Soghomon Soghomonian,
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
and commonly known as Komitas, ( hy, Կոմիտաս; 22 October 1935) was an
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
priest,
musicologist
Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...
, composer, arranger, singer, and
choirmaster
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...
, who is considered the founder of the
Armenian national school of music.
He is recognized as one of the pioneers of
ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...
.
Orphaned at a young age, Komitas was taken to
Etchmiadzin
Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...
, Armenia's religious center, where he received education at the
Gevorgian Seminary
Gevorkian Theological Seminary ( hy, Գևորգյան Հոգևոր Ճեմարան ''Gevorkyan Hogevor Č̣emaran''), also known as Gevorkian Seminary ( hy, Գևրգյան Ճեմարան ''Gevorkyan Č̣emaran'', ), is a theological university-ins ...
. Following his ordination as
vardapet
A vardapet or vartabed ( hy, վարդապետ, in Western Armenian or aɾda'pεtin Eastern Armenian) is a highly educated archimandrite in the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian Catholic Church traditions who holds a Doctorate in Theol ...
(celibate priest) in 1895, he studied music at the
Frederick William University Friedrich Wilhelm University (German: ''Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität'') may refer to:
* Humboldt University of Berlin, called ''Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität'' from 1828 to 1949, and sometimes known in English as Frederick William University
* ...
in Berlin. He thereafter "used his Western training to build a national tradition". He collected and transcribed over 3,000 pieces of Armenian folk music, more than half of which were subsequently lost and only around 1,200 are now extant. Besides Armenian folk songs, he also showed interest in other cultures and in 1903 published the first-ever collection of
Kurdish folk songs titled ''
Kurdish melodies
"''Kurdish melodies'' ( hy, Քրդական եղանակներ, K'rdakan yeghanakner, translation=Kurdish melodies, ku, Awazên Kurdî) is a collection of Kurdish folk songs collected and transcribed by Armenian composer Komitas during field work ...
''. His choir presented Armenian music in many European cities, earning the praise of
Claude Debussy
(Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...
, among others. Komitas settled in Constantinople in 1910 to escape mistreatment by ultra-conservative clergymen at Etchmiadzin and to introduce Armenian folk music to wider audiences. He was widely embraced by Armenian communities, while
Arshag Chobanian
Arshag Chobanian (; 15 July 1872 – 9 June 1954) was an Armenian short story writer, journalist, editor, poet, translator, literary critic, playwright, philologist, and novelist.
Biography
His father was a respected goldsmith.
In 1898 he foun ...
called him the "savior of Armenian music".
During the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
—along with hundreds of other Armenian intellectuals—Komitas was
arrested and deported to a
prison camp in April 1915 by the Ottoman government. He was soon released under unclear circumstances and, having witnessed indiscriminate cruelty and relentless massacres of other Armenians by the Ottoman Turks, Komitas experienced a mental breakdown and developed a severe case of
posttraumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on ...
(PTSD). The widespread hostile environment in Constantinople and reports of mass-scale Armenian death marches and massacres that reached him further worsened his fragile mental state. He was first placed in a Turkish military-operated hospital until 1919 and then transferred to
psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
s in Paris, where he spent the last years of his life in agony. Komitas is widely seen as a martyr of the genocide and has been depicted as one of the main symbols of the Armenian Genocide in art.
Biography
Childhood (1869–81)
Komitas was born Soghomon Soghomonian in
Kütahya
Kütahya () (historically, Cotyaeum or Kotyaion, Ancient Greek, Greek: Κοτύαιον) is a city in western Turkey which lies on the Porsuk River, Porsuk river, at 969 metres above sea level. It is inhabited by some 578,640 people (2022 estimate) ...
,
Hüdavendigâr (Bursa) Vilayet, Ottoman Empire on 26 September (8 October in
New Style
Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...
) 1869 to Armenian parents Kevork and Takuhi. According to his autobiographical sketches, his parents' ancestors moved to western
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
from the
Tsghna village in
Nakhichevan's
Goghtn Goght'n ( hy, Գողթն; also mentioned in sources as Goght'an, Գողթան, and spelled Gołt'n by modern scholars) was a canton (''gavaṛ'') located in the province of Vaspurakan in historical Armenia. Its borders roughly corresponded to the m ...
province at the turn of the century. His family only spoke
Turkish due to restrictions by the Ottoman government. Soghomon was their only child. He was baptized three days after his birth. His mother was originally from
Bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
and was sixteen at the time of his birth. People who knew her described her as melancholic, while his father was a cheerful person; but both were interested in music. She died in March 1870, just six months after giving birth to him. Her death left deep scars on him, whose earliest poems were devoted to her. Thereafter, according to different sources, either his father's sister-in-law or his paternal grandmother, Mariam, looked after him.
