Armenia Travel Blog

Komitas is one of the brightest Armenian composers and musicians.
He was born in 1869 in Turkey, studied in Etchmiadzin’s theological seminary, in conservatory and university in Berlin, lived in Constantinople, one of the significant centers of Armenian culture and died in France in 1935. He died in a Paris mental hospital. His mental desease was the consequence of what he had come through during the Armenian genocide in 1915. Among other Armenian population of Turkey he was arrested and exiled to Anatolia. The 3-month path to death and cruel murders of his friends, women and children left its indelible mark on his soul and mind.

Komitas brought a renaissance to the centuries-old Armenian music. Komitas’ music is the reflection of Armenian spirit and culture.

Many famous western composers found inspiration in Komitas’ music. After one of the concerts the outstanding French composer Claude Debussy exclaimed excitedly: “Brilliant father Komitas! I bow before your musical genius!” He paid high tribute to the merits of Komitas and his significance for the world of music, saying, “If Komitas wrote only “Antuni”, that alone would be enough to consider him a great artist”. In Debussy’s opinion Komitas was a revelation, the most remarkable phenomenon in the world of music.

“Vagharshapat Dance” performed by “Komitas Quartet”

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Komitas Quartet was founded in Moscow in 1924. In 1976 the quartet moved from Moscow to Yerevan starting a new page in its history. The quartet made a lot of collection recordings in the USSR and released numerous albums in Russia, United Kingdom, France and USA.

The present team of the Komitas Quartet:

Eduard Tadevosyan 1st Violin
Syuzi Yeritsyan 2nd Violin
Alexander Kosemyan Viola
Aram Talalyan Cello

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