Music Around the World: Armenia

Today, our World Tour is stopping in Armenia! The Republic of Armenia is a Western Asian country bordered by Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Iran known for its delicious food, its rich culture, its tragic history, and its stunning landscapes. Fact Dump Time:

-Capital City: Yerevan

-Official Languages: Armenian

-Government: Unitary parliamentary republic, currently under the leadership of President Armen Sarksyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan

-Part of the Orontid Dynasty in the 6th Century BC, became the Republic of Armenia in 1918, conquered by the former Soviet Union in 1920, restored their independence in 1991, ratified their current constitution in 1995

-Land Area: 11,484 square miles (138th largest nation in the world)

-Population: 2,963,900 estimated as of 2021 (137th most populous nation in the world)

-Religion: Predominantly Christian (Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, Armenian Evangelical, Pentecostal, Baptist, Presbyterian, Molokan), also some Yazidism, Sunni Islam, and Judaism

-Drive on the right side of the road

The music coming out of Armenia is a blend of indigenous folk, light pop, and Christian music. Popular folk instruments include the duduk (a double reed woodwind instrument), the dhol (a double headed drum), the zurna (a double reed wind instrument), and the kanun (a string instrument). Armenian musicians can be found far and wide throughout the world due to the horrendous events of the Armenian Genocide of World War I, but the immigrants kept the musical traditions of their home alive wherever they went. A popular "modern" form of Armenian music that has especially taken hold with Armenian-Americans is Kef, which mixes Armenian instruments with those from the Western Hemisphere and helped to preserve their folk songs and dances. I knew the absolute smallest bit about Armenian music and history because one of the bands listed here today, but I had a great time listening to these artists this week and I'm so excited to share them with you.

Yerevan 2800 by Ara Gevorgyan (written by A. Gevorgyan)

Ara Gevorgyan is a prolific Armenian composer, producer, and musician who has enjoyed a 38 year career thus far. He spans genres such as pop, folk, fusion, and world music on the piano, synthesizer, and electric keyboard. The son of Armenian folk singer Valya Samvelyan, he attended music school in the 1980s, later teaching at the Armenian State Pedagocical University. He has been awarded several honors during his career, including Honorary Artist of the Republic of Armenia in 2004, the Mikhail Lomonosov Russian medal, and the gold medal of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia. Yerevan 2800 is an instrumental piece included on Gevorgyan's 2019 album You Have to Fly, and it was so much fun to listen to. It's high energy classical which is always fun, and it incorporates a very distinctive Armenian flavor into the music that those of us in the West may not be used to hearing all the time. I highly encourage you to give it a shot, especially if you're a classical fan.

Waltz by Aram Khachaturian (written by A. Khachaturian)

Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) is regarded as one of the leading composers of the former Soviet Union. Born in Georgia to an Armenian family, he ended up moving to Moscow as a young adult and making it his home. He studied music under composer Nikolai Myaskovsky and published his first major piece, 1936's Piano Concerto, 15 years after arriving in the country. Throughout his career, Khachaturian composed multiple concertos, symphonies, ballets, and the national anthem of Armenia when it was a part of the Soviet Union. Gayene, his ballet from 1942, includes a piece many of us are very familiar with even if we don't know it by name, Sabre Dance. Look it up on your music streaming service, you've definitely heard it before. While he was a high ranking Soviet official for much of his adult life, he is beloved in his home country of Armenia and is considered to be the most renowned Armenian composer of the 20th century. The piece of his I chose to highlight is the Waltz, which is part of his Masquerade Suite from 1941. I fell in love with this from the minute I turned I on; it's so beautiful and grand and colorful in the way that a lot of Russian classical music can be (looking at you, Tchaikovsky) but with a little something extra that I believe came from his Armenian side.

Alabalanica by Arto Tunçboyaciyan (composer unknown)

Arto Tunçboyaciyan is an Armenian avant-garde folk/jazz musician/singer/songwriter based out of New York. During his 53 year career, he has produced both solo music along with being a part of the music groups Armenian Navy Band and Night Ark. Born in Turkey to Armenian parents, he began playing music at the age of 11 and can perform on vocals, percussion, duduk, sazabo (a lute like instrument), and bular. Tunçboyaciyan released 9 solo albums, 5 albums with the Armenian Navy Band, and 5 albums with Night Ark. He has appeared on over 200 records and collaborated with musicians internationally. Alabalanica was released as a single in 2011, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't think it was really weird the first roughly thirty seconds of my first listen through. After listening to it more than once now, it has a lot of elements that I really enjoy, even if it's not something I would listen to all the time. This song almost has a reggae, Caribbean type feel to it in the rhythm and style of Tunçboyaciyan's vocals, but the Armenian influence definitely can't be denied, making it a pretty cool piece of music. I wasn't able to find a good translation of the lyrics, but I recommend giving it a shot!

Mokats Mirza by Komitas (composer unknown)

Soghomon Soghomonian, known predominately by his ordained moniker Komitas (1869-1935), was an Armenian priest who helped found the Armenian National School of Music. A pioneer of ethnomusicology (the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it), Komitas was a composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster who dedicated much of his life to collecting and transcribing the music of Armenia and the Kurdish language as well as introducing Armenian music to rest of the world - his choir actually was seen and complimented heavily by the one and only Claude Debussy. He was arrested and sent to a prison camp during the Armenian Genocide in 1915, and while he was released shortly after he developed terrible Posttraumatic Stress Disorder from the ordeal that affected him for the rest of his life and is believed to be a leading cause of his death in a psychiatric hospital in Paris. He is considered by many to be a martyr of the genocide, and his music is treated very reverently by the Armenian people. Mokats Mirza is a recording of Komitas himself from 1912, which is pretty cool when you consider that sound recording had just been invented in 1877, a mere 35 years prior. There's a grainy quality to the recording that adds to the haunting mystique of the melody, and the whole piece is really beautiful. I couldn't find a good translation of the lyrics, but it's 100% worth a listen.