In 1880, four years after he finished primary school in Kütahya, Soghomon was sent by his father to
Bursa
( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...
to continue his education. He possibly stayed with his maternal grandparents who lived in the city. He was sent back to Kütahya four months later, following the death of his father who had become an alcoholic. Although Soghomon was adopted by his paternal uncle Harutyun, his "familiar and social structure had collapsed." A childhood friend described him as "virtually homeless." He was completely deprived of paternal care and was "placed in circumstances that made him vulnerable to the mental illness he suffered later in life".
Etchmiadzin (1881–95)
His life took a radical turn in the fall of 1881. In September, the twelve-year-old Soghomon was taken to Etchmiadzin by Kevork Vartabed Tertsagyan, the local Armenian bishop, who was asked by the
Holy See of Etchmiadzin to find an orphan boy with good singing voice to be enrolled in the prestigious
Gevorgian Seminary
Gevorkian Theological Seminary ( hy, Գևորգյան Հոգևոր Ճեմարան ''Gevorkyan Hogevor Č̣emaran''), also known as Gevorkian Seminary ( hy, Գևրգյան Ճեմարան ''Gevorkyan Č̣emaran'', ), is a theological university-ins ...
. On 1 October 1881, Komitas was introduced to
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...
Gevorg IV, who was disappointed with his lack of knowledge of Armenian, but was so impressed with his singing talent that he often asked Komitas to sing for visitors. After an unfortunate childhood, Komitas found "emotional and intellectual stability" in the seminary.
Between 1881 and 1910, Komitas was mainly based in Etchmiadzin, although he did spend a significant time in Europe. During his first year at the seminary, Komitas learned the Armenian music notation (
khaz) system based on ancient
neume
A neume (; sometimes spelled neum) is the basic element of Western and Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff notation.
The earliest neumes were inflective marks that indicated the general shape but not ne ...
s developed earlier in the 19th century by
Hampartsoum Limondjian
Hampartsoum Limondjian ( hy, Համբարձում Լիմոնճեան; 1768 – 29 June 1839) was an Ottoman Armenian composer of Armenian church and classical music, as well as Ottoman classical music, and musical theorist who developed the "H ...
and his students. He gradually discovered a great passion for music and started writing down songs sung by Armenian villagers near Etchmiadzin, who affectionately called him "Notaji Vardapet", meaning "the note-taking priest".
In the early 1890s, Komitas made his first attempts to write music for the poems of
Khachatur Abovian
Khachatur Abovian ( hy, Խաչատուր Աբովյան, Khach’atur Abovyan; (disappeared)) was an Armenian writer and national public figure of the early 19th century who mysteriously vanished in 1848 and was eventually presumed dead. He was ...
,
Hovhannes Hovhannisyan
Hovhannes Hovhannisyan ( hy, Հովհաննես Հովհաննիսյան, – 29 September 1929) was an Armenians, Armenian poet, linguist, translator and educator. He was a key contributor to the Ashkharabar (Modern Armenian) literature moveme ...
,
Avetik Isahakyan
Avetik Sahak Isahakyan ( hy, Ավետիք Սահակ Իսահակյան; October 30, 1875 – October 17, 1957) was a prominent Armenian lyric poet, writer and public activist.
Biography
Isahakyan was born in Alexandropol in 1875. He was educ ...
(his younger classmate) and others. In 1891, the ''Ararat'' magazine (the Holy See's official newspaper) published his "National Anthem" (Ազգային Օրհներգ, lyrics by seminary student A. Tashjian) for polyphonic choirs. He finished the seminary in 1893, became a music teacher and was appointed the choirmaster of the
Etchmiadzin Cathedral
Etchmiadzin Cathedral) or simply Etchmiadzin. Alternatively spelled as Echmiadzin, Ejmiatsin, and Edjmiadsin. ( hy, Էջմիածնի մայր տաճար, Ēǰmiatsni mayr tačar) is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church, located i ...
