Yerker Hayastanen, Shara Talyan, Mayrig/Shoghig Mkrtichian, Armenian Traditional Song
Name/Title
Yerker Hayastanen, Shara Talyan, Mayrig/Shoghig Mkrtichian, Armenian Traditional SongDescription
The first side features a track titled Mairik, which translates to Mother. The main header reads Yerker Hayastanen, meaning Songs from Armenia. The text explicitly notes that it was recorded in Yerevan. The featured artist is People's Meritorious Artist Shara Talyan, performing alongside the Armenian Ashugh Song Ensemble. Shara Talyan, who lived from 1893 to 1965, was one of the monumental figures of 20th-century Armenian vocal music, serving as a vital bridge between traditional troubadour styles and Western operatic traditions. Born in Tbilisi into a deeply musical lineage, he was the grandson of the legendary troubadour Ashugh Jivani. He studied under renowned masters such as Grigor Suni and Spiridon Melikyan, who was a student of Komitas. Talyan began his career as a church soloist and a tenor, later transitioning to baritone, and became a founding member of the Armenian National Opera Theater in Yerevan. He was famously lauded for his definitive operatic performances, such as Saro in Armen Tigranian's opera Anoush, and was awarded the elite title of People's Artist of the Armenian SSR in 1939. The second side contains an Armenian folk song with words composed by Ashugh Shirin. The vocalist is Shoghik Mkrtchyan, accompanied by a Folk Instrumental Ensemble directed by K. Mirzoyan, featuring a duduk solo by K. Matoyan. A vintage retailer sticker from M.D. Proodian, located at 717 Westminster Street in Providence, Rhode Island, is pasted right over the original English title track, leaving only the Armenian letters ending in krig visible. The vocalist on this side, Shoghik Mkrtchyan, born in Van, lived from 1911 to 2000 and was a highly celebrated Armenian folk soprano whose career flourished in mid-century Soviet Armenia. Known for her crystalline, highly expressive vocal timbre, she excelled in interpreting the works of classic historical troubadours and contemporary folk composers, spending decades performing with state folk ensembles and leaving behind a rich discography distributed globally to diaspora communities. The lyricist, Ashugh Shirin, born Hovhannes Karapetyan, lived from 1827 to 1856 and was a foundational 19th-century troubadour from the village of Kedabek. Blinded at an early age, he traveled extensively throughout western Armenia, Georgia, and Iran, composing profound, bittersweet poetry and traditional songs that became permanent staples of the classical Armenian folk songbook.Audio Format
78 RPM RecordRecording Type
MusicCategory
Vinyl Record