"Artsakh" ( hy, «Արցախ») is an

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...

folk song from

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

n contemporary composer

Ara Gevorgyan Ara Gevorgyan ( hy, Արա Գևորգյան, born April 19, 1960) is an Armenian musician, composer and musical producer. In 2004 he was awarded the '' Honorary Artist of the Republic of Armenia'' title by the President Robert Kocharyan. Biogra ...

's 1999 album ''Ani''. The song has become wildly popular in Armenia. Over the years, it has been used in cultural and political events and occasions. Figure skaters, gymnasts, and other athletes around the world have also used the song.

Name

Artsakh was one of the 15 provinces of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia. Today, Artsakh is still the Armenian name of the disputed region of

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is m ...

. The region achieved de facto independence alongside Armenian forces during the during the bloody war with Azerbaijan in 1988-94. The war is seen by Armenians as liberation of their historic lands and the song is a tribute to the Armenian victory.

Usage in sports

Parts of "Artsakh" have been used in sports, including: ;Other *

Pan-Armenian Games The Pan-Armenian Games ( hy, Համահայկական խաղեր) are a multi-sport event, held between competitors from the Armenian diaspora and Armenia. They consist of various competitions in individual and team sports among the Armenian athle ...

* In a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n TV show called "Ice Age" broadcast by the Channel One in 2007 Russian singer Aleksandra Savaleva and a

n-born

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i ice dancer Sergei Sakhnovski performed figure skating with this song.

Controversy

In 2007 Azerbaijani ambassador in Russia and former singer

Polad Bülbüloğlu Polad Bulbuloghlu ( az, Polad Bülbüloğlu; born February 4, 1945) is a Soviet and Azerbaijani singer, actor, politician, and diplomat. Bulbuloghlu became famous in the Soviet Union with composing jazz-influenced pop songs which has heavy Azerba ...

alleged that "Artsakh" contains an Azerbaijani song. Ara Georgyan responded that Bülbüloğlu's statements were a result of confusion from an incident that occurred during one of the episodes of the Russian TV show "Ice Age" broadcast by Channel One. During the performance of Russian singer Aleksandra Savaleva ( ru) and Israeli ice dancer Sergei Sakhnovski, it was initially announced that the song they were going to use was called "Armenian dance" by Ara Gevorgyan, but instead a song called "Sene de galmaz" by Azerbaijani composer

Tofig Guliyev Tofig Alakbar oglu Guliyev ( az, Tofiq Ələkbər oğlu Quliyev, tr, Tevfik Elekber oğlu Guliyev; 7 November 1917, Baku – 4 October 2000, Baku) was a Soviet and Azerbaijani composer, pianist, and conductor. Biography Tofig Guliyev was born in ...

was played and only after that a small portion of "Artsakh" was played. Ara Gevorgyan suggested that Azerbaijanis tried to justify

Dinara Gimatova Dinara Nailevna Gimatova ( tt-Cyrl, Динара Наил кызы Гиматова, russian: Динара Наильевна Гиматова; born 18 November 1986 in Astrakhan, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is an Azerbaijani gymnast of Volga Tat ...

's use of the song without his permission in a 2005 grand-prix.

References

{{authority control 1999 songs Armenian songs