Alexander Spendiaryan House-museum

In 1924 when Spendiaryan moved to Armenia from Crimea, Yerevan was a small, provincial city with muddy, gnarled streets and with clay houses. In 1926 Al. Spendiaryan was given an apartment on Nalbandyan street by Alexandr Tamanyan’s offer. It was in the new-built building № 29(now 21) designed by Nikoghayos Buniatyan. In this house Spendiaryan lived till the end of his life (1928). 

In 1959 by visiting Armenia and seeing the Armenians warm love towards the composer’s works Marina and Tatyana Soendiarovas had a desire to turn their father’s Yerevan apartment into a house museum. In 1962 Marina applied to the ASSR Ministers Council with a petition.
The house museum was founded on November 21st, 1963, based on the decision № 491 of the president of Ministers Council Anton Kochinyan and the working staff of the museum was created under the leadership of composer Vladilen Balyan.

The house museum was opened in 1967. It is the first musical memorial museum in Armenia.

In the beginning the collection of the house museum consisted only of 400 items. Among them were not only M. Spendiarova’s donation but also the main part of Speniaryan's archive from the Museum of Literature and Art after Yeghishe Charents. Later on the funds were supplemented and now the fund collection consists of 1345 museum exhibits. They are Spendiaryan’s personal belongings, handwritten and printed notes, letters, documents, photos, press and books.

During the directorship of the founder director of the museum composer Vladilen Balyan (1966-1972) the museum became one of the beloved cultural places in Yerevan.

Composer Tsovak Hambardzumyan had a great contribution in the museum’s cultural biography. During his directorship years (1972-1988) the museum became beloved gathering place for artists. A wonderful collection of folk musical instruments was created due to the assembling activity initiated by him. 

During the period of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the earthquake in 1988 and the Nagorno-Karabakh War in the late 1980s to May 1994 the directorship of the house museum was entrusted to Hasmik Gevorgyan (1988-1996). She initiated the hard work of the museum’s reconstructe and the formation of the new exposition.

Since 1996 till today the head if the house museum is composer Marine Otaryan. The house museum lives with an active cultural life today as well. Today the old and good traditions are combined with new ideas.
The house museum which was reconstructed in 2011 by state support, opened its doors to the art lover public on December 3, 2012.

Every year on composer's birthday Remembarence events that are being organized near Spendiaryan’s tomb gather lovers of Spendiaryan’s art around them. Already traditional ceremony “The inauguration of young Spendiaryans” is a wonderful example of cooperation between two cultural centers immortalizing the composer’s name: the house museum and the musical school after Spendiaryan.
On that symbolical day the best pupils of the school are given an opportunity to play on Spendiaryan's piano and violin which are stored in the museum.