Khosrovidukht of Goghtn

April 27, 2022 Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

Two Armenian women poets, Sahakdukht of Siunik (Սահանդուխտ Սյունեցի) and Khosrovidukht of Goghtn (Խոսրովիդուխտ Գողթնացի), flourished in the eighth century. No doubt there would have been other women poets before and after them, but their works have not survived. As her name implies, Khosrovidukht was the daughter of Prince Khosrov of Goghtn (now in the territory of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic) and sister of Vahan of Goghtn. She wrote this poem in memory of her brother after his martyrdom in 738.

The translation is by Diana Der Hovanessian and Marzbed Margossian (Anthology of Armenian Poetry, New York: Columbia University Press, 1978)

More Astonishing

More astonishing to me
than the lyrics made for you,
more amazing than the music composed
for your death,
is the sound of the sobbing mourning
you, Lord Vahan, chosen of God.

Let me be inspired in that clear part
of my soul, to compose songs for you too,
but not songs that mourn;
but joyous, exhorting praises for your work,
blessing you, servant of Christ.

Although you found your labor,
and your ascetic self-denial
which is so terrifying to my body's nature,
more rewarding than praises,
let me praise, oh blessed Vahan, lover of Christ.

Let those outsiders
who built upon vanity
go down in defeat.

Let your soul rest in divine light,
oh blessed Vahan, chosen of the free.

Brave martyr, it was while performing
unselfishly against the nations of the south
that you were fixed forever
as an immortal and blessed ruler of Goghtn.

Զարմանալի է ինձ

Առաւել յորդորէ այս զհոգւոյս մասունըս,
Յօրինել քեզ երգս ո՛չ զղջականըս,
Այլ հոգևորըս, և ուրախարարըս,
Յորդորականըս, և ներբողեանըս,
Ո՜վ երանելի տէր Վահան, ծառայ Քրիստոսի։

Զարհուրեցուցանէ զքոյ ճգնութիւնդ
Զմարմնոյս բնութիւնըս.
Իսկ դու առաւել գտար.
Ո՜վ երանելի տէր Վահան, սիրող Քրիստոսի։

Արտաքնոցըն ըզգաստքըն
Ստեղծիչ բանք սնոտեացն ի պատրութիւն.
Իսկ քոյդ սիրայնոյ՝ աստուածարեալ և ոգեշահ․
Ո՜վ երանելի տէր Վահան, ընտրեալ յազատաց։

Որպէս քաջ նահատակ,
Պատրաստեալ ի պատերազմ,
Կատարեցեր զընթացըս քոյ,
Արիաբար՝ յազգացն հարաւայնոյ,
Դասաւորեալ ընդ անմարմնականսն.
Ո՜վ երանելի տէր Վահան, Գողթնեացն իշխեցող։

“More Astonishing” - “Sharakan” choir, voals - Armenuhi Seyranyan | "Զարմանալի է ինձ" - "Շարական" անսամբլ, Մենակատար՝ Արմենուհի Սեյրանյան:

By Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

Musique sans frontières

December 18, 2021 Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

One of the themes of our NHLF grant is Neighbours, what we share, what we learn from each other, how we do or do not get along. One of the things we have constantly been exchanging with neighbours is music. It’s an art that doesn’t recognise borders, governments, political affiliations or wars. It’s also an art which is part of our everyday life, accompanying us in our headphones, on the radio, at workplaces, during religious rituals, football chants or singalongs from balconies when quarantined for coronavirus.

I find this exchange and sharing of music fascinating and have woven together an eclectic mix of examples. These songs and their various interpretations and covers are all united by Armenian connections.

Charles Aznavour: Stenka Razin’s song

The first song is from Charles Aznavour, our much-loved and admired singer and lyricist and here is an interpretation of a famous Russian song about a Cossack hero – Stenka Razin. It’s fascinating to think about the geography of this cover – a French Armenian, with roots from Georgia and Turkey, singing about a Russian-Tatar ataman, who is about to marry a Persian Princess.

