Soghomon Soghomonian, commonly known as Komitas (1869 – 1935), was an Armenian priest, composer, choir leader, singer, music ethnologist, music pedagogue and musicologist. Many regard him as the founder of modern Armenian classical music.
"Soghomon was chosen among 20 candidates and admitted into the seminary (where he impressed the catholicos with his singing talent) and graduated in 1893, after which he became a monk. According to church tradition, newly ordained priests are given new names, and Soghomon was renamed Komitas (named after the seventh-century Armenian catholicos who was also a hymn writer). Two years later, he was elevated in rank to archimandrite and obtained the title Vardapet (or Vartabed), meaning a "doctor of the church" or "divine scholar".
His major work is Badarak (Divine Liturgy), still used today as one of the two most popular musical settings of the Armenian Church liturgy or mass, which he started composing in 1892 but never completely finished due to the upcoming World War I. For the basis of the work, he took chants sung by the eldest priests and upgraded it with typical ("cleaned" of foreign influences) Armenian music elements from his collected material. Today the best-known version of Badarak is his favourite for a four-voiced male choir."
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Komitas, né Soghomon Gevorki Soghomonian est né en 1869 à Kütahya en Turquie et mort le 22 octobre 1935 à Villejuif. Il fut un ecclésiastique, ethnomusicologue, compositeur, chanteur, pédagogue, et conférencier arménien. Il est également connu sous les noms de Père Komitas.
"Komitas est reconnu comme ayant apporté beaucoup à la musique arménienne. Il en a posé les fondements grâce à ses longues recherches ethnomusicologiques auprès des peuples de son pays, et a utilisé ses découvertes pour créer sa propre musique, faisant ainsi preuve, au-delà de son travail de scientifique, d’une grande capacité créatrice.
Il est aujourd'hui considéré comme l'une des personnalités éminentes de la culture arménienne, car le destin tourmenté de cet homme, musicien d'exception, s'est fondu avec le destin de son pays à une époque tragique où il a bien failli disparaître."
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