Yerker Hayastanen, Shoghik Mkrtichian/Womens Ensemble
Name/Title
Yerker Hayastanen, Shoghik Mkrtichian/Womens EnsembleDescription
This vintage 78 RPM record captures historical recordings of traditional Armenian music, with each side presenting a distinct folk performance documented in Yerevan. The first image shows side 62, featuring the track "Loosnak Tzolatz," which translates to "The Moon Shined" or "Shining Moon." It is performed by the Women’s Vocal Ensemble of the Armenian SSR Radio Committee, under the direction of A. Merangulyan, with accompaniment from a traditional folk instrument ensemble. The second image shows side 61, featuring the track "Guzals Kherov e," which translates to "My Beauty is Offended" or "My Beauty is Angry." This side features the celebrated Armenian folk soprano Shoghik Mkrtchyan, who lived from 1911 to 2000. Born in Van, Mkrtchyan was a highly celebrated artist 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 for this song is the foundational 19th-century troubadour Ashugh Shirin, born Hovhannes Karapetyan, who lived from 1827 to 1856. Originally from the village of Kedabek and 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. For this specific recording, Mkrtchyan is backed by the Armenian Folk Instrument Ensemble under the leadership of K. Mirzoyan, and the performance highlights a prominent duduk solo by L. Madoyan.Audio Format
78 RPM RecordRecording Type
MusicCategory
Vinyl Record