Aram Khachaturian

Aram Khachaturian (born May 24 [June 6, New Style], 1903, Tiflis, Georgia, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Georgia]—died May 1, 1978, Moscow, Russia, U.S.S.R.) was a Soviet Armenian composer best known for his Piano Concerto (1936) and his ballet Gayane (1942), which includes the popular, rhythmically stirring “Sabre Dance.” Khachaturian was born to an Armenian family, and his first experiences of music were the folk songs of his mother and of his hometown of Tiflis (later...