, Armenia's mother church.
His earliest major influence was
Kristapor Kara-Murza
Kristapor Kara-Murza (sometimes also anglicized Christopher, birth name Khachatur; 18531902; hy, Քրիստափոր Կարա-Մուրզա) was an Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the Sout ...
, who taught at the seminary only one year, in 1892. Kara-Murza composed and organized performances of European music for schoolchildren throughout Armenian-populated areas for educational purposes. And although Komitas criticized his works as not authentically Armenian, Kara-Murza was the person who taught Komitas the polyphonic choral structure around which he built his musical achievements.
In 1894, Soghomon was ordained
hieromonk
A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church and E ...
(կուսակրոն աբեղա) and given the name of the 7th-century poet and musician
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases it is the title of the head of an autonomous church. The word comes from ancient ...
Komitas
Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas, ( hy, Կոմիտաս; 22 October 1935) was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national scho ...
. In February 1895, he was ordained
vardapet
A vardapet or vartabed ( hy, վարդապետ, in Western Armenian or aɾda'pεtin Eastern Armenian) is a highly educated archimandrite in the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian Catholic Church traditions who holds a Doctorate in Theol ...
(celibate priest) and became thereafter known as Komitas Vardapet.
In the same year, his first collection of transcribed folk music, "The Songs of Agn" (Շար Ակնա ժողովրդական երգերի), was completed, which included 25 pieces of love songs, wedding tunes, lullabies and dances. It was disapproved by a reactionary and ultraconservative faction of the Etchmiadzin clergy, who harassed and sarcastically referred to Komitas as "the love-singing priest". Rumors of alleged sexual misconduct were spread, leading Komitas into experiencing an
identity crisis
In psychology, identity crisis is a stage theory of identity development where it involves resolution of a conflict over the 8 stages of the lifespan.(Schultz, 216) The term was coined by German psychologist Erik Erikson.
The stage of psychosoci ...
.
Tiflis and Berlin (1895–1899)
![Berlin Universität um 1900](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Berlin_Universit%C3%A4t_um_1900.jpg)
In October 1895, Komitas left Etchmiadzin for
Tiflis
Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...
to study
harmony
In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However ...
under composer
Makar Yekmalyan
Makar Grigori Yekmalyan (also transliterated ''Ekmalian''; in Armenian Մակար Եկմալյան) (2 February 1856, Vagharshapat - 6 March 1905, Tiflis) was an Armenian composer.
Biography
Yekmalyan studied at the Echmiadzin seminary and later ...
, whose polyphonic rendering of Armenian liturgy is the most widely used and who became one of Komitas's most influential teachers. At the time, Tiflis was the most suitable option for Komitas as it was both relatively close to the Armenian lands and had a
rectory
A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage.
Function
A clergy house is typically ow ...
, where he could stay. The six months Komitas spent with Yekmalyan deepened his understanding of European harmonic principles and laid the groundwork for his further education in European conservatories. As Komitas prepared for entrance exams, the wealthy Armenian oil explorer
Alexander Mantashev agreed to pay 1,800
rubles
The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union.
, currencies named ''rub ...
for his three-year tuition at the request of Catholicos
Mkrtich Khrimian.
Komitas arrived in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
in early June 1896 without having been accepted by any university. A group of Armenian friends helped him to find an apartment. He initially took private lessons with Richard Schmidt for a few months. Afterwards, he was accepted into the prestigious
Frederick William University Friedrich Wilhelm University (German: ''Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität'') may refer to:
* Humboldt University of Berlin, called ''Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität'' from 1828 to 1949, and sometimes known in English as Frederick William University
* ...
. With little left of Mantashev's money after paying for rent and supplies, Komitas cut on food, having one or no meal each day. However, this did not distract him from education and he effectively absorbed the erudition of highly accomplished German teachers. Among them were 18th–19th century folk music specialist
Heinrich Bellermann
Johann Gottfried Heinrich Bellermann (10 March 1832 – 10 April 1903) was a German music theorist. He was the author of ''Der Contrapunkt'' ("Counterpoint"), 1862, (Berlin, Verlag von Julius Springer—2nd ed., 1877; 3rd ed., 1887; 4th ed., ...
,
Max Friedlaender,
Oskar Fleischer
Oskar Fleischer (2 November 1856 – 8 February 1933) was a German musicologist.
