How Well Do You Know Alan Hovhaness?
Questions 1-3 The Composer & His World
We’ll start with a few things every Hovhaness admirer should know…
1. Alan Hovhaness was born in 1911 under what family name?
A. Chakmakjian
B. Saroyan
C. Komitas
D. Derderian
Reveal the Answer
(A) – Alan was born Alan Vaness Chakmakjian in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1911. He later adopted the name Hovhaness, derived from his Armenian family heritage.
2. Which famous American composer sharply criticized Hovhaness’s music during his time at Tanglewood in 1942?
A. Leonard Bernstein
B. Samuel Barber
C. Howard Hanson
D. Aaron Copland
Reveal the Answer
(A) – During Hovhaness’s time at Tanglewood in 1942, Bernstein was sharply critical of his music, calling it “ghetto Music”. The experience became part of an important turning point as Alan increasingly embraced his Armenian musical heritage.
3. What does the Armenian word “Oror,” the title of Hovhaness’s Op. 1, mean?
A. Prayer
B. Mountain
C. Dance
D. Lullaby
Reveal the Answer
(D) – Oror is the Armenian word for lullaby. Hovhaness gave the title to his Op. 1, making it a fitting musical starting point for our St. Apkar journey.
Questions 4-7 Heritage, Mystery and Music
4. Hovhaness’s famous Symphony No. 2 carries which evocative title?
A. Ararat
B. Mount St. Helens
C. Mysterious Mountain
D. Cold Mountain
Reveal the Answer
(C) – Hovhaness’s Symphony No. 2, Mysterious Mountain became one of his most famous compositions after Leopold Stokowski conducted its premiere in 1955.
5. Alan Hovhaness traveled to Asia and studied musical traditions associated with countries including India, Japan, and Korea.
True
False
Reveal the Answer
(TRUE) – Hovhaness traveled extensively and studied musical traditions in India, Japan and Korea. These experiences became an important influence on the distinctive musical language of his later works.
6. Which THREE subjects are represented in Hovhaness works being performed at the September 19 St. Apkar concert?
A. Saint Gregory the Illuminator
B. A lullaby
C. The planet Mars
D. Cats
Reveal the Answer
(A, B, D) – All three appear in the St. Apkar program: Oror is a lullaby, Three Sasa Songs and Fred the Cat reveal Alan’s affection for cats, and Prayer of Saint Gregory provides the spiritual finale.
7. The title “Adana” has a particularly personal Armenian connection for Hovhaness because Adana was the birthplace of whom?
A. His composition teacher
B. His first publisher
C. His mother
D. His Armenian father
Reveal the Answer
(D) – Adana, in present-day Turkey, was the birthplace of Alan’s Armenian father, Haroutioun Hovhaness Chakmakjian. This gives the title Adana a particularly personal connection to Alan’s Armenian family heritage.
Questions 8-10 The Unexpected Hovhaness
Now for the questions you won’t find in a music-history textbook…
8. A surviving manuscript gives an unusually precise detail about the second movement of Hovhaness’s String Quartet No. 6, “Adana.” What is it?
A. He completed it aboard a train
B. He recorded completing it at 4:00 A.M.
C. He marked it as his 1,000th composition
D. He dedicated the movement to a conductor
Reveal the Answer
(B) – The Adana manuscript records that Alan completed its second movement on June 1, 1948, at 4:00 A.M. It is a wonderful little archival detail that gives us a glimpse of the composer working late into the night.
9. Hovhaness’s “Prayer of Saint Gregory” was originally conceived as a movement of his Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain.”
True
False
Reveal the Answer
(FALSE) – Prayer of Saint Gregory was not originally part of Mysterious Mountain. It originated as an interlude in Hovhaness’s 1946 opera Etchmiadzin and later became an independent concert work.
10. Which unusual subject inspired more than one composition by Alan Hovhaness?
A. Baseball
B. Cats
C. Automobiles
D. Cowboys
Reveal the Answer
(B) – Cats inspired Alan repeatedly, appearing in such works as Three Sasa Songs, Fred the Cat and other cat-related compositions. His fascination with cats extended well beyond his music and was very much a part of the Alan Hovhaness his family knew.
If you scored:
9-10: You are a Hovhaness expert, and you are cordially invited to all future Hovhaness performances.
7-8: You’re getting there… need to buy more Hovhaness CDs.
5-6: You need to read the book Alan Hovhaness: Unveiling One of the Great Composers of the 20th Century.
<5: Hug your cat, he/she knows more about Hovhaness than you do.
These answers will also be revealed at the Armenian American Songs & Stories concert
Saturday, September 19, 2026 · 7:00 PM
St. Apkar Armenian Apostolic Church · Scottsdale