Stenka (Stepan) Razin led an uprising against nobility and the tsar and is one of the most admired and enduring characters in Russian folklore. There are many songs and ballads about him, but this one – Volga-Volga (or simply, Stenka Razin’s song) must be the most popular but the darkest one. Lyrics are written by Dmitri Sadovnikov (Russian poet and ethonographer) in 1883 based on a folk melody.

It’s the fictional story of Stenka and his Cossacks sailing on the Volga river and Stenka’s drunk men whispering that their leader has lost his head since meeting a woman. Overhearing it, Stenka Razin angrily states that he will prove he cares for his people more, and throws the unfortunate princess into the water - and orders his shocked men to sing and dance.

Here is Aznavour’s emotional French version, and if you didn’t know the lyrics, you could easily mistake it for a tender love song. Interestingly, the first Russian narrative film is based on this song, made in 1908 and this video uses the footage from that film.

And you can listen to the original sung by the Russian Red Army Choir here and a popular Western adaptation – The Carnival is Over here.

Medz Bazar: Bobik Djur Mi Era | Yaro Jan

The band describes their music as: ‘On stage, Collectif Medz Bazar balances tempered instruments with music from modal traditions, including Middle-Eastern percussion and Parisian voices of various origins (Armenian, Turkish, and French-American), inspired by folk music from Asia Minor and Iran, Caucasian Rabiz and rhythms from Thrace, with touches of Venezuelan sounds, operette, hip-hop, jazz and bluegrass’’.

Whatever their own ethnic heritage, the band members learn the songs in the various languages and their enjoyment shows in the videos and in their music. Medz Bazar’s repertoire spans cultures in their arrangements of well-known folk songs but also with their own original compositions in various languages. Some of these are satires and social critiques, some are just fun (see Kokorec below), others explorations of the different sides of love. None of these recognise boundaries and aspects of each are found in societies everywhere. The band has been together for many years now and played across the US, including South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) and Innovate Armenia, in Moscow, Yerevan and Gyumri, many times in Turkey, including Istanbul and Diyarbekir, of course Paris and….. London!

The Armenian Institute has organised two sell-out concerts with this wonderful band and we hope to see them in London again.

Listen (and dance) to their energetic, fun interpretation of 2 Armenian folk songs: Bobik Djur Mi Era and Yaro Jan:

A great example of early Medz Bazar is their composition Kokoreç – Video shot in Paris, sung in Armenian and French – a hymn to a delicious tripe sandwich made in Istanbul.

The Beautified Project I Have Two Homes (Sayat Nova Cover)

Sayat-Nova is the perfect example of a musician who transcended linguistic and national boundaries with his art. A poet, musician and ashough whose songs are in Armenian, Georgian and Turkish, he was heavily influenced by Persian poetry and songwriting traditions.

One of his reworkings of a Georgian folk song was picked up by the Armenian bard Artur Meschyan in the early 2000s. Meschyan wrote lyrics for the melody, staying faithful to Sayat-Nova’s original lyrical compositions. And here is a beautiful cover of ‘I Have Two Homes’ by London-based band with Iranian-Armenian roots, The Beautified Project.

The band’s frontman Andre Simonyan says: ‘’music is sound and sound knows no man-made borders. It can travel from one country to another without any interruption caused by man-made territorial limitations’’.

The Chorus of Leblebijis from Dickran Chukhajian’s 'Leblebiji Hor-Hor Agha' Operetta

Leblebiji Hor Hor Agha operetta troupe in 1970s

Considered the first original Turkish operetta, this was written by an Armenian composer, Dikran Chukhajian, and based on the libretto by Takvor Nalian in Constantinople in 1875. It’s a story of two couples in love, dressing up, kidnappings, amorous misunderstandings and crooked villains. The operetta has been translated and performed in many languages including Armenian, Greek, German etc – but retains its joyful Italian musical influences in every interpretation, like in this Turkish version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAA-XZHuEEk

The part of the angry Leblebijis (chickpea sellers) is one of the most entertaining choruses from the operetta, demanding that Hor-Hor Agha’s daughter be returned to her father and reminding everyone about their brave ancestors. http://www.museum.am/songs/74.html

Its Armenian version became even more popular after the release of the film ‘Karine’, based on ‘Hor-Hor Agha’. You can watch a snippet from the film here, and listen to this wonderful version:

By Tatevik Ayvazyan

Word Stories - բամ and փորոտալ

February 16, 2021 Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

A few thoughts on the words բամ and փորոտալ

I was led to think of the above two words in connection with the Church Feast of the Vardanank‘, the Vardanian Saints, which was celebrated only the other week. But rather than plunge headlong into the words themselves, I shall start with a rather fascinating excursus, if I may.

