On Pointe with Khachaturian's Gayane
Lezginka
Gayane, ballet in four acts (1942)
I'm Aram Khachaturian, and I'm glad to be the one explaining the Lezginka from my ballet Gayane. You'll hear my version of a fast 6/8 folk dance from the North Caucasus, once danced by men with swords, and it's worth your time because it sends the whole suite off with a stamping, driving finish. Should you want to recognize this dance the instant it begins, my fellow composers and I have set up a place on this site for exactly that, so come and try the Trainer .
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Don't Count, Just Gallop
Here's how I'd listen to Lezginka, my friend: don't try to catch every instrument, just find the pulse and hold on to it. It's written in a fast 6/8, which you can feel as two big swings of three beats each, like a horse trotting briskly down a road. The ballet's score has a large percussion section, including the Armenian instruments doli and daira, so I'd keep an ear out for anything that drums, because that is where the energy comes from. In one wind-band suite the piece lasts about 2:45, so you won't need to clear your afternoon.A Name With an Address
I gave the piece this title because a lezginka is a real folk dance from the North Caucasus, named after the Lezgin people. It's traditionally a male solo dance, often performed with a sword, and it's also danced by couples. I adapted it for Gayane in 1942, so the title tells you what you're hearing: a dance, not a story. In the suite listing it comes last, which suits a number that sounds like the whole village has joined in.Forget the Textbook Label
Choosing a form for Lezginka was a small adventure, because it doesn't fit a textbook shape. It's a dance, and a dance is built the way a good party is: it begins, it fills up, it reaches its peak and it wraps up. So I won't give you a formal diagram, and I won't pretend to quote you keys or tempo changes. Instead I'll walk you through four stages by feel, one paragraph each, and the fast 6/8 pulse stays with us the whole way.Section 1: The Doors Swing Open
The first stage is the invitation, where the rhythm announces itself and you work out how the dance moves. Don't look for a big tune yet, because the main job here is to set the pulse in your feet. The mood is expectant, like dancers stepping into the middle of the room and waiting for the first beat. If you can tap along to the swing of three by the end of this stretch, you're ready for what follows.Section 2: Everybody Finds a Partner
In the second stage the dance settles into its stride, and the rhythm feels sure of itself. This is where I want you to think of the couples, since the lezginka is a couple dance as well as a solo one. The mood is playful and a little proud, with the music nudging you forward without ever slowing down. Nothing here asks you to think, which is exactly the point.Section 3: The Soloist Shows Off
The third stage is where I picture the solo dancer, the heart of the lezginka tradition, stepping out with his sword. The music turns sharper and more daring, and the tension gathers as the pace feels ever more urgent. Here you notice the fast 6/8 at its most thrilling, because the same rolling pulse now feels like it's being pushed harder. If you only have attention for one stretch of the piece, I'd spend it here.Section 4: Last Dance, Last Breath
The final stage brings everything together, since this is the closing number in the suite listing. The energy that has been building all along reaches its fullest, and the whole dance seems to rush toward the finish. I wanted you to leave this piece feeling that the celebration has run its course and everyone is happily out of breath. It's over in under three minutes, but it has the feeling of a whole evening.Your Turn, Press Play
Now it's your turn to hear Lezginka for yourself, so press play and let the rhythm carry you along. While you listen, think back to the swing of three, the drumming, and the dancers I described, and see if you can spot them. You don't need to know a single thing about classical music to enjoy a dance that wants you to move. I hope you have as much fun hearing it as I had writing it.---
I hope you enjoyed learning about the listen guide to Gayane's Lezginka as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Did it make you want to hear the piece again? Now that you know to listen for the fast 6/8 pulse and the drums driving it along, that closing dance may sound a little different to you. I wrote Gayane between 1939 and 1942, and the story of the ballet has plenty of corners we haven't visited yet. There is more to Gayane than this one dance, and I'd love for you to wander through the rest of it. The Sabre Dance and the gentle Dance of the Rose Maidens are only two of the other pieces waiting for you. There is also the story of the kolkhoz, and the way the ballet changed over the years. If you're curious, please click on the links below to keep exploring Gayane. Whenever you come back to the Lezginka, I hope it feels like an old friend who is always ready to dance.