Sayat-Nova: the 18th-century bard, his songs, and recordings to start with
Two and a half centuries after his death, Sayat-Nova's songs are still recorded by folk ensembles, duduk players and opera singers. Here is who he was, the songs of his that people sing most, and recordings to start with.
By The Armenly team. Written November 5, 2026.
- About The Armenly team — The people who build and check the Armenly catalog of Armenian music.
Key findings
- Sayat-Nova was born Harutyun Sayatyan in Tiflis (today Tbilisi) on June 14, 1712, and was a poet, singer and player of the kamancheh, chonguri and tambur [1].
- About 220 songs are attributed to him, in Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani, and some poems move between all three [1].
- He was killed at Haghpat Monastery in 1795 by the invading army of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, and is buried at the Armenian Cathedral of Saint George in Tbilisi [1].
- On Armenly, the most played Sayat-Nova recording is Reincarnation's "Ashkharhums Imn Dun Is," a remake of his song, with about 624,000 Spotify plays (catalog read November 5, 2026).
Who Sayat-Nova was
Harutyun Sayatyan was born in Tiflis on June 14, 1712. His mother, Sara, was born in Tiflis, and his father, Karapet, in Aleppo or Adana. He became an ashugh, a bard who wrote his own poems and sang them, playing the kamancheh, chonguri and tambur [1].
He served at the royal court of King Heraclius II (Erekle II) in Tiflis. In 1759 he lost his place there, possibly because he fell in love with the king's sister, Ana, and spent the rest of his life as a traveling bard. He was soon ordained a priest of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and after his wife Marmar died in 1768 he served in Tiflis and at Haghpat Monastery [1].
In 1795 he was killed at Haghpat by the invading army of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. He is buried at the Armenian Cathedral of Saint George in Tbilisi [1].
What "Sayat-Nova" means
Nobody is sure. The most common reading is "Lord of Song" or "King of Songs," from the Arabic sayyid and the Persian nava. Others read it as "hunter of song," and the scholar Charles Dowsett proposed "New Time" instead [1]. It is a pen name either way: the family name was Sayatyan.
Ashkharums akh chim kashi
The recordings translate it as "I will not be sad in this world," and it is the Sayat-Nova song you hear most often. The Shoghaken Ensemble's version, sung by Hasmik Harutyunyan, is a good first listen; the live duduk version with Djivan Gasparyan is a slower one.
- Ashkharums akh chim kashi — Hasmik Harutyunyan, Shoghaken Ensemble, Gevorg Dabaghyan — about 6,300 plays
- Ashkharums Akh Chim Kashil — Sergey Karapetian, Hakob Hovsepian — about 23,000 plays
- I Will Not Be Sad in This World (Live) — Vahagn Hayrapetyan, Djivan Gasparyan and others — duduk, live
- Ashkharhums Imn Dun Is — Reincarnation — a modern remake, about 624,000 plays
Kani vor jan im, Nazani and the other favorites
"Kani vor jan im" is given on its recordings as "As long as I am alive" and is spelled half a dozen ways: Kani vour chan im, Khnai vur jan im, Kani voor janim. "Nazani" is "Graceful one." "Ashkharhes mi panjara e" is "The world is a window." "Kamancha" is a song to his own instrument.
The soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian recorded four of them as a set, which makes an easy way in.
- Kani vor jan im — Shoghaken Folk Ensemble — about 9,900 plays
- Four Songs: III. As Long as I'm Alive (Kani Voor Janim) — Isabel Bayrakdarian — about 5,600 plays
- Four Songs: I. Graceful One (Nazani) — Isabel Bayrakdarian — about 19,800 plays
- Four Songs: II. The Nightingale (Blbooli Hit) — Isabel Bayrakdarian — about 5,200 plays
- Four Songs: IV. Kamancha — Isabel Bayrakdarian — about 6,200 plays
- Kamancha - Yis Kou Ghimetn Chim Giti — Ara Dinkjian — about 59,000 plays
- Ashkharhes me panjara ye — Shoghaken Folk Ensemble — about 2,800 plays
- Tamam Ashkharh Bdood Egah — Nune Yesayan — about 71,000 plays
- Tamam Ashkhar - Pahraden Miradz — KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir — about 45,000 plays
Without words: duduk, kanon and piano
Djivan Gasparyan's duduk piece "Sayat Nova" is the most played instrumental on the subject, at about 524,000 plays. Karineh Hovhanessian plays "Nazani" on the kanon, and Arno Babadjanian wrote a piano Elegy on one of his songs.
- Sayat Nova — Djivan Gasparyan — about 524,000 plays
- Nazani — Karineh Hovhanessian — kanon, about 43,000 plays
- Elegy (on a song by Sayat-Nova) — Arno Babadjanian, Jean-Paul Gasparian — piano, about 62,000 plays
- Armenian duduk music — the guide to the duduk
The Color of Pomegranates
Sergei Parajanov's 1969 film about Sayat-Nova follows him from his childhood as a wool dyer to the court and the monastery. It was made as "Sayat-Nova," and the title was changed to "The Color of Pomegranates" after Soviet objections. A restoration was shown at Cannes in 2014 [1] [2].
Where to listen
- Sayat Nova — recordings that credit him as the composer
- Sayat Nova: King of Ashooghs — a full album of his songs
Questions people ask
Who was Sayat-Nova?
An Armenian poet, singer and musician, born Harutyun Sayatyan in Tiflis in 1712. He was a bard at the court of King Heraclius II, later a priest, and about 220 songs are attributed to him.
What languages did Sayat-Nova write in?
Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani, and some poems move between all three. He sometimes wrote one language in another's alphabet, such as Azerbaijani in Georgian letters.
What are Sayat-Nova's most famous songs?
"Ashkharums akh chim kashi" ("I will not be sad in this world"), "Kani vor jan im" ("As long as I am alive"), "Nazani," "Tamam ashkhar," "Kamancha" and "Ashkharhes mi panjara e" are the ones recorded most on Armenly.
Where is Sayat-Nova buried?
At the Armenian Cathedral of Saint George in Old Tbilisi. He was killed at Haghpat Monastery in 1795.
Is The Color of Pomegranates about Sayat-Nova?
Yes. Sergei Parajanov made it in 1969 under the title "Sayat-Nova," and it was renamed after Soviet objections.
Sources
- [1] Sayat-Nova — Wikipedia, read November 5, 2026
- [2] The Color of Pomegranates — Wikipedia, read November 5, 2026
Cite this page
The Armenly team, "Sayat-Nova: the 18th-century bard, his songs, and recordings to start with." Armenly, November 5, 2026. https://armenly.com/guides/sayat-nova
Read next
Listen free
- Start listening on Armenly — free, in any browser, no account and no ads