A little more from Armenia before crossing the border.
This post features four radio programs from the Other Minds Archive at the Internet Archive, referred to in the first post. For the most part, Other Minds focuses on contemporary classical music. They began uploading broadcasts from the Ode to Gravity, Speaking of Music, and Morning Concert series in the early 2000s, when I had only been listening to American minimalism for a couple years. The interviews and curated music in these programs both deepened and broadened my knowledge and appreciation for 20th classical.
For me, the jewel of this bunch is the first program with Maro Ajemian. Ajemian was the first to record John Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, and her version remains my preferred performance. From this interview, we see how intertwined her musical identity is with her homeland. For those that just want to hear the music, however, skip to the second program "Folk Music of Armenia."
Ode To Gravity: A Visit With Maro Ajemian (August 26, 1970)
The program I most fondly remember:
Internationally renowned pianist Maro Ajemian, her husband Lionel Galstaun, and KPFA's Richard Friedman and Charles Amirkhanian discuss the music of Komitas (1869-1935), an Armenian composer, performer, and musicologist, whose compositions are based on folk tunes of Armenia and set in the modes, rhythms, and harmonies of Eastern rather than Western (e.g. Khachaturian) composition. Examples of piano works and choral works are heard from a privately issued two-record album.
Folk Music from Armenia (May 18, 1971)
A program that is primarily music. It features traditional songs and dances, including some classics one is bound to encounter in countless renditions. A "Line Ball Dance" that ends a bit faster and more frenetic than some, a soulful "Krunk"—what more can one ask for?
Musical Selections include: The Plough Song / Komitas -- Antuni [Song of the Homeless] (1905–06) / Komitas -- Bunch of Flowers -- Dance Game -- Dsedsernak [The Swallow] (1898) / Komitas -- Line Ball Dance -- Im Gala -- Krunk [The crane] (1911) / Komitas
Morning Concert Series: Armenian Martyr's Day (April 21, 1978)
Amirkhanian does not neglect the rich tradition of Armenian liturgical music.
Charles Amirkhanian commemorates the genocide of the Armenian People by the Ottoman Turks in 1915 with music by the Chancel Choir of Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church in Fresno, California.
Morning Concert Series: Soul of Armenia: Folk Music Rarities of Komitas Vardapet (February 13, 1987)
I suppose we can relish that the music featured here is considerably less rare these days, thanks in no small part to the cultural pride of the Armenian diaspora. For those uninterested in what is an engaging conversation between Amirkhanian and Salibian, try to find the CD The Voice of Komitas Vardapet. Or, enjoy this YouTube upload:
The first 3 songs (Lorik, Krunk, Kuzh ara ela sar) are sung by Armenak Shahmuradyan. The 4th (Mokats Mirza) is sung by Komitas. Songs 5-6: Shahmuradyan. The 7th (Horovel) house is sung by Komitas, the second by Vahan Ter-Arakelyan, and the third by Komitas and Vahan together. 8th (Wind, dear mountains), Komitas. 9th (In view) Shahmuradyan. The 10th is Komitas (I do not like the words). 11th (Lori plow song) Komitas. 11th (It is spring, lay eggs) Shahmuradyan. The 13th (Aror said to Tartrak) was Komitas. 14th (Antuni-my heart is like ruined houses) Shahmuradyan. A real Armenian must listen to these songs 20, 30, 100 times, don't feel like crying when listening to them. Whoever does not feel these songs, does not get excited listening to them, has absolutely no idea what an Armenian song is. —YouTube user Meruzhan Harutyunyan (using Google Translate)
But, for those who also would enjoy hearing a couple Armenian-Americans vibrating with energy over these old recordings and the opportunity to broadcast them, the radio program is completely worth it. Context, history, anecdotes and superb music—Amirkhanian is a top-rate interviewer and producer.
This program introduces some of the earliest and rarest recordings of Armenian folk music, soulful interpretations by performers who recorded during the 78 rpm era. Komitas Vardapet (1869-1935) was the first to document such works by recording the oral tradition of Armenian music. By 1912, he had recorded his own arrangements of these Armenian folk songs, (in the same way Bartok did for Hungarian music), with the legendary "Caruso of the Armenians," Armenak Shahmuradian. The latter traveled around the world from India to Fresno, California, performing this music, and his vocal legacy is unparalleled, as witnessed by these recordings from 1912 and 1916. The range, or tessitura, of most Armenian music is relentlessly stratospheric, in spite of which, Shahmuradian's breath control, declamation and ornamentation is of the highest order of musicality. Charles Amirkhanian hosts this program which features guest producer Ohannes Salibian, a composer and Armenian music historian on the faculty of the University of Southern California. Salibian also introduces recordings of other musicians performing Komitas' arrangements for piano solo, voice, chorus and instruments. Included are recordings made in Georgia in 1945 and 1947 by the Komitas String Quartet.
FLAC and MP3 [Internet Archive]
Downloading Help
For the first three links, you may think only a streaming file is available. However, if you save the streaming m3u file and open it in a text editor, you will see that it contains links to the mp3 files. You can save these mp3s by importing the list into a download manager or copying the list into JDownloader2.
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