Tag Archives | Armenia

We’re Going to a Party and Everyone’s Invited

“Hele Hele” is an Armenian dance party song. Originating in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, which used to be a center of Armenian culture, the song is all about a party: “Tonight is the night of resurrection/Ask the beauties for favors and questions/If every girl should give a kis/The whole world is topsy-turvy….Threre’s going to be a celebration!” You’ll hear a fantastic version by Armenian-American oud master Richard Hagopian on the Smithsonian Folkways album, “Armenian Music Through the Ages.”

In class we not only party down to our adaptation of “Hele Hele,” but we shake our bottoms while we do it. We proudly dance the Armenian party favorite, known lovingly as the Tash Toosh. See a cartoon dance it. Now get up and dance it yourself!

Komitas and Dear Shogher

Soghomon Soghomonian — commonly known as “Komitas” — was an Armenian priest and early pioneer ethnomusicologist.

Following his ordination as a priest he studied music in Germany, applying Western musical training to his documentation of thousands of Armenian and Kurdish folk songs, such as the one we see in this wonderful video, “Shoger Jan,” an Armenian folk song that tells the tale of our beloved Shogher who ventured out onto the mountain before snow started to fall but, since snow began, has not returned: “Clouds have gathered, snow isn’t falling, Dear Shogher, The boy hasn’t come back from the mountain, Dear Shogher, Rock in the wind, wave in the wind, Dear Shogher, Snow has appeared from the clouds, Dear Shogher.” In 1915 the Ottoman Empire deported Komitas, and thousands of other intellectuals from Armenia, to a prison camp, as part of the Armenian genocide. He suffered a mental breakdown and, sadly, lived in psychiatric hospitals the rest of his life.

Armenian Music is Everywhere

Richard Hagopian shows us the way to Armenia….

The music of the Southern Caucasus has its roots in two thousand years of cultural, ethnic and religious struggle, its mere survival a testament to the persistence and communal strength of Georgian, Azeri and Armenian people. While contemporary musicians from the Caucasus readily embrace global genres, especially those who live in emigrant communities in America and Europe, artists who perform the region’s traditional music know that when they’re passing their ancient music to a new generation, they’re doing much more than just singing songs. For example, Armenia has a long, rich history during which its music has had the the chance to establish deep, resonant roots. Today’s Armenian music is a mix of ancient Church liturgy, super-ancient pre-Christian chants, relatively new indigenous folk (only centuries old) and raucously ultra-modern Euro-pop that draws substantially on what came before. Substantial populations of Armenians live and create music not only in their homeland but in many communities abroad. Let’s start the week this video of a musician of Armenian descent, born and raised in the diaspora — Armenian-American oud player Richard Hagopian.

Georgia on My Mind. And Armenia. And Azerbaijan.

This week our online class takes us to one of the world’s “roughest neighborhoods” – the Caucasus Mountains, where we sing songs from three countries in the Southern Caucausus — Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. These three countries enjoy life in an oft-disputed mountain area that’s not only located between the Black and Caspian Seas, but also between three of the world’s great conquering empires — the Persians, the Ottomans and the Russians. Each of the three nations of the Southern Caucasus has its own language, its own culture and its own history. Each also has its own long list of historic struggles, and each has had to face them and press ahead in its own unique way. The three have often had the inclination to unite, first in an unsuccessful attempt after World War I to form the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, then, within the USSR, as part of the Transcaucasian Federation, which disbanded in 1936–but unfortunately, as of late, each of these little countries has had a hard time living beside its neighbors in peace. This we’re going to enjoy some music from the mountains, and not worry so much about our nosy neighbors.

Tata!

Let us dance with Tata Simonyan.

Today’s musicians from Armenia respect their nation’s thousands of years of musical tradition but they also find inspiration in music from around the world. One of the most popular, and controversial, contemporary Armenian musical genres is called rabiz, which blends Armenian folk with melodic modern pop. Rabiz is known as “laborer’s music,” a genre of pop that captivates Armenian youth both in Armenia and abroad, especially in Armenian communities throughout Russia and in Los Angeles. Both creators and fans of the catchy dance pop have developed their own street-level fashion and fast-moving, partying lifestyle. One of the giants of rabiz is Tata Simonyan, who is becoming an international pop star. In this video, for our last post of a week exploring Armenian music, we embrace the spirit of rabizz and party with Tata. Tata!

Shake Yer Tash Toosh

In our online class we party down to the Armenian song, “Hele Hele,” and while we do so we dance the Armenian party favorite, known — lovingly — as the Tash Toosh.

In class I ask families to imagine themselves at a family wedding, the dancefloor poppin’, then envision the crowd parting to reveal the true breakout star of the party…an uncle who you’ve only previously known to sit in an easy chair in the corner of the living room is up, dancing, and AMAZING! His dance is not graceful and doesn’t really have any moves, but the rump-shaking — and the enthusiastic arm-waving, which almost always comes along…that’s the Tash Toosh. See this cartoon uncle dance it. Now get up and dance it yourself.

Hele Hele Hele Ninnay Eh

“Hele Hele” is an Armenian dance song that originated in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, historically a center of Armenian culture. The song is all about a party: “Tonight is the night of resurrection/Ask the beauties for favors and questions/If every girl should give a kis/The whole world is topsy-turvy….Threre’s going to be a celebration!” In our version of the song, we shake our bottoms as we sing: “We’re going a party and everyone’s invited Hele hele hele ninnay eh, We’re going to a party it will last all night, Hele hele hele ninnay eh, At least until we all get tired, Hele hele hele ninnay eh, Which nowadays is about 7:30, Hele hele hele ninnay eh.”

Saint Mesrop Mashtots

How modern is Mesrop Mashtots…? Depends who you ask.

The oldest music from Armenia predates Christianity and takes the form of melodic chants known as “sharakans,” recorded in a homegrown musical notation called “khaz” that described melodies and modes by noting a voice’s pitch, duration and strength. According to Wikipedia, while some of these chants are ancient, “others are relatively modern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots.” (What Wikipedia doesn’t mention is that “modern” Saint Mashtots was born in the year 360 A.D.) Let’s listen to this video of a composition attributed to Mashtots. Chances are, he wrote it on a lunch break while working on the somewhat more important accomplishment for which historians give him credit — inventing the Armenian Alphabet.

Divan and the Duduk

Divan Gasparyan is a master of the duduk….

One of most passionate, often plaintive, ancient instruments of Armenia, is a woodwind called the duduk. The duduk is a double-reed instrument traditionally made from apricot wood. Ususally duduk players perform in pairs; one player performs the a deeply emotional melody while the second performs a haunting drone. In this video, duduk master Divan Gasparyan takes the lead on the duduk as his friends drone on.