Kanun virtuoso, composer and educator Khachatur Avetisian (1926-1996) and conversion of music in the context of kanoun instrument in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (1920-1991)

Kanun is an instrument that is played in Middle East, Near East and North Africa. Countries who have a practice of using kanun in their national music are Morocco, Algeria, Jordan, Egypt, Libya and Tunisia in North Africa; Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Suria, Lebanon, Kuwait and Palastine in Arab Peninsula; besides Turkey, Iran, Azarbaijan and Armenia, Greece. Many of those nations are Muslim societies who have a traditional maqamic music. However, this study investigates the use of kanun in the music of a christian society, the Armenians, who had lived as an Ottoman subject in Anatolia for centuries and contributed to Ottoman music with composers, performers and theorists; and after then developed a new form of kanun practice within Russian impact.Focusing on the efforts of Khachatur Avetisian (1926-1996), who was a kanun player, composer and educator; this study aims to identify how the kanun has become the subject of change within the context of Soviet culture and music policies in Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (1921-1991) by using the descriptive method, field research methods in Armenia and learning of Armenian style kanun playing.Kanun became widely popular in Armenia, when Avetisian is awarded for his virtousity on kanun, in an international festival organized at Berlin in 1951.While he was developing a composing career especially with pieces for kanun, he worked as the music director of Folk Instruments Department at Armenia National Dance Ensemble from 1958 to 1972. From 1973-1978, he worked as the art director of Tatul Altunyan Dance and Song Ensemble, he composed pieces for groups with folk instruments besides kanun. Those pieces can be evaluated as a part of development policy supported by Soviet government. In 1978, being one of the founders of Folk Music Department at Komitas Yerevan State Conservatory, he kept on leading to involve kanun in conservatory curriculum. In Armenian Republic, most of the well known player, composer and educator of kanun are Avetisyan?s students.Keywords: Kanon, Kanoun, Qanun, Armenian music, Soviet culturel policy, Khachatur Avetisian, Armenian kanun style, Armenian ashough music