Life
Born in Zörbig Anhalt-Bitterfeld, after attending the Latin secondary school at the Francke Foundations in Halle, Fleischer studied ancient and modern lan ...
. Fleischer in May 1899 established the Berlin chapter of the International Musical Society (german: link=no, Internationalen Musikgesellschaft), of which Komitas became an active member. He lectured there on Armenian folk music and suggested that it dated back to pre-Christian, pagan times. His studies at the university ended in July 1899.
Main period of work (1899–1910)
Upon his return to Etchmiadzin in September 1899, Komitas resumed teaching and composing. He assembled and trained a large polyphonic choir based on his acquired knowledge. Until 1906, he directed the Gevorgian Seminary choir. It was in this period when he completed "most of the theoretical and research papers that earned him his place among the pioneers of ethnomusicology." Komitas spent summers in Armenian countryside, developing a unique relationship with villagers. He thus took the scholarly task of transcribing and preserving rural Armenian songs. In the fall of 1903 after three years of collection and transcription, Komitas published a collection of 50 folks songs titled "One Thousand and One Songs" (Հազար ու մի խաղ). Lyricist
Manuk Abeghian
Manuk Abeghian ( hy, Մանուկ Աբեղյան, , alternatively Manouk Abeghian, or Manuk Abeghyan, March 15, 1865 – September 26, 1944) was a scholar of Armenian literature and folklore. He is best remembered as the main designer of the refo ...
helped him to compile the folk pieces. The same collection was reprinted in 1904, while in 1905 a further 50 songs were published.
Constantinople (1910–15)
![Komitas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Komitas_%22Guzan%22_choir_in_Constantinople%2C_1910.jpg)
"Seeking to bring appreciation of Armenian music to a wider audience",
Komitas moved to Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), the Ottoman imperial capital in 1910. "There he trained a group of students in Armenian melody and formed a choir that toured Armenian communities and gave performances of the folk compositions that Komitas had arranged for four-part choir."
He founded the ''Gusan'' choir (''Hay gusan'' since 1912), made up of tens of musicians. With the aim to produce professional musicians, he taught musicology to
Barsegh Kanachyan, Mihran Tumacan, Vagharshak Srvandztian and others.
Deportation and final years (1915–35)
On 24 April 1915, the
day when the
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was ...
officially began, he was arrested and put on a train the next day together with 180 other Armenian notables and sent to the city of
Çankırı
Çankırı, historically known as Gangra (Greek language, Greek: Γάγγρα), is the capital city of Çankırı Province, in Turkey, about northeast of Ankara. It is situated about 800 m (2500 ft) above sea level.
History
Çankır ...
in northern Central Anatolia, at a distance of some . The Turkish nationalist poet
Mehmet Emin Yurdakul
Mehmet Emin Yurdakul (13 May 1869 – 14 January 1944) was a Turkish nationalist writer, poet and politician. Being an ideologue of Pan-Turkism, his writings and poems had a major impact on defining the term ''vatan'' (Fatherland).
Early life a ...
, the writer
Halide Edip
In chemistry, a halide (rarely halogenide) is a binary chemical compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative (or more electropositive) than the halogen, to make a fluor ...
and U.S.
ambassador
An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
Henry Morgenthau intervened with the government, and by special orders from
Talat Pasha
Mehmed Talaat (1 September 187415 March 1921), commonly known as Talaat Pasha or Talat Pasha,; tr, Talat Paşa, links=no was an Ottoman politician and convicted war criminal of the late Ottoman Empire who served as its leader from 1913 t ...
, Komitas was dispatched back to the capital alongside eight other Armenians who had been deported.
Grigoris Balakian
Grigoris Balakian ( hy, Գրիգորիս Պալագեան) 1875 – 8 October 1934), was a bishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in addition to being a survivor and memoirist of the Armenian genocide.
Life
Grigoris Balakian was born in Toka ...
's ''
Armenian Golgotha
Armenian Golgotha ( hy, Հայ Գողգոթան) is a memoir written by Grigoris Balakian about his eyewitness account of the Armenian genocide. The memoir was released in two volumes. Volume 1, about his life prior to and during the Armenian genoc ...
