Armenian revolutionary songs

Armenian revolutionary songs (Armenian: Հայ յեղափոխական երգեր, Hay heghapokhagan yerker) are songs that promote Armenian patriotism. The origins of these songs lay largely in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Armenian political parties were established to struggle for the political and civil rights of Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire.

History

The Armenian revolutionary movement, initially led by the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (est. 1887) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (est. 1890), took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.[1] This was caused by years of oppression from the Ottoman Empire, especially under the rule of sultan Abdul Hamid II. This was the period when Armenians began demanding their most basic rights and defending Armenian towns from Ottoman oppression. Certain armed Armenian patriotic groups formed to fight the Turkish oppression and defend Armenian towns from Kurdish brigands. These volunteer fighters were called fedayees. In some instances, they were successful in defending Armenian locals, earning them popular support and elevating them to the status of heroes. This environment was thus ideal for the development of Armenian patriotic songs to support these freedom fighters.[2]

Meaning

Some of the songs tell the stories of individual fedayees, such as Serob Pasha and General Andranik, who confronted the Turkish onslaught. They also talk about historical battles, successful guerrilla operations, heroic deaths, and genocide, among other sensitive topics.[3]

The songs are generally heard at Armenian gatherings. It is also seen as a way to educate the newer generation of Armenians about their history through the songs.

Armenian revolutionary songs are very popular among the youth of the Armenian diaspora.

List

Below is a list of several well-known Armenian songs. Popular current singers of these include Karnig Sarkissian, George Tutunjian, Nersik Ispiryan, Harout Pamboukjian, Berj Nakkashian, Samuel Vartanian.

Note that the English transcription of their Armenian names has been carried out in the Eastern Armenian dialect.

Original name Transcription English translation Lyrics Music Date Performed by Note
Հայ քաջեր Hay kajer Armenian braves Nersik Ispiryan Nersik Ispiryan Harout Pamboukjian, Nersik Ispiryan
Հասնինք Սասուն Hasnink Sasun We'll Get to Sasun Harout Pamboukjian
Պիտի գնանք Piti gnank We Must Go Nersik Ispiryan
Դաշնակ Դրո Dashnak Dro ARF member Dro Hrant & Gayane Dedicated to Drastamat Kanayan (Dro)
Ձայն տուր ով ֆիդա Dzayn tur ov fida Speak up, fedayee Sahak Sahakyan
Քաջ Նժդեհ Kaj Nzhdeh Brave Nzhdeh Nersik Ispiryan Dedicated to Garegin Nzhdeh
Գևորգ Չավուշի հիշատակին Gevorg Chavushi hishatakin In Memory of Chavush Nersik Ispiryan Dedicated to the memory of Kevork Chavush
Հայ ֆիդայիք Hay fedayik Armenian fedayees Harout Pamboukjian Dedicated to the Battle of Holy Apostles Monastery, 1901
Գինի լից Gini lits Pour Wine Dedicated to the assassination of Talaat Pasha, one of the top men

