“Moscow Chamber Choir: Komitas Patarag (Divine Liturgy)”

Abstract

Conductor, choir artist, composer Arshak RubenHajiyan. - “Moscow Chamber Choir: Komitas Patarag(Divine Liturgy)”.Among the glorious heights of Armenian culture, TheBook of Lamentations by Grigor Narekatsi, Airenov byKuchak, psalms by Mashtols and Syunetsi, sharakans byShnorali, songs by Sayat Nova, Patarag by Komitas is anultimate manifestation of the Divine on Earth. With all theclarity of the musical texture, readability of its structure, theprofound content of Patarag is not easily perceptible, nor it isgenerally accessible. It is almost devoid of obvious, visiblereference points which help to penetrate into its essence. Onlythose possessing spiritual knowledge can gain access to it.Otherwise, only the beauty and harmony of the piece remainto be seen. Patarag is very seldom performed as a work ofmusic, nor it is used in public worship. Sometimes, a fewstray fragments are performed; occasionally, complete parts.Komitas is especially known as a collector of folk art. Theadapting of folk songs put him in line with the world`sforemost classics. I managed to become the creator of theso-called Komitas style as he is the founder opener of the newway of thinking in this, at first sight unpretentious, genre,which had an enormous, fundamental impact on the shapingof the modern Armenian music and contributed to the rise ofmany phenomena of the musical culture of the 20th century.Komitas noticed the originally inherent spiritual categoriesin the primary source of the people's metos. He managed todiscern and incarnate these categories in a seemingly unexpected manner. Komitas did not create an intonational,harmonic of any other kind of symmetry for the material hewas working on. On the contrary, he places the tissue ofmusic into an environment of sounds, an environmentasymmetric to the original material, as he simultaneouslyprojects different dimensions.Every work of Komitas in this sphere has an absolutelyindependent trajectory of disclosure, and, if one can put it thisway, an infinite motion in spiritual spheres (in this sense weare confronted with an extremely interesting phenomenon ofvisible, active transformation in time of the perception matterof Komitas-music). The main outcome is the emergence of apolydimensional, open-circuit, semantic space. The seeminglysimple earthly beginnings get an unbelievable, cosmic depthand infinity. It would not be an exaggeration to state that thisexperience of Komitos is unique for our civilization. On itsbasis, we not only became convinced of the existence of aspiritual space but got an opportunity of studying it.Behind this phenomenon many were not able to bestowdue attention on the main and undoubtedly highestachievement of Komitas-creative work: his Patarag, in whichhe makes the next brilliant step: Komitas summarizes thewhole spiritual experience of the Armenian Christian culture,which is as old as the Christianity itself. It simultaneouslyincarnates the completely different, independent of each othersemantic strain which seventeen centuries long constitute thelife of the Armenian people. It concentrates all the pain andblood which have been paid by the Armenian people for thelight of the Savior. Everything created by the great ancestorsof Komitas became flesh in Patarag, nothing remained on! ofit. since Komitas founded it on the essence of their spiritualachievements, which is why this piece is characterized by anoble and integral musical style. It also encompasses aninvisible presence of Komitas - apparition of the inevitableCalvary, to which the Armenian people were brought.Komitas' Patarag is one of the main results of thespiritual work of the Armenian people for its multimillennialhistory, including the pre-Christian experience.There is one more feature of the piece: its essence. Thepresence of the Divine principle is visible in it, as well as itsspiritual action on us people. Not only our attitude to God ispresent, but God's attitude to us. This is the main differenceof Komitas' Patarag from many Liturgies by various authors,including the greatest ones. I am convinced: this work ofKomitas has not been matched by anyone neither beforeAomiias, flatter his death. Komitas made the world of God'sCosmos an absolute and unquestionable reality which is notexperienced rationally emotionally, but spiritually.This work of art is the greatest gift of the Armenianpeople to the world. May it serve for saivalion of all thedeceased.