Zakaria Paliashvili

Who was Zakaria Paliashvili?

Zakaria Paliashvili was a composer from the nation of Georgia. He is regarded as a founder of Georgian classical music.

As a young boy, he sang in a choir and learned to play the organ in the St. Mary Catholic Church of Kutaisi. His first tutor was his brother Ivan, who later became a conductor. Paliashvili moved to Tbilisi in 1887 as a chorister in the St. Mary Assumption Catholic Church of Tbilisi, eventually entering the music school there, studying French horn and composition. During 1900-1903, he studied composition under Sergei Taneyev at the Moscow Conservatory. Upon returning to his native land, Paliashvili began to play a strong role in developing national music in Georgia. He collected Georgian folk songs, co-founded the Georgian Philharmonic Society, and became head of the Tbilisi Conservatory.

Paliashvili composed works for symphony orchestra, but is probably best known for his vocal music, which includes choruses and songs. His major works in this regard are the operas Abesalom da Eteri, Daisi, and Latavra.