French, and German. She participated in numerous international scientific conferences and she also published her own articles in Armenia and abroad.
During her artistic life Professor Anahit Tsitsikian performed in more than 1000 recitals, recorded sixty pieces of archived music and authored more than 300 articles and scenarios for many radio and television programs. She was a member of many local and international organizations such as: Composer’s Union of Armenia or Union of Soviet Composers
Union of Soviet Composers
The USSR Union of Composers or Union of Composers of the USSR , , was a professional organisation of composers in the Soviet Union...
, Composers of USSR, Armenian Theater Union, Journalist’s Union, Women’s Committee of the USSR, AOKSZ (The Cultural liaison committee of Armenia with foreign countries), “History of World Culture” Committee in the Academy of Science, USSR; The World Scientific Association of Historical Archaeology, etc.
Anahit Tsitsikian died on May 2, 1999.
In 1999 Anahit Cultural Foundation was established to continue her work and fulfill her dreams.
The mission of the foundation is to facilitate the promotion of Armenian music by supporting musicians in their professional education and work, setting up and implementing cultural programs and events and activating the integration of Armenian music into the international music society.