Pietro Bianchini (1828-1905), characterised as «իտալացի կտրիճ երաժիշտ... Պ. Պետրոս Պիանքինի» by an anonymous Armenian writer (“an heroic Italian musician, Mr Peter Bianchini”), was a Venetian violinist, composer, conductor and teacher.

At present he is remembered, if at all, for his harmonised transcription of the chants of the Armenian Divine Liturgy, based on the singing of the Mekhitarist Fathers in San Lazzaro, on which he started working in 1855. Few know that Bianchini may well have been the very first to publish substantial excerpts from the repertory of Armenian sacred chants in Western staff notation. Yet I should now like to mention a completely different piece – one that most Armenians know, albeit without knowing that it was composed by Bianchini!

Generations of diasporan Armenian schoolchildren have learned to sing a celebrated song, without knowing that Bianchini was the composer: namely «Բա՜մ. փորոտան» – a setting of an excerpt from a poem by the Mekhitarist monk, botanist, historian and poet, and almost exact contemporary of Bianchini’s, namely Fr. Łewond Ališan (1820-1901), Երգ ու գնացք զօրացն հայոց ընդ Վահանայ Մամիկոնենոյ ի Շաւարշական դաշտին վրէժք (1850), which he published in San Lazzaro, Venice in 1850. It is the “song and march” of the rallying Armenian soldiers under Vahan Mamikonean, eager to avenge the defeat of Vardan Mamikonean of 451.

As an aside, I might mention that my attention has been drawn to the fact that some rebellious pupils may have had recourse to fitting the song with alternative but similar-sounding satirical words, with a fair peppering of Turkish to boot – but I imagine that readers will not be interested in those (although comments will be welcome)! There were also innumerable, more legitimate musical arrangements made of the song – and so far I have had much fun collating and contrasting seven versions of it, and tracing out certain discernible trends and tendencies.

It would be no exaggeration to say that Bianchini’s setting has made Ališan’s poem famous, and was adopted by the people as a kind of informal national anthem. These two giants were almost exact contemporaries, and almost certainly knew each other well. And only a generation or so later, the song was recorded, twice, by the celebrated tenor singer (a friend and protegé of Komitas, and a soloist at La Scala in Milan and at the Paris Opera), Armenag Shah-Mouradian (1878-1939) – known as the “nightingale of Tarōn”.

I have placed both recordings on my YouTube channel, where they may be enjoyed by all. The first recording was made in Constantinople in 1914, when the singer was accompanied by none other than Archimandrite Komitas himself at the piano. The second recording was made in New York in May 1917, with orchestral accompaniment.

The Venetian composer, conductor and violinist, Pietro Bianchini (1828-1905) has a very substantial body of compositions, much of it still unpublished. He is...

I am grateful to the Cairo-based Armenian musicologist, Haig Avakian, for his generosity in providing me with photographs of both discs. It is notable that in neither case is Bianchini named as the composer; and the later recording merely mentions it as a “National song”. Though misleading, this does indicate the status this piece had come to enjoy by now. No less interestingly, readers will notice that in both instances the song was mis-labelled as Բամբ որոտան (instead of the correct Բամ փորոտան), and indeed in the earlier recording it is clearly discernible that Shah-Mouradian even sings “Pamp vorodan” instead of “Pam porodan”!