'' offers details of his deportation, during which Komitas suffered tremendously and was afflicted with traumatic neurosis. In one passage Balakian recounts how:
In the autumn of 1916, he was taken to a hospital in Constantinople, Hôpital de la paix, and then moved to Paris in 1919, where he died in a
psychiatric clinic
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...
in
Villejuif
Villejuif () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
Name
The earliest reference to Villejuif appears in a bill signed by the Pope Callixtus II on 27 November 1119. It refers to Villa Ju ...
in 1935. Next year, his ashes were transferred to
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
and buried in the
Pantheon
Pantheon may refer to:
* Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building
Arts and entertainment Comics
*Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization
* ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...
that was named after him.
Legacy
![Komitas Statues in Ejmicin 002](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Komitas_Statues_in_Ejmicin_002.JPG)
In the 1950s, his manuscripts were also transferred from Paris to
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
.
Badarak was first printed in 1933 in Paris and first recorded onto a digital media in 1988 in
Yerevan
Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...
. In collecting and publishing so many folk songs, he saved the cultural heritage of
Western Armenia
Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...
that otherwise would have disappeared because of the genocide. His works have been published in
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 ''Ox ...
in a thoroughly annotated edition by Robert Atayan. Lately, nine songs on German poetry, written during his stay in Berlin, have been excavated from the archives in Yerevan and interpreted by soprano
Hasmik Papian
Hasmik Papian ( hy, Հասմիկ Պապյան; born 2 September 1961) is an Armenians, Armenian soprano. She was awarded the People's Artist of Armenia title in 2004. Papian was named a Cultural ambassador of Armenia in the World for her contribut ...
.
The
Yerevan State Musical Conservatory
Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan ( hy, Երևանի Կոմիտասի անվան պետական կոնսերվատորիա), also known as Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (YKSC) or Yerevan State Conservatory (YSC), is a state-owned colleg ...
is named after Komitas. There also exists a world-renowned
string quartet named after Komitas.
On 6 July 2008, on the occasion of Quebec City's 400th anniversary celebration, a bronze bust of Komitas was unveiled near the Quebec National Assembly (provincial legislature, Auteuil street) in recognition of his great input to music in general and to Armenian popular and liturgical music in particular. Previously, a Granite and Bronze statue of Komitas was erected in Detroit in 1981 in honor of the great composer and as a reminder of the tragedy of the Armenian Genocide.
![Komitas' tombstone in Yerevan's Komitas Pantheon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Komitas%27_tombstone_in_Yerevan%27s_Komitas_Pantheon.JPG)
In September 2008, the CD ''Gomidas Songs'', sung by
Isabel Bayrakdarian
Isabel Bayrakdarian ( arm, Իզապէլ Պայրագտարեան; born February 1, 1974) is a Lebanese-born Canadian operatic soprano of Armenian descent who now resides and works in the United States.
Early life
Born in Zahlé, Lebanon, into an ...
and accompanied by the Chamber Players of the Armenian Philharmonic and pianist
Serouj Kradjian
Serouj Kradjian (born in 1973) is a Canadian Grammy-nominated and Juno-winning pianist and composer.
Early life and education
Born in 1973, at fourteen earned a scholarship to study in Vienna, and was gaining accolades by the age of seven. He lat ...
, was released on the
Nonesuch __NOTOC__
Nonesuch may refer to:
Plants
* ''Lychnis chalcedonica'', a wildflower
* ''Medicago lupulina'', a wildflower
Places and structures
*Nonesuch, Kentucky
*Nonesuch Island, Bermuda
*Nonesuch Mine, Michigan
*Nonesuch Palace, mis-spelling of ...
label. This CD was nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
in the Best Vocal Recording category. A major North American tour by Ms. Bayrakdarian in October 2008 featured the music of Komitas, with concerts in Toronto, San Francisco, Orange County, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Boston and New York's
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
. She was accompanied by the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra conducted by Anne Manson, and pianist
Serouj Kradjian
Serouj Kradjian (born in 1973) is a Canadian Grammy-nominated and Juno-winning pianist and composer.
Early life and education
Born in 1973, at fourteen earned a scholarship to study in Vienna, and was gaining accolades by the age of seven. He lat ...
. The ''Remembrance Tour''
was dedicated to victims of all genocides and sponsored by the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (a division of the
Zoryan Institute
The Zoryan Institute is a non-profit organization and registered charity in the United States and Canada that promotes the study and recognition of the Armenian genocide as well as other genocides throughout history. Historian Dominik J. Schalle ...
