Ierginkn ambel a (The Sky is Cloudy) - Gomidas Vartabed

This is one of the most important songs composed by the armenian priest Gomidas Vartabed. Its lyrics tells about his feelings in a cloudy-rainy day (pay attention at the pizzicatos remembering us the falling drops of rain). He wrote: "The sky is cloudy... what a sweet tune... I came and pass at her (house´s) door. My beloved is there...". GOMIDAS VARTABED or KOMITAS (1869-1915) One of the most renowned Armenian Churchmen and musician of modern times was Gomidas Vartabed, also known as Komitas. He was born Soghomon Soghomonian in Keutahya, Asia Minor, in 1869. His life had an interesting turn of events, when at the age of eleven, he was orphaned, and at a young age he was sent to a Seminary in Etchmiadzin to study. Because of his singing prowess, he decided to teach music at the Seminary after he completed his studies. In 1896, Soghomon was ordained a monk or "Apegha" of the Armenian Church. A few years later he was ordained a "Vartabed" , and as is the practice in the Armenian Church assumed his new name "Komitas"(or Gomidas). Komitas learned a great deal of music from the monks and continued to study music with the famous composer Kara-Murza, which eventually led Komitas into both secular and religious music. Komitas continued to study music, and in 1896, he was awarded a doctorate degree in musicology. He later returned to Etchmiadzin as a choir director, and Instructor of music at the Seminary. Komitas wrote over three thousand songs in Armenian, Arabic, Kurdish, and