Bard music is a song genre that appeared in the middle of the twentieth century in many countries of the world. Its distinctive feature is that the author of the melody and text, the vocalist and the guitarist are combined in one person. In the seventies of the last century, a bard song of the era of the Soviet Union arose. Alexander Mirzoyan was one of the founders of this new musical movement. The words and melodies of his songs were known by heart, they sounded at almost all student parties, close friendly gatherings. Many of the phrases became winged expressions.
Alexander Mirzoyan is a bard. Biography and career
Today, few people know the name of this artist, but fans of the author's genre probably remember every line of his many songs. Currently, the 70-year-old bard rarely pleases the audience with performances. To brag about the fact that they became eyewitnesses of his performances, today can only be his close friends, for whom he occasionally sings a song during chamber friendly meetings, creative skits.
Alexander Mirzoyan, whose biography will be presented later in our article, was born into an Armenian family in July 1945 in the city of Baku (Azerbaijan SSR). As a very young boy, he and his family moved to live in Moscow, where he stayed for the rest of his life. In 1962, after graduation, Mirzayan entered the Institute. E. Bauman and graduated from it, having received the qualification of a physical engineer. After that, he began to work at the Institute of Experimental and Theoretical Physics.
In his fourth year, he began to write music to the verses of his own composition and authorship of Russian poets of the twentieth century. For a short time he gained fame as a freethinker and was recognized in the circles of progressive youth. In 1977, he became a laureate of the Grushinsky Music Prize. In 1987, Alexander Mirzoyan created the First Circle creative association of professional authors and performers, which he later directed. The members of this ensemble were Lores, Kochetkov, Luferov, Kapger and others. Later, he was elected president of the Association of Russian Bards (ARB), and also became deputy chairman of the art council of the USSR songwriter.
Alexander Mirzoyan: citizenship
Anyone who is familiar with the work of this singer understands that some of his poems should have become a cause for conflict with the Soviet authorities. Because of some of them, he was summoned for questioning by the KGB. In addition, Alexander Zavenovich wrote music and sang songs to the verses of Joseph Brodsky, which also caused dissatisfaction with the Soviet regime. In fact, Alexander Mirzoyan, a bard and poet, was close to the dissident movement. His poems more than once fell into collections of “samizdat”. He was also friends with his namesake Alexander Galich and was among those who escorted him behind the Iron Curtain.
The phenomenon of Mirzayan
It was thanks to such bards as Alexander Zavenovich, the audience, accustomed to kitsch and craving for entertainment, began to turn to poetry. A distinctive feature of his poems is penetration, and his performance of songs of authorship by such great poets as Brodsky, Harms, Tsvetaeva, Chukhontsev, Oscar Wilde, Cesare Pavese and others, helped youth to truly understand and feel the meaning of these by no means easy to perceive works . This was facilitated by the melody invented by him, and his lively voice, and unique intonation, and virtuoso performance on the guitar.
Fans
Bard Alexander Mirzoyan became the idol of an entire generation, hungering for truth, justice and dreaming of a free life. He knows how to masterfully achieve the mysterious merging of words and music, which not only does not compete with the lyrics, but is also not a means of poetry popularization of poetry. Both music and poetry in the works of A. Mirozoyan act as equal instruments, which, merging with each other, are able to influence the consciousness, set the soul in motion.
Creation
Sometimes one wonders how Alexander Mirzoyan chooses verses from other poets for his songs. From this point of view, his taste is incredibly high. In addition, his own poems are so deep and powerful that he has a place next to the works of great authors who lived in the early 20th century.
Being very modest in nature, Mirzayan does not claim to be a poet. He says his poems are just rhymed lyrics for the songs. However, the meaning inherent in these verses is incredibly deep, and it provides listeners with rich food for thought. They contain metaphors, various associations, irony and self-irony. Mirzayan’s songs also differ in that they are not instantaneous in nature and do not reflect any events related to a specific time period. The feelings that he wants to convey through his songs are needed at all times, they carry a moral and intellectual charge.
Popularity
The peak of popularity of Alexander Mirzayan came in the late 70s. He played a six-string guitar, while using a very unusual technique. By the way, he does not have a musical education. Nevertheless, being self-taught, he masterfully owns this tool. At concerts at which all progressive youth gathered, he, in addition to performing songs, also told the audience jokes of Daniil Kharms. Later, he became less likely to speak to the public and took up scientific activity - research on the very phenomenon of the song. He also received an invitation from Channel One to become co-host of the Good Morning television program and, of course, agreed. For 5 years in the morning, Alexander Mirzoyan welcomes us from the TV screen.