• Unfortunately, while recording songs, Komitas did not usually note the song’s origin, as to which region or province it may have come from. Komitas recorded songs at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, from Armenians living in the plains of Ararat. Of course, many of these songs had roots in Western Armenia in Mush, Sasun, Van and many other places and regions. But since songs have been passed to us by word of mouth, from generation to generation, it is clear that the songs have the distinct peculiarities of each region. Thus, the following songs in this recording are considered to be songs of Echmiadzin and the provinces of Ararat: “Ay, Lorik”, “Avetis”, “Dan, Dan, Dan e Dan,” “En Dizan”, “Ayb, Bem, Gim”, Teshik Manogh Nargizu", and others.
  

Aram Harutyunyan, Mane Babayan, Anoosh and Aroosiak Harutyunyan

Mavrik Mkrtchyan, Mane Babayan Aram, Hayk and Lilit Harutyunyan

Mavrik Mkrtchyan, Hayk and
Aram Harutyunyan

Children have always been participants in all rites, ceremonies, happiness, and work processes. The child quickly absorbs each new and interesting thing he meets. He wants to help his grandfather and father in working with the land, and share household duties with his mother and grandmother, and participate in all ceremonies and gatherings; all this time he absorbs this new world in his own, private way and learns to live, rejoice, sing, dance, and work.


The place and method of learning a song

“It is very interesting for village children to see the process of song and dance. They enter from this or that opening, from left and right amongst the grandfathers and grandmothers, listening to the singers, mimicking their movements, closing and opening their mouths, without thinking, all of which the child’s mind easily grasps and then, with confidence, expresses, or sings, this music.”

“When the game, or song, has finished, the child runs to some corner and tries to repeat everything he has heard. They like the shortness of the song, and the simple repetitions. They aren’t interested in the least with the lyrics, because the meaning is likely not understandable to them.”

In the words of Hayrig Mouradian: “There was a tradition in our mountainous country - in summer and fall, we built large fires, and gathered around the fires, sitting on logs and branches, and told our thoughts and feelings, daily problems, told stories and fables, sang, and laughed. In these historical, patriarchal villages, these gatherings were events where villagers sang and performed their songs and recitations, singing their versions of the song.”The song passes from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation.

The spread of the national song made important strides in village schools, where teachers taught these songs in a simple, dedicated manner - true songs of the village, of the countryside. At these schools, children happily learned these songs and took them home, singing them at their family hearth, where foreign influences and styles had already reached.

The method of protecting and spreading the folk song is mainly by way of ceremonies such as weddings, festivities, and pilgrimages. Both religious ceremonies and weddings are always accompanied by music. Revered places of pilgrimage were the monasteries of Narek, Varaga, Aghtamar, Pootka, and St. Gevorg, and the church of St. Mary on the mountain Maratouk. Every year, pilgrims would bring new and old folk songs and dances to these places. The pilgrimages became showcases of folk music, pilgrims returning to their patriarchal villages with news songs, new enthusiasm.

The most simple and basic kind of folk song is the children’s song. Children’s folk songs are a genre that is much loved and easily spread; children learn these songs very quickly and happily. The songs are at times simple, yet at other times serious and ingenious. Very often, the song presents interesting questions and answers or teaches fables, tales, and the alphabet, as in songs where the speed in which the song is sung helps the child speak better and faster, along with the initial purpose of learning the alphabet.

Also, a large number of songs exist which, although not pure children’s songs, have been absorbed into the genre and become their own, and are performed and loved as all true children’s folk songs.

Long ago, it was proved that the child, in his clear, simple mentality, is able to differentiate, without missing anything, the worth of what is open and honest, and that now they sing these songs that captivated their wishes and filled their colorful imagination. The child’s mind still isn’t weighed down by rules, laws, and the heavy burden of traditions, thus he understands the world as a fable, where it is possible to speak with birds and the sun, and also as a grown person, directing his prayers to God, or holding a doll and rocking it to sleep with a lullaby. In other words, the child feels himself a true member of this world, and the universe, and feels that these sentiments and feelings help him understand and absorb the world and strengthen the course of his life, line-by-line, page-by-page.

In this recording, a series of much-loved children’s folk songs are presented, songs of different character and realities, which are sung taking special care to preserve their distinct styles and rhythms. Also in this recording arrangements of children’s songs by Komitas are found, written especially for children attending the Gevorgyan School in Echmiadzin and the Nikoghosyan School in Constantinople. In these arrangements we meet Komitas the teacher, who, for the people and especially for children, was deeply concerned about the education of his people. Realizing the importance of this work, Komitas went on to assign his students the task of writing and teaching folk songs to others. Further proof of Komitas’ concern for children and their songs are songs he arranged for piano.


