Identity Construction in Armenian Music on the Example of the Early Folklore Movement
Davidjants, BrigittaExamines how national identity was constructed within the early Armenian folklore movement. Davidjants notes that Armenian identity construction has drawn on Armenia's status as the first Christian state and on a well-integrated Western diaspora, both used to present Armenians as 'European', even though Armenia shares many cultural traits with its neighbours. Against that background she compares two approaches to transcribing Armenian folk tunes: those of Komitas and those of his contemporary, the folklorist Arshak Brutyan. Komitas leaned toward a Western way of thinking, standardising tunes according to the Western music system, while Brutyan sought transcription methods better fitted to Armenian musical culture. It is Komitas's approach that remains dominant in Armenian academic circles today.