Jivan Gasparyan is known worldwide as a propagandist of Armenian musical culture. Masterfully mastering an unusual instrument called “duduk”, Dzhivan Aramaisovich perfected his performing skills throughout his long, extremely eventful life. Gasparyan’s ascetic activity brought the master worldwide fame.
Jivan Gasparyan: facts from a biography
The Armenian composer and musician was born on October 12, 1928 in the village of Solak. The childhood of an Armenian boy was difficult. Mom died, father went to the front. Jeevan was only six when he mastered playing the national instrument - the duduk. Subsequently, he also learned to play shvi and zurna.
Jivan himself understood the basics of playing national instruments; the young man had no special education. He tried to listen to the performances of famous dudukists, trying to comprehend the mystery of extracting sounds from an unusual wind instrument. It took him about a year to learn the national instrument. The rest of the time he perfected and honed his skills. The natural talent of the performer was his help in this.
For centuries, the duduk has been the decoration of Armenian celebrations: it was played on public holidays, at weddings and ceremonies. It is generally accepted that the duduk very subtly reflects the mood of the Armenian people and the structure of their language.
