Haig Gudenian

Haig Gudenian
Hayk Kyutenyan
Haig Gudenian, 1919
Background information
Also known asKoyun Kafa (Literary pseudonym, "Ram's Head" in Turkish)
Born19 May 1885
Kayseri, Ottoman Empire
OriginArmenian
DiedMay 12, 1972(1972-05-12) (aged 86)
Crescent Beach, Florida
Occupation(s)Violinist, Composer
InstrumentViolin
Years active1904–1959

Hayk Kyutenyan (Armenian: Հայկ Կիւտէնեան), anglicized as Haig Gudenian (19 May 1885 – 12 May 1972), was an Armenian American violinist, composer, and author. He left his home city of Constantinople in 1904 and went to western Europe where he studied music and violin under Vítězslav Novák, Otakar Sevcik, César Thomson, and Mathieu Crickboom.[1] Playing a rare 18th-century Spanish violin in his concert performances, he was known for his virtuoso skill as a violinist, and for introducing Middle Eastern music, especially that of Anatolia and the Caucasus, to European and American audiences; almost all of his numerous compositions were inspired by the diverse cultural heritage of the region. Among his compositions are works such as "The Armenian Shepherd", "Armenian Love Song", and "The Arabian Boy", that depict the lives and ideals of the Armenian people.[2] Violinists Jascha Heifetz and Max Rosen, as well as pianist Percy Grainger, included various works of his in their repertoires.[3]

  1. ^ Scott Pfitzinger (1 March 2017). Composer Genealogies: A Compendium of Composers, Their Teachers, and Their Students. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 215. ISBN 978-1-4422-7225-5.
  2. ^ News Staff (26 April 1919). "The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, April 26, 1919, Image 2". Chronicling America. Library of Congress. p. 2. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  3. ^ "Daytonians will have an opportunity to hear a most unusual program". The Dayton Herald. 9 February 1921. p. 11. Retrieved 4 April 2020 – via Newspapers.com.