Aram Khachaturian - Children’s Album, Book 2 (1928, 1964-5) (Score, Analysis)

Մանկական ալբոմ/Детский альбом/Album for Children

Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (Արամ Եղիայի Խաչատրյան (Aram Yeghiayi Khach’atryan) /Арам Ильич Хачатурян (Aram Il’ich Khachaturyan) (1903-78) was an Armenian/Soviet composer who blended elements of his native Armenian music with modern harmonies. He wrote music of various genres, and he is best known for his concertos and ballet music.

(0:00) No.1 Скакалка/Jump-rope - A light piece
(0:37) No.2 Вечерняя сказка/Evening Tale - A mellow piece, contrasted to the previous one
(2:01) No.3 Восточный танец/Oriental Dance
(3:11) No.4 Барсик на качелях/Barsik on a Swing
(4:24) No.5 Игра на бубне/Playing the Tambourine - Bartok??
(5:45) No.6 Две смешные тетеньки поссорились/Two Funny Women Quarreling
(7:09) No.7 Траурное шествие/Funeral Procession - The harmonies in this piece is worth noticing. They create bell-like sounds, but rather dissonant.
(10:25) No.8 Ритмическая гимнастика/Rhythmic Gymnastics
(11:39) No.9 Токката/Toccata - Arguably my favorite out of the set, and is a bit challenging for “children level”, but it is a very amusing piece I think, with some passages suggestive of Spartacus, too.
(14:13) No.10 Фуга/Fuga - A student fugue, that will also make an appearance in the Recitatives and Fugues, but a bit revised there.

Source: English Wikipedia, original research, Собрание сочинений в двадцати четырех томах, Москва : Издательство "Музыка" (1982-1991) Vol.21

Recording by Charlene Farrugia

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