(1924 – 2001)
He was born in 1924 in the village of Shavarin near the city of Hamadan, Iran
“He was the father of Armenian folk song”
Vardan Ajemian, composer – August 2001
His parents were from the ancient Armenian village of Gardabad near the city of Urmia. They came to Shavarin as refugees when the Turkish army invaded northwestern Iran. Armenians of the region, who were well aware of the 1915 Genocide of their kin in eastern Anatolia at the hands of the Turks, fled south, hoping to find safety with the British army which occupied Baghdad, Iraq, and was poised to move north
With wife Margo he met and married in Armenia
Despite hardships and uncertainties young Hovanness was able to attend an Armenian school in Baghdad until he was a teenager. In 1936 he returned to Iran where he started singing first in social gatherings and then in choirs. In Teheran, he studied and performed with Maestro Hambartsum Grigorian but was not satisfied with his prospects in Iran. He wanted to achieve more, hence, when the opportunity was offered to him at age 22, Badalian left for Armenia with a group of students to study music and train his voice
"Anoush" opera
In Armenia he attended the Romanos Melikian Music College and joined the Folk Music Instruments Ensemble of the Armenian Radio. His voice began to echo throughout the Diaspora and soon he was among the favorite performers of the Armenian Radio
In 1949 pressures from the Soviet regime forced him to leave the Radio Ensemble and join the Tatoul Altunian Folk Dance and Song Ensemble but five years later he returned to the Radio program where he worked until the end of his life
Boston, Massachusetts
In 1980 he also began to teach at Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (YSC), Armenia
In 1957 Badalian received the title of Honored Artist of Armenia and in 1961 he earned the title of the People’s Artist of Armenia
Catholicos Aram the First presented him with the Saint Mesrop Mashtots Medal and the title of Singer of All Armenians in 2000 and a year later his achievements were recognized with the Movses Khorenatsi Medal from the President of the Republic of Armenia
Hovanness Badalian passed away on August 19, 2001 in Yerevan after a short illness
Throughout his life Hovanness performed on many world stages. From the Middle Eastern countries to Europe, Australia, Canada, US and countless tours within the Soviet Union and Armenia, he displayed an unparalleled enthusiasm whenever and wherever he walked on the stage. He left behind his distinctive school of singing, a delightful collection of Armenian folk and patriotic songs, and a living legacy in the minds of his contemporaries