But what exactly does «Բա՜մ. փորոտան» mean, and why was there a tendency to mis-transcribe those two words? Բամ is a somewhat onomatopoeic ձայնարկութիւն– an interjection or an exclamation. A good equivalent might be “Boom!”. But the problem arises with the second word. The verb փորոտալis relatively unknown, and therefore many have incorrectly assumed that the proper title is in fact Բամբորոտան – presumably loosely meaning “Deep[ly] they thunder!” – բամբ being Komitas’ favourite choice of Armenian word for “bass” – the lowest male singing voice. But in fact, there truly does exist a verb փորոտալ, and it means “to roar, to blow” – with a definite suggestion that the sound is deep and mighty – rather as the roar of a lion. The word փորis relevant here: it means belly (or abdomen – the usual Armenian equivalent for the more scientific word being որովայն). One thinks of advice given to singers and brass players – the best of whom always seem to produce the breath from the diaphragm, producing a fuller and more rounded sound and better control. Less agreeably, our verb is also related to the word փորոտիք, which many will know from various Armenian translations of Scripture: in the Acts of the Apostles (1:18) we read that Judas, having betrayed his master, died and his entrails – փորոտիք – fell out. So much, then, for the etymology of փորոտալ. All in all, we may safely conclude that «Բա՜մ. փորոտան» means something along the lines of“ ‘Boom!’ they roar”. Admittedly it does not seem to have quite the same glorious ring to it in English as it does in the Armenian original! But I hope you might now enjoy the song, knowing what it was genuinely called, and what it is about!

By Haig Utidjian

Music studios at AI

December 2, 2020 Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

“AI Studio" was an exciting series of zoom meetings and workshops funded by the Arts Council England. The Music series are Lecture-Demonstrations on different aspects of Armenian music each led by experts in their field, including sacred, classical, contemporary, folk and popular music.

Music with Aram and Virginia Kerovpyan

A musical mode is a particular sound environment. It creates a specific auditory sensation resulting in a “state of being”, an ethos. Whereas modern Western music has only the major and minor "modes ", numerous musical modes exist in a very large region from the Balkans to India. Modes are much more than just a series of pitches but rather can be described as " a sound environment ".

In Armenian church music, these different sound environments are organized within a system called the Oktoechos, the Eight-Mode system, which is especially important as a system for organizing the cyclic liturgical calendar, on which the musical aspect largely depends. The Armenian Eight-Mode system operates especially within the sharagan songs, a large repertoire of more than 1300 songs, almost all based on a variation system of melodic patterns according to the text.

During our meeting, we will listen to some examples and try to feel the sound environment created by each mode of the Oktoechos.

Music with Arik Grigoryan

Arik Grigoryan will discuss the current revival of Armenian folk music and its contemporary interpretations. While many songs and melodies have been discovered and published by folklorists – just like archaeologists explore and discover old things, many of them are neglected. Arik Grigoryan will explain why and how they need to be rediscovered — and more importantly, recreated — in order to come back to life. His lecture will be accompanied by his own performances.

Arik is a founder of 3 bands, The Bambir, where he plays flute and is the songwriter; TmbaTa, which was created at Tumo Center for Creative Technologies for educational purposes; and Vishup, which explores folk and spiritual music.

The Odyssey of the Armenian Badarak Chants

Haig Utidjian traces the development of the melodies of the badarak from early manuscript sources using the Armenian “khaz” notation, to the nineteenth century, when melodies sung in Venice, India and Constantinople were written using a new Armenian system and Western notation. Adaptation by Bianchini, Komitas, Ekmalian and others followed. In this lecture they will be discussed, with the help of musical demonstrations, culminating in the orchestral concert suite arranged by Zareh Sahakiants – representing the distillation of almost one thousand years of creation, transmission and interpretation.

Musical Nationalism – Levon Chilingirian

Levon Chilingirian, leader of the world-renowned Chilingirian Quartet, is Professor of Violin and Chamber Music Artist in Residence at the Royal Academy of Music (London) and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London).

Beginning with Armen Tigranian’s Anoush Opera, Levon Chilingirian explores the uses of traditional folk music in European classical forms of composition. These composers were active in the creation of modern national identities across Europe, combining the instrumentation and structures of a shared European tradition with local folk song and dance. Excerpts from composers as diverse as Khachaturian, Babajanyan, Enescu, Greig, Dvorak, Vaughan Williams, Bartok and Mansurian will be played and discussed, looking at their varied approaches.