Gnchu by Lilit Hovhannisyan (written by V. Petrosyan)

Lilit Hovhannisyan is an Armenian pop singer, fashion designer, and music video director. Her 15 year career began when she won 4th Place on Hay Superstar, which is Armenia's version of American Idol. Since then, she has had several popular singles, several million views on YouTube for her music videos, and won multiple awards for her music. As much as I really, truly enjoyed the classical music from earlier in the post, it was a lot of fun to listen to a modern pop song from Armenia as well. Gnchu, which translates to Gypsy in English, is featured on Hovhannisyan's 2013 album Best Of and melds classic pop trends with a distinct Armenian flavor. An English translation of the original Armenian lyrics is below.

Never say never/I put a lock on my heart/And now my life without you/Is not even worth a penny/Gypsy, your mother once predicted my fate/She said you were lucky by my side, but you walked away/Gypsy, your mother once predicted my fate/But why did she not tell me how heartless and cold you are/Your mother knows, she knows, knows exactly what you are/In her irritation she will keep me by your side/This gypsy guy is the one/I don't understand why my heart chose him/And asked for his hand today

Mer Hayrenik by Nersik Ispiryan (written by M. Nalbandian, B. Kanachyan)

Mer Hayrenik has twice now been the national anthem of Armenia. First adopted in 1918 by the original Republic of Armenia, it was banned by the USSR in 1922 and replaced by Aram Khachaturian's Anthem of the Armenian SSR in 1941. The song was readopted by the new Republic of Armenia in 1991 after going through a few lyrical revisions. This version of Mer Hayrenik is performed by Nersik Ispiryan, a known Armenian patriotic musician. An English translation of the Armenian lyrics is below.

Our Fatherland, free, independent/That has for centuries lived/Is now summoning its sons/To the free, independent Armenia/Here is a flag for you, my brother/That I have sewn by hand/Over the sleepless nights/And bathed in my tears

Sakhradn Meradz by Sayat Nova & Ofelia Hambardzumyan (written by H. Sayatyan)

Sayat Nova (1712-1795) was a Georgian-Armenian poet and musician who is widely regarded throughout Armenia. Having written over 220 known songs with hundreds or thousands more unconfirmed, it makes sense that his music is still being recorded in the modern era. Ofelia Hambardzumyan (1925-2016) was a well known Armenian folk singer. Known nationally for her beautiful singing voice, she recorded a lot of Armenian classic and folk music and was especially known for her renditions of Sayat Nova pieces. Sakhradn Meradz is featured on Sayat Nova, a 1992 compilation album with many musicians and their renditions of his works. I was unable to find a good translation of the lyrics, but this is a really great piece and Hambardzumyan's vocals are excellent to listen to.

PreGomesh by Sirusho (composer unknown)

Siranush Harutyunyan, known professional by her stage name Sirusho, is an Armenian singer, songwriter, and jewelry designer. Her 26 year career began when she was nine years old with a songwriting award and was followed four years later by her debut album Sirusho. She became known internationally after EuroVision 2008, where she represented Armenia with her song Qélé, Qélé and walked away with 4th Place honors. Sirusho has released 5 studio albums and multiple radio singles throughout her career and has won multiple awards both in Armenia and in other countries as well. PreGomesh was released as a single in 2012 and is another great example of Armenian pop music. It has more of a dance music feel than Gnchu does, but it's still high energy and a lot of fun to listen to and hear the modern pop and traditional Armenian sounds throughout. An English translation of the original Armenian lyrics is below.

Arise, and let the whole world know/That is just your way/Arise, and let your fair fight/In heaven approve your honor/PreGomesh/Ar and Gomesh/Pre re Gomesh/Ar and Gomesh/Tar and Gomesh/Pre re Gomesh

Chop Suey! by System of a Down (written by D. Malakian, S. Tankian)

Remember way at the beginning when I said I knew a tiny bit about Armenian music? This is the band with the reason why. System of a Down is an Armenian-American heavy metal band that formed in Glendale, California back in 1994, and they've been my husband's all time favorite band since not long after that. Currently consisting of Serj Tankian (vocals and keys), Daron Malakian (vocals and guitar), Shavo Odadjian (vocals and bass), and John Dolmayan (drums), their Armenian ancestry is very important to them and can be found woven throughout the more Americanized heavy metal sound. With five studio albums released from 1998-2005, the Grammy winning band is pretty well known all over, having sold 40 million records worldwide and many songs like B.Y.O.B., Hypnotize, and Aerials becoming household names in heavy metal loving homes. For this post, I had to go with System's signature song that I think everybody knows the opening line to: Chop Suey! Featured on their 2001 album Toxicity, I'll never lie about how much I enjoy this song. Whether my husband and I are listening to it in earnest or just casually throwing out lyrics in regular conversation, it's a regular presence in my house and I'm totally cool with it.

Wake up, grab a brush and put on a little makeup/Hide the scars to fade away the shake-up, why’d you leave the keys upon the table/Here you go, create another fable, you wanted to/Grab a brush and put on a little makeup, you wanted to/Hide the scars to fade away the shake-up, you wanted to/Why’d you leave the keys upon the table, you wanted to/I don’t think you trust in my/Self-righteous suicide/I cry/When angels deserve to die

I hope you enjoy the music from these artists as much as I did this past week. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!