responsible for the Armenian genocide, by Soghomon Tehlirian

Ախպերս ու ես Akhpers u yes My brother and I
Կովկասի քաջեր Kovkasi kajer Caucasian Braves
Արդյոք ովքեր ե՞ն Artyok ovker en Who Are They?
Արյունոտ դրոշ Aryunot drosh Bloody Flag
Գետաշեն Getashen Getashen
Լեռան լանջին Leran lanjin On the Slope of a Mountain
Մեր Հայրենիք Mer Hayrenik Our Fatherland The national anthem of Armenia
Զարթի՛ր, լաօ Zartir lao Wake up, my dear
Զեյթունցիներ Zeytuntsiner People of Zeytun
Ադանայի կոտորածը Adanayi godoradzuh The Adana Massacre
Աքսորի երգը Aksori Yerkuh The Song of a Refugee
Պանք Օթօմանի գրաւումը Bank Otomani gravume Bank Ottoman Takeover Dedicated to the 1896 Ottoman Bank Takeover
Լիսբոն 5 տղոց երգը Lisbon 5 Dghots Yerkuh
Մենք անկեղծ զինուոր ենք Menk Angeghdz Zinvor Enk We Are Sincere Soldiers
Սերոբ Փաշայի երգը Serop Pashayi Yerkuh The Song of Serop Pasha Dedicated to Aghbiur Serob
Ձայն մը հնչեց Էրզըրումի հայոց լեռներէն Tsayn Muh Hnchets Erzerumi Hayots Lerneren[4] A call sounded from the Armenian mountains of Erzerum
Ով որ քաջ է Ov vor qaj e Who is brave Sahak Sahakyan, Karnig Sarkissian Dedicated to Aghbiur Serob
Հիմի է՛լ լռենք Hima el lrenq Be silent now! Raphael Patkanian Sahak Sahakyan
Ազատության Սիրույն Համար Azatutyan siruyn hamar For beautiful freedom Hovhannes Badalyan, Armen Guirag
Տալվորիկ Dalvorik Dalvorik Mihran Damadian Armen Guirag, Hovhannes Badalyan, Nersik Ispiryan, Hayrik Muradyan Dedicated to the 1904 Sasun uprising and the last stand at Talvorik Valley
Եփրեմ Խանի Երգը Yeprem Khani Yeruh The Song of Yeprem Khan Dedicated to Yeprem Khan
Իբրև Արծիվ Ibrev Artsiv As an Eagle Karnig Sarkissian, Hovhannes Badalyan, Ara Guiragossian Dedicated to Andranik
Դաշնակցական Խումբ Dashnaktsakan Khumb Dashnak Group Karnig Sarkissian
Արազի Ափին Arazi Apin On the Banks of the Aras Ara Guiragossian, Karnig Sarkissian Dedicated to Garegin Nzhdeh
Դարձյալ Փայլեց Dardzyal Paylets Dedicated to Hrayr Dzhoghk
Ախ Վասպուրական Akh Vaspurakan Oh Vaspurakan Armen Guirag
Բամբ Որոտան Bamb Vorotan Ghevont Alishan Hovhannes Badalyan, Ara Guiragossian

https://web.archive.org/web/20160305234018/http://armcamping.com/2011/04/ergum-enq-arshavneri-yntatsqum

Lyrics

Full of wounds, I am a fedayee

Wandering, I have no home,
Instead of my lover, I embrace my gun,
Nowhere have I had a peaceful sleep.

The mourning and weeping of the bloodied land,
Called me from my cloistered life.
The love of my tortured fatherland
Made me unafraid of danger.

I was dubbed a fedayee,
I became a soldier of an ideal:
Let the rivers of blood I have shed
Be an example to the Armenian soldier

I was crucified as a fedayee
For our sacred principles,
Let the blood that I have shed
Strengthen the Armenian soldier.

Lines from the traditional song "Verkerov Lee" [5]

See also

Notes
  1. Hovanissian, Richard G. "The Armenian Question in the Ottoman Empire, 1876-1914" in The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times, Volume II: Foreign Dominion to Statehood: The Fifteenth Century to the Twentieth Century. Ed. Richard G. Hovannisian. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997, p. 212-213. ISBN 0-312-10168-6.
  2. Libaridian Gerard. Modern Armenia: People, Nation, State. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2004, pp. 81-82.
  3. Peroomian, Rubina. Literary Responses to Catastrophe: A Comparison of the Armenian and the Jewish Experience. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1993, p. 72.
  4. Peroomian, Rubina. "A Call Sounded from the Armenian Mountains of Erzerum" in Armenian Karin/Erzerum. UCLA Armenian History and Culture Series: Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces, 4. Ed. Richard G. Hovannisian. Costa Mesa, CA: Mazda Publishers, 2003, pp. 189-222.
  5. Armenian National and Revolutionary Songs, 1983, page 16.

Further reading
  • Nalbandian, Louise. The Armenian Revolutionary Movement: The Development of Armenian Political Parties Through the Nineteenth Century. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1963.
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