Sayat-Nova

Who is Sayat-Nova?

Sayat-Nova, born Harutyun Sayatyan in Tiflis, was an Armenian poet, musician, and ashugh, a member of the itinerant troubadour tradition of the South Caucasus. Skilled on instruments such as the kamancheh, chonguri, and tambur, he composed and performed songs of love, longing, and social observation, becoming a celebrated figure at royal courts and in public marketplaces alike. He served for a time at the court of King Heraclius II of Kartli-Kakheti, but lost his position after falling in love with the king's sister, and spent much of the rest of his life as a wandering bard. In 1759 he was ordained a priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Uniquely among ashughs of his era, he composed verse in all three major languages of the region, Armenian, Georgian, and Azerbaijani, reflecting the multicultural world of the Caucasus. In 1795, during the invasion of Tiflis by the forces of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, he was killed at Haghpat Monastery after refusing to renounce his Christian faith.

Sources: Charles Dowsett, Sayat-Nova: An 18th-Century Troubadour, A Biographical and Literary Study (Peeters, 1997) · Encyclopaedia Iranica, "Sayat'-Nova" · Armeniapedia, "Sayat Nova"