History of the Armenian culture as well as the history of the Armenian people counts about three thousand years in the course of which beautiful samples of poetry, architectural monuments were created, theatre and musical traditions appeared and took their shape. At the peak of its power Great Armenia occupied a vast territory that included the mountains that now are on the territory of Georgia and Azerbaijan, the spacious plateau that stretches from the eastern Anatolia in Turkey to the south of the Caucasus and is partly located in Iran, Iraq and Syria. The Anatolia tableland is one of the most ancient centres of the world civilization where the Armenian, the descendants from the Indo-Europeans, settled there in the 5th century B.C. and established their first Christian state in 301 A.D. The origin of the Armenian musical culture took place alongside with forming of the national language (since the 12th century B.C.) and spreading of the alphabet. The Armenian music developed its own peculiar features crossing with the musical cultures of some other ancient peoples of the Southwest Asia and Asia Minor and assimilating advanced for its time culture of Urartu (Kingdom of Van). Different nationalities populated the tableland at that time: the Persians, the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Assyrians and the Turks. All this diversity and neighbourhood of various people resulted in appearance of the abundant folklore traditions.
Three branches of Armenian music were formed and developed since ancient times: a peasant one, a Gusan (music) that was based on the first branch (later it developed itself into tag form and continued in ashugs’ art) and a pagan one. Following the adoption of Christianity, the basis of spiritual music was laid. The Armenian epos, mythology and works of the Armenian thinkers of the first centuries A.D. have preserved traces of the ancient developed tradition: information about pagan rites, about ancient Gokhtan singers’ art, about Gusans and Vipsans (narrators). Monodic character is typical for Armenian music in common, though there are some kinds of polyphony – bourdon one in instrumental music and antiphonal in vocal music. Armenian music is based on the vast system of diatonic stops and surprises with the variety of divers rhythms.
The golden age of folk and professional music falls on the 11th- 13th centuries when Armenia restored its independence. Folk music genres include songs for work, epic, historical and many lyrical songs. Songs of maidens’ fortune-telling and wedding songs are widely represented in the calendar cycle as well as lamentations – wokhbas. Synthetic forms of playing music take a special place in Armenian folklore: various in their metre and rhythm, ratio of a verse and a chorus refrain – dancing songs are different in movement and emotional harmony.
At the beginning of the 19th century A. Limondzhan, composer and theorist, introduces a new Armenian notation that helped to write down the samples of musical folklore. Due to this fact, hand-written and even printed books of song collection were released (one of the first was “National Book of Armenian Song Collection” by R. Patkanjan, 1856, St. Petersburg). Since 1880-ies active collecting and processing of folk songs take place in West Armenia. (Kh. Kara-Murza, M.G. Ekmaljan and N.R.Tigranjan). This process can hardly be imagined without mentioning the names of Komitas and Gregor Suni who created the classical samples of Armenian vocal music based on the folklore material.
This process of collecting folk music has been taking place up to present days. In this CD collection the records of folk music in Soviet Armenia of 1960–1980-ies are presented as authentic samples and interpretations. However, the difference is rather relative because this folk tradition has been living and developing in concert and popular music.
Solo singing tradition revives in A. Muradjan’s art – in his heartfelt “Song of Mortar”, and also in the song of a pundukht(a man who leaves his home place in search of a job to support his family ) or in the later song “Behind Our House”.
In the duet of duduk performers (also accompanied by dhol – Armenian tambourine) we can see widely known practice when the leading part is performed by duduk, a wind instrument with a double reed made of an apricot tree. Often it is called “soul of apricot tree”. It is an ancient symbol of musical Armenia that is well known all over the world. The instrument is widely used in ensembles and orchestras, it accompanies folk songs and dances, wedding and funeral ceremonies. This world fame was brought to this instrument with the velvet timbre by the outstanding musician Djivan Gasparjan who continues folk tradition in his creative work.
Many ensembles have interpreted folk dancing melodies; the oldest and the most well known collective is State Armenian Ensemble of Dance and Song. Both the vocal and instrumental compositions that are closer to urban folklore tradition and adapted to wider audience are recorded on this disc.
Armenian folk music is still a spiritual pivot that supports the rich and diverse culture of Armenia.
Margarita Karatygina