The songs

As has already been said, the child communicates in a free, unbridled way with the natural world. Is it not true that the child is a part of this world, even though a small part, yet very important. The child appeals to the sun, as he would a friend, asking the sun to come out from behind the clouds, promising his precious raisins, which he is ready to share with the sun, if only the sun will play with him see: “Arev, Arev, Ari Doos" and “Arev, Arev, Yek, Yek".
Everyone knows the love children have for birds. Nearly all Armenian children know the songs “Kakavik” (Partridge) and “Ay, Lorik” (Quail). The flowing, beautiful melodies and easily remembered lyrics are remembered by all until adulthood, when they are then passed on to the next generation, our children.

For children, life is an interesting and great game, where the toys are the natural world and its objects.

The next song, is about a boy’s beloved horse, which, for no reason, turns into a steed, when the boy grows up. This kind of song teaches our future brave soldiers to protect our country and our mothers.

The next a lullaby, by nature, isn’t a children’s song, but it is clear to everyone that the small girl’s precious game, caring for her doll, and putting her to sleep, is important to her, as it is for her mother.

Ilik, or teshik

Clay

Girls learn to weave and sew from their mothers, and that work is more interesting, and becomes like a game, when singing the wonderful song like “Teshik Manogh Nargizu", which is one of the first children’s work song. This series also includes the song “Hing Edz Unem Ulerov", where it is told how to take care of a goat - how cream and oil are taken from milk - to help the young girl learn to be the woman of the household.

The next song is one of the large genres of children’s songs that demand flexibility and a good memory, as during the singing of this song the speed becomes gradually faster. This song is connected with Barekendan, the first holiday of spring, which heralds the awakening of nature and the resulting work activities and the wish for a successful harvest “berku bari lini” (let the harvest be good).

A special genre of sacred songs is called “Avetis” (means ‘good news’ in Armenia). These old songs have penetrated into the music. The style has been strictly passed, by word of mouth, from generation to generation. Now there are almost limitless songs in this genre, sung in different styles and melodies, yet the lyrics and meaning are one and the same, the only possible difference being in the dialect.

In the “Avetis” songs the most simple rhythm and syllabic measurements of the “sharakans” (sacred songs) and psalms have been made part of the distinct mould of the folk dance.

The “Avetis” songs, in that they are songs spreading “good news”, reveal especially events such as the birth and resurrection of Christ, and other holidays of a religious nature. But, in essence, they are sung during the above-mentioned times, those of the birth and resurrection of Christ. The birth of Christ, celebrated as Christmas, runs parallel with New Year celebrations, where the child will become overjoyed by receiving many presents, yet the resurrection of Christ, celebrated as Easter, becomes a different source of joy, as the conclusion of the forty day Great Fast leads to great-tasting food and celebrations, including many happy songs (“Avetis Dznndyan”, “Avetis Meds Zatiki”), meaning “News of Christ’s Birth” and “News of Easter”.

Doll

Khachbur

The next two songs are ceremonial wedding songs. The purpose of the song is the praising of the bride and groom, on the road to the church, and especially includes those family and friends who sing and dance as they escort the bride and groom from house to house on their way to the church.

One of the most well known songs concerning pilgrimages is “Maratouk Astvatsatsin” (Maratouk Holy Mother of God), which is sung without any variances and with the same melody in provinces all over Armenia.

Another of this type of song is “Arorn oo Tatraku” (The Lark and the Turtle Dove). This is a proverb where the lark and the turtle dove tell their problems, in reality the problems and wishes of the people. Children understand this song in their light, simple way, as they would an interesting fable about a lark and a turtle dove.

A hero of many fables and proverbs is the sly fox, which had to find its way into the children’s song.

“Zmpik, Zmpik, Zarina” and “Dan, Dan, Dan e Dan” are play-songs, and are sung to special games, dance movements, and result in great happiness for children.

“Djan Garnook” (Dear Lamb) and “Antsrevn Yekav” (The Rain Came) are songs from the collection of Komitas.

Mesrop Mashtots (362-440) was a priest, composer, enlightener, translator, musician, poet, teacher, and inventor of the Armenian alphabet (405). Began, along with Sahak Partev, creating the special literature and translations unique to the Armenian language. Even the school was thus founded. Hues and motives peculiar to music were created and classified. “Ankanim Arachi Ko” and “Tsov Kentsaghuys” are the easiest of those sacred songs for children to learn, after which they become very pleasing and understandable for the listener. They are wonderful examples of these pure songs written by Mashtots (sacred songs). They are sung in older time, known as “Grapar”, or Classical Armenian, which causes no difficulties for children when properly explained.

