Ալվարդ Միրզոյան (քանոն)

 

Ալվարդ Միրզոյան (քանոն)

Alvard Mirzoyan (kanon)

Melodiya, 1986, S 3u 23613 008

The kanon (or kanun, qanun ...) is a very old instrument in the Near East but I don't know exactly when it was used extensively by Armenian musicians although there are pictures dating from the Middle Ages showing this instrument. It seems that mostly men played it until the beginning of the XXth century when women became more numerous like Louisa Sedrakian or Angela Atabekian who is said to have been the first female kanun player trained by famous kanonist and composer Khachatour Avetissian among others. Knar (lyre) was an ancient name for the kanon. It replaced the santoor in modern folk orchestras.
A. Mirzoyan was born in 1956 but it's nearly impossible to get useful information about her training or career. I know that she played with Jivan Gasparyan's band.
Here we have a typical example of the Soviet idea about folk music whether Russian, Estonian or Armenian. Folk musicians were expected to get as close as they could to classical music (reading, virtuosity, harmonization, etc...). This is why, maybe, there are two classical-like pieces : the Venetian Carnival by Paganini and a sonata for kanon composed by Kh. Avetissian mentionned above. For this piece re-recording was used so that Mirzoyan could play three kanons. The ''classical'' aspect is also present on three other tracks where Mirzoyan is accompanied by forte-piano player Assia Gazaryan. These includes two pieces by Komitas who was himself a pioneer in the modernization of traditional Armenian music as well as a musicologist who saved or rediscovered old forms of liturgical chanting.
There is a composition by Sayat Nova of course as well as dances with dhol player Gagik Akhverdian.

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Bharata natyam songs

 

BHARATA NATYAM SONGS 

Sung by kalaimamani S. Rajeshwari
Nattuvangam : kalaimamani natyachelvam  K.N. Pakkiriswami Pillai

HMV, 1984, TPHVS 32511 

Bharata natyam is a major form of Tamil classical dance originating in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the oldest traditional Indian dances. A mixture of classical dance and martial arts, it has been linked to religious practices since its origin. The oldest description of this type of dance goes back to the second century CE. The practice of bharata natyam suffered in the 19th century from the devaluation of this art by the English colonisers for example by accusing the dancers of being mere prostitutes.The tradition was saved and then renewed during the 20th century, particularly after independence.There are different styles of bharata natyam. It is often a solo dance that is very difficult and long to learn. It is often taught today to young girls, but has remained open to boys. There are seven steps in a regular performance starting with a prayer to Ganesha and finishing with a mangalam a kind of blessing.

Here the singer is S. Rajeshwari, kalaimamani being the highest civilian award in the state of  Tamil Nadu. She is accompanied by a mridangam player and on some tracks by a flute player. No names mentionned. However another musician has his name on the cover : K.N. Pakkiriswami Pillai. This man is in charge of the nattuvangam without which dancing would be impossible. Nattuvangam is at the heart of the performance based on the thalam (taal) or rythmic cycle. He leads the dancer who must know perfectly the bases of her/his choregraphy. The nattuvanar is thus paramount and this is why his name is on the same level as that of the singer. He plays little cymbals and uses also syllables such as ''kita taka tari kita thom''.
Note that tracks A1 and A2 are one track so there are eight tracks instead of nine.

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ΤΟ ΚΑΣΤΡΟ ΤΗΣ ΘΡΑΚΙΑΣ

 

ΤΟ ΚΑΣΤΡΟ ΤΗΣ ΘΡΑΚΙΑΣ

THE CASTLE OF THRACE

Kariofyllis Dhoïtsidhis  Theopoula and Labriana Dhoïtsdhi

Pan Vox, 1985, SPV 16340

This tape is part of the collection ''Songs and dances from Thrace n°11'' here performed by a group lead by K. Dhoïstidhis who is credited with the entire programme (lyrics and music); of course  the repertoire is in fact traditional in its aspect. The Dhoïtsidhis are a well known musical family with Kariofyllis (vocal and outi) and his two daughters (vocals). They come from the village of Karoti near the Turkish border; the whole region lies between Bulgaria and Turkey and is called ''to kastro''. I supposed that the title of this tape and the last song refer to that area.
The instruments used here are clarinet, violin kanun, outi and toubeleki.

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Los Pampas

 

LOS PAMPAS / PAYSAGES D'ARGENTINE

flûte indienne.charengo.bombo.flautilla tucumana.guitares

LOS PAMPAS/ LANDSCAPES OF ARGENTINA

Disques Vogue, 1969, CLVLX 381

This is the first album out of two recorded by this excellent band of Argentinian musicians. Interestingly it was issued in France on a French label (as well as the second album). France was very much attracted to Latin American music generally speaking at that time and had been since the fifties; a lot a groups toured in France and Western Europe like Los Guaranis and Los Machucambos then later Los Incas, Los Calchakis, ... Los Pampas was led by Carlos Benn-Pott the kena player (also a member of Los Incas); he composed some of the tunes present on this album. Raul Maldonado on guitar and vocals was also an important musician for the diffusion of Argentinian music in Europe.
The repertoire is made of traditional dances and songs : chacarera, zamba, escondido, bailecito, cueca etc... The two zambas sung here are quite good and moving.
Argentina is a vast country with all sorts of musics, the tango being the most famous. Here Los Pampas play what I would call ''neo-folklore'' with tunes and songs originating partly from the Inca Empire and pieces from the pampa. Los Pampas were a band of nomadic people from various ethnic origins hence the name of that region in Argentina used by the Spanish afterwards.
Text in French.

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Holiday in Crete

 

ΚΡΗΤΙΚΟ ΠΑΝΗΓΥΡΙ μέ τόν ΑΛΕΚΟ KAPABITΗ

HOLIDAY IN CRETE with ALEKOS KARAVITIS

Minerva, 1977, 22047

 A. Karavitis (1904-1975) was born in the area of Rethymnon in Crete that was still part of the Ottoman empire. He started on the lyra as a child and then moved to Athens when he was 24 years old with his wife. He toured in Germany, Britain, France, Egypt ... with his own band. He became quite famous among Cretan lyra players. This album was released after his death; he performed with a small band  (the Traditional Cretan Group) with one laouto player and two female singers whose names are not mentionned. This is therefore authentic traditional music with the presence of those two singers who give a different sound to what I usually know as Cretan music. 

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JOZEF PEŠKO

 

JOZEF PEŠKO – FUJARÔČKA MOJA

JOZEF PESHKO - MY FUJARA

Opus, 1978, 9117 0635

This is a typical album issued in the seventies from a country part of the Eastern bloc. Czekoslovakia like Romania or Hungary during the Communist period followed the USSR in their cultural policy and issued tons of LPs about national or regional folk orchestras.
Traditional peasant music and dances had already become folklore  before World War II but it was the rule after 1945 to offer the public a new kind of folklore based on traditional material but re-elaborated by composers from the classical music circle.  However under the classical varnish it is possible sometimes to hear something more authentic. Here Peshko plays several types of flutes including the emblematic fujara seen on the cover. He met traditional musicians and instrument makers  everywhere in Slovakia in order to learn how to play these flutes and respect local ways of playing.
Peshko is accompanied by the Folk Orchestra of the Czekoslovak Radio in Bratislava.
Playback was used on some tracks where he plays several flutes (track A1 with three fujaras for example).
Text in Slovak, German and English about Peshko's full career.

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