Zabelle Panosian, Grunk/Im Sireli Zavagounks
Name/Title
Zabelle Panosian, Grunk/Im Sireli ZavagounksDescription
Zabelle Panosian was born on June 7, 1891, in Bardizag (now Bahçecik, Turkey). She emigrated to the United States with her family in April 1896 and lived in Brookline, Massachusetts, from 1908 into the 1920s, performing with the Boston Opera Company during that time. In March or possibly April 1917, she recorded six songs (five in one session and one in a second), along with two alternate takes, for Columbia in their Woolworth Building studio on Broadway, New York. These six songs were released across three Columbia records. Zabelle Panosian’s recording of the Armenian folk classic Groung was one of the top three best-selling records in the Armenian-American community during the 1920s. Unlike the well-known Gomidas version, her rendition featured a distinct melody, which she had learned in her hometown of Bardizag, near Izmit, Turkey. Grounk (Crane), a folk song already over 300 years old at the time of her recording, remained popular among Armenian listeners throughout the 1920s. Its success continued until 1931, when Columbia Records removed its Armenian-language catalog.Audio Format
78 RPM RecordRecording Type
MusicCategory
Vinyl Record