). Among the other performers of his music are
Evgeny Kissin
Evgeny Igorevich Kissin (russian: link=no, Евге́ний И́горевич Ки́син, translit=Evgénij Ígorevič Kísin, yi, link=no, יעווגעני קיסין, translit=Yevgeni Kisin; born 10 October 1971) is a Russian concert piani ...
and
Grigory Sokolov
Grigory Lipmanovich Sokolov (russian: Григо́рий Ли́пманович Соколо́в; born April 18, 1950) is a Russian pianist naturalized Spain, Spanish. He is among the most esteemed of living pianists, his repertoire spanning compo ...
.
Since 2018 Komitas appears on the 10000
Armenian dram
The dram ( hy, դրամ; sign: ֏; abbreviation: դր.; ISO code: AMD) is the currency of Armenia, and is also used in the neighboring unrecognized Republic of Artsakh. It was historically subdivided into 100 luma (). The Central Bank of Armen ...
banknote.
![10000 dram 2018 Obverse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/10000_dram_2018_Obverse.jpg)
In 2019, the
Gurdjief Ensemble debuted in New York City performing Komitas's folk songs on traditional instruments.
Landmarks
The following landmarks in Armenia have been named after him:
*The central square of
Vagharshapat
Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...
.
*The
Yerevan State Musical Conservatory
Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan ( hy, Երևանի Կոմիտասի անվան պետական կոնսերվատորիա), also known as Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (YKSC) or Yerevan State Conservatory (YSC), is a state-owned colleg ...
.
*
Komitas Avenue
Komitas Avenue ( hy, Կոմիտասի պողոտա) is a 3 km-long avenue in the Armenian capital of Yerevan. Named after the prominent Armenian composer Komitas, the avenue is the arterial road of the Arabkir district. The avenue which was o ...
, the main thoroughfare of Yerevan's
Arabkir District
Arabkir ( hy, Արաբկիր վարչական շրջան), is one of the 12 districts of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Located to the north of the city centre, Arabkir is bordered by the Davtashen District from the northwest, Ajapnyak District ...
.
*The writers' and poets'
pantheon
Pantheon may refer to:
* Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building
Arts and entertainment Comics
*Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization
* ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...
.
* The
Komitas Museum
Officially, Komitas Museum-Institute (Armenian: ) is an art and biographical museum in Yerevan, Armenia, devoted to the renowned Armenian musicologist and composer Komitas. It is located adjacent to the pantheon at the Komitas Park of Shengavit di ...
adjacent to the Pantheon.
Selected works, editions and recordings
* ''The Music of Komitas'' – double LP released on the centenary of Komitas's birth. KCC, 1970.
* ''The Voice of Komitas Vardapet'', Komitas Vardapet – archival performances recorded in 1908–1912, featuring Komitas on vocals and piano, and
Armenak Shahmuradyan Armenak Shahmuradyan (also spelled Chah-Mouradian or Shah-Mouradian, April 7, 1878, Muş, Ottoman Empire – September 14, 1939, Paris), also known as the ''bard of Daron'', was an Armenian operatic tenor. He is one of the outstanding representativ ...
on vocals. Traditional Crossroads, 1995.
* ''Gomidas – Songs'',
Isabel Bayrakdarian
Isabel Bayrakdarian ( arm, Իզապէլ Պայրագտարեան; born February 1, 1974) is a Lebanese-born Canadian operatic soprano of Armenian descent who now resides and works in the United States.
Early life
Born in Zahlé, Lebanon, into an ...
,
Serouj Kradjian
Serouj Kradjian (born in 1973) is a Canadian Grammy-nominated and Juno-winning pianist and composer.
Early life and education
Born in 1973, at fourteen earned a scholarship to study in Vienna, and was gaining accolades by the age of seven. He lat ...
(arrangements and piano), chamber players of the
Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra
The Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra (''ANPO'') (Armenian: Հայաստանի ազգային ֆիլհարմոնիկ նվագախումբ) is the national orchestra of Armenia. It was founded in 1925 as a symphony orchestra of the Yerevan S ...
, conducted by
Eduard Topchjan. Nonesuch, 2005
* ''Komitas – Complete Works for Piano'',
Şahan Arzruni
Şahan Arzruni ( hy, Շահան Արծրունի; born 8 June 1943) is an Armenian classical pianist, ethnomusicologist, lecturer, composer, writer and producer, residing in New York City.
Early life and education
Arzruni (also transliterated ...
.
Kalan, 2012
* ''Hommage à Komitas'' – audio CD containing 9 songs on German poetry (world premiere, first recording) and 26 songs in Armenian,
Hasmik Papian
Hasmik Papian ( hy, Հասմիկ Պապյան; born 2 September 1961) is an Armenians, Armenian soprano. She was awarded the People's Artist of Armenia title in 2004. Papian was named a Cultural ambassador of Armenia in the World for her contribut ...
(soprano) and
Vardan Mamikonian
Vardan Mamikonian ( hy, Վարդան Մամիկոնեան; – 451) was an Armenian military leader who led a rebellion against Sasanian Iran in 450–451. He was the head of the Mamikonian noble family and holder of the hereditary title of ...
(piano). Recorded at Bavaria Studio, Munich, in July 2005. Audite (Germany) in cooperation with Bayerischer Rundfunk, 2006.
* ''Music by Komitas'' – audio CD featuring instrumental arrangements performed by the Gurdjieff Ensemble, directed and arranged by Levon Eskenian (with notes).
ECM Records
ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is an independent record label founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner in Munich in 1969. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a variety of recordings, and ECM's a ...
, 2015.
* ''My Armenia'' – audio CD dedicated to the 100th Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide,
My Armenia' offers a very personal, touching and brilliant tribute to Armenian music by
Sergey Khachatryan
Sergey Khachatryan (also spelled Sergei Khachatryan; hy, Սերգեյ Խաչատրյան) (born 5 April 1985 in Yerevan) is an Armenian violinist. Since 1993 he has lived in Germany where he gave his first orchestral concert at the age of nine in ...
and Lusine Khachatryan.
Naïve Records
Naïve Records is a French independent record label based in Paris, specializing in electronic music, pop music, jazz and classical music.
Founding and expansion
It was founded in 1998 by Patrick Zelnik, former CEO of Virgin France, Gilles Paire ...
, 2015.
* ''Komitas Vardapet – Six Dances'', Keiko Shichijo (piano). Makkum Records, 2016.
* ''Komitas: Songs'' (arranged for piano by Villy Sargsyan), CD by Yulia Ayrapetyan
ianounder the label Grand Piano (GP895)
Works on Komitas
*
*
Films
* ''Komitas'', 1988, Director:
Don Askarian Don Askarian ( hy, Դոն Ասկարյան; born Makedon Hovsepi Askarian ( hy, Մակեդոն Հովսեփի Ասկարյան) on 10 July 1949 in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, USSR – died 6 October 2018 in Berlin, Germany) was ...
, Actor: Samvel Ovasapian'
* ''
Songs of Solomon
''Songs of Solomon'' () is a 2019 period biographical drama film directed by Arman Nshanian, depicting the life and music of Komitas Vardabet, who was an Armenian composer, ethnomusicologist and priest, who lived during the years of the Armenia ...
'', 2019, directed by Arman Nshanian, Komitas depicted by Samvel Tadevosyan
References
Notes
;Citations
;Books
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;Academic articles
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;Journal and newspaper articles
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External links
*
Komitas MuseumIsabel Bayrakdarian:Gomidas Songs on NonesuchBiography #3New release of 36 Komitas-songs on SACD by the German independent label AUDITE*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20120425014537/http://www.vicdanfilmleri.org/?see=rixa1 A short movie about Komitas Vartabed
Modern performances
«Ամպել ա» ("Ampel a", "Clouded Over")performed by th
"Dilijan" String Quartet
«Շողեր ջան» ("Shogher jan")performed by the "Dilijan" String Quartet
«Կաքաւիկ» ("Kakavik", "Little Partridge")performed by the "Dilijan" String Quartet
{{Authority control
1869 births
1935 deaths
People from Kütahya
Armenian composers
Romantic composers
Composers of Christian music
Armenian ethnomusicologists
Armenian Oriental Orthodox Christians
Armenian Apostolic Christians
Armenians from the Ottoman Empire
Witnesses of the Armenian genocide
Armenian academics
Burials at the Komitas Pantheon
Male classical composers
Gevorgian Seminary alumni
19th-century male musicians
20th-century male musicians