Komitas was a priest, a musician and a pioneer of ethnomusicology, considered to be the founder of the Armenian national school of music. A significant part of his life was taken up with travel to remote villages, collecting thousands of traditional songs. These range from simple melodies and poetic sketches of Armenian landscapes, to dramatic lyrics expressing mournful tragedy. Komitas was enthralled by the way ‘a peasant learns this art in nature’s embrace, with nature as his infallible school.’ Heard here in world première recordings, these idiomatic arrangements by Villy Sargsyan importantly preserve the composer’s modal-intonational system.
This recording was made on a modern instrument: Steinway, Model D. 274
Tracklist 1 Chinar es, keṙanal mi (You Are Tall Like a Plane Tree, Do Not Bow Down) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1906) (00:02:34) 2 Kuzhn aṙa (I Took A Jug) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1910) (00:01:33) 3 Akh, Maral djan (Ah, Dear Maral) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1899) (00:02:00) 4 Antuni (Song of the Homeless) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1906) (00:04:51) 5 Shogher djan (Dear Shogher) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1907) (00:01:20) 6 Kak'avi erg (Song of the Partridge) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1908) (00:00:55) 7 Kanche, kṙunk (Crane, Sing!) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:03:26) 8 Es saren kugayi (I Returned from the Mountain) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:01:41) 9 Erkink'n ampel ē (The Sky is Cloudy) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1906) (00:02:54) 10 Dsirani dsaṙ (Apricot Tree) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1906) (00:02:33) 11 Garun a (It is Spring) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1906) (00:02:36) 12 Hov arek' (Send a Breeze, Dear Mountains) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1906) (00:03:47) 13 K'ele, k'ele (March, March) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:01:43) 14 Hoy, Nazan (Oh, Nazan) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:01:35) 15 Dsedseṙnak (The Swallow) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1898) (00:02:04) 16 Le, le yaman (Love Song) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:01:16) 17 Kṙunk (The Crane) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:02:35) 18 Mani asem (I Will Tell Fortunes) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1905) (00:00:35) 19 Dsaghik asem (I Will Tell Flowers) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1905) (00:00:36) 20 Matnik'e matovs chēr (The Ring was not My Size) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1901) (00:01:26) 21 Al dzin naln inch kane (What Good is a Horseshoe?) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1905) (00:01:02) 22 Alagyaz (sarn ampel a) (Alagyaz is Covered with Clouds) (3rd setting) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:01:22) 23 Khnki dsaṙ (Incense Tree) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:00:34) 24 Chem kṙna khagha (I cannot Dance) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1908) (00:00:53) 25 Maron a kayne (There Stands Maro) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1905) (00:01:13) 26 Orôr (Lullaby) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1905) (00:01:50) 27 Ampel a kamar-kamar (The Clouds Formed Arches) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:01:08) 28 Lorik (The Quail) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1899) (00:02:46) 29 Habrban (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1906) (00:01:48) 30 Alagyaz (bardzr sarin) (On High Mount Alagyaz) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:02:22) 31 Garun (Spring) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1907) (00:04:17) 32 K'eler, tsoler (He Walked Radiant) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1906) (00:02:31) 33 Zulo (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1899) (00:02:58) 34 Zinch u zinch (What, oh What) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:01:06) 35 Al aylukhs (My Scarlet Kerchief) (arr. V. Sargsyan for piano) (1911) (00:01:56)