Learning the Armenian alphabet is known to be a difficult task; here, the song “Ayb, ben, gim” makes that task easier, as the entire song consists of the spelling, letter by letter, of the Armenian alphabet. This song is divided into several parts, and each part is sung by a single child. It is important to carefully follow the course of the song so no mistake or confusion takes place in the entry of each part. In the event of even one mistake, the alphabet cannot be correctly completed.

Letters of the Armenian alphabet

Hayrik Mouradian and Aram Harutyunyan (5 years old)

The next folk song is a unique duet that Komitas recorded and arranged for piano and two voices. But this song, which is exclusively sung by children at ceremonies, festivals, and gatherings in general. Songs of question and answer songs in both literature and music, the song is very active, even taking the form of the theater. And what child doesn’t love theater and the stories it tells?

The next two song, by way of their dialects, are shown to have been written in Van (Vaspurakan region). Hayrik Mouradian learned these songs in the village school in Shatakh and later from Armenian children in Baquba, Iraq. They are songs of humor.

Patriotic songs are presented here, which were originally sung in Vaspurakan (Van) and Moks. Hayrik Mouradian learned these songs from Harutyun Glanyan, who had learned them from the archpriest Natan.

Children grow up very rapidly. With the wink of an eye, they are already mothers and fathers, and have become farmers and soldiers for their homeland. And it is very difficult to find that border, where the child is already grown and we, the grownups, then have difficulty realizing that we ourselves are no longer children. Is it not true that many of us still carry the fire of youth and its memories, and then pass this light on to our children?

- map sketch: Armenia today


Instruments:

	- Duduk, dham duduk (wind instrument)
	Gevorg Dabaghyan Grigor Takushyan Armenian oboe. A single or double reed wind instrument made of apricot wood with a sound that has a humanlike voice quality. It has a cylindrical wooden pipe, a broad reed and nine holes (8 finger-holes and one thumb-hole). It has a warm, soft, slightly nasal timbre and full tone. This instrument is equally used for slow lyrical tunes (accompanying folk songs) and faster dance-tunes and it is also played solo. The tuning is basically untempered diatonic, though chromatic notes can be obtained by partially opening or closing the finger holes. The double reed is a slit-tube-like reed. The origin of the duduk goes back to times before Christ.
	- Shvi, tav shvi (wind instrument)
	Levon Tevanyan The Shvi is an Armenian end-blown duct flute, made of reed or wood, with a mouth-piece similar to a recorder. It has seven finger-holes and one thumb-hole and an average lenght of 32 cm. At the upper end, near the mouthpiece, there is a metal (usually tin) ring for adjusting the sound. It can be made in various sizes and it is played solo and in ensembles of folk instruments. The shepherds sometimes play it in place of the more difficult pastoral flute "blul".
	- Kanun (string instrument)
	Karine Hovhannisyan The kanun is a plucked box zither of the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia. It is trapeziform in shape, one of the sides being rectangular. Armenian models never have more than two string-levers. To play the instruments, the musicians place it either on their knees or on a table. The strings are plucked by ring-shaped plectra put on the index fingers. The range of the kanun varies between three and four octaves. In Armenia it is played as a solo instrument or in ensembles. The instrument has 24 triple courses of gut strings tuned to a diatonic scale of D major.
	- Dhol (percussion instrument)
	Kamo Khachatryan Double-headed cylindrical drum. One membrane is thick and produces a deep sound, the other is thinner, generating a higher pitch. The membranes are made of sheepskin or goatskin, which are tensioned to each other by a variety of zigzag lacing around the cylinder. It is either played with two wooden sticks (one usually thicker than the other) on both membranes, or with the fingers and palms on one membrane. A variety of dances and songs are accompanied by the dhol. Many rhythmic patterns are used, giving the music an improvisatory character and its beat. In medieval times, the dhol was also known as the gos.
	- Dap - frame drum (percussion instrument)
	The Dap is a single-headed Armeniam frame drum, equivalent of the Arab duff. the wooden frame ist 35 to 50 cm in diamenter, with jingles (metal rings, rattles, silver coins etc) attached inside the frame and sound when the drum is played or shaken. By striking the centre od the edge of the membrane, sounds of differing pitch and timbre can be produced.