Arno Babajanian (Арно Бабаджанян): the Elegy, the Nocturne, his songs and where to start

Babajanian is two composers in one: a concert pianist who wrote some of the best-loved Armenian piano music, and the author of Soviet pop hits that are still sung at weddings. Here is who he was and where to start with each side.

By The Armenly team. Written November 7, 2026.

Key findings

  • Arno Babajanian (in Russian, Арно Бабаджанян) was born in Yerevan on January 22, 1921, and died on November 11, 1983. The English Wikipedia gives Moscow as the place of death; the Russian one says Yerevan or Moscow [1] [2].
  • He wrote concert music, such as the Heroic Ballade for piano and orchestra (1950), the Piano Trio in F-sharp minor (1952) and the piano Elegy (1978), and was named People's Artist of the USSR in 1971 [1].
  • He also wrote popular songs. "Best City of the Earth" ("Лучший город Земли") was first sung by Jean Tatlian and made a classic by Muslim Magomayev, who also sang "Wedding" ("Свадьба") and "Call Me" ("Позови меня") [1] [2].
  • Armenly has 147 recordings that credit him (catalog read November 7, 2026). The Elegy, the Nocturne and the Melody are his most played pieces here.

Who Arno Babajanian was

He was born in Yerevan in 1921 and entered the Komitas State Conservatory there in 1928, as a child. In 1938 he went on to study in Moscow, where his teachers included the composer Vissarion Shebalin [1]. The Russian Wikipedia adds his piano teachers at the Moscow Conservatory, Konstantin Igumnov among them, and says his passport date of January 22 is a day later than his real birthday [2].

He taught at the Yerevan Conservatory from 1950 to 1956 [1]. The Russian Wikipedia counts him among the "Armenian Mighty Handful," the group of Armenian composers of his generation [2]. His honors include a Stalin Prize for the Heroic Ballade in 1951, the title People's Artist of the USSR in 1971 and the Order of Lenin in 1981 [1]. The concert hall in Yerevan bears his name [1].

The Elegy

The Elegy for solo piano dates from 1978 [1], and it is his most played piece on Armenly. Several releases here title it "Elegy in commemoration of A. Khachaturyan"; Khachaturian died that same year. Mikael Ayrapetyan's recording is a good first listen, and Jean-Paul Gasparian plays a separate Elegy on a song by Sayat-Nova.

The Nocturne

The Nocturne began as a piece for piano and orchestra and is listed among his songs as "Ноктюрн"; the Russian Wikipedia calls it the song that won him the widest recognition [1] [2]. Here it is in the orchestral version with Yuri Silantyev.

Piano pieces to start with

The Vagharshapat Dance (1943) is an early piano piece, named for the city of Etchmiadzin Cathedral, and Six Pictures (1963–64) won him the Armenian SSR State Prize in 1967 [1]. The Melody and Humoresque and the Impromptu are short pieces and easy first listens.

The songs

Babajanian's songs were written for Soviet stars. Muslim Magomayev sang many of them, including "Call Me" ("Позови меня"), "Thank You" ("Благодарю тебя") and "Wedding" ("Свадьба") [2]. Armenly has "Wedding" from several Armenian singers.

In Armenian, "The Song of First Love" ("Առաջին սիրո երգը") shares its name with the 1958 film he scored [1]. On the composer's own album he plays piano fantasies on his songs, a good way to hear the tunes as he heard them.

Where to listen

Questions people ask

Who was Arno Babajanian?

An Armenian composer and pianist, born in Yerevan in 1921 and died in 1983. He wrote concert music such as the Heroic Ballade and the piano Elegy, and Soviet pop songs such as "Best City of the Earth."

How do you spell Babajanian in Russian?

Арно Бабаджанян. In English you will also see Babadjanian, Babajanyan and Babadzhanyan, all the same composer.

Who sang Babajanian's songs?

Muslim Magomayev most of all: "Call Me," "Wedding" and "Thank You" among them. "Best City of the Earth" was first sung by Jean Tatlian and became a classic in Magomayev's version.

What is Babajanian's most famous piano piece?

On Armenly, the Elegy of 1978, then the Nocturne and the Melody.

Sources

Cite this page

The Armenly team, "Arno Babajanian (Арно Бабаджанян): the Elegy, the Nocturne, his songs and where to start." Armenly, November 7, 2026. https://armenly.com/guides/arno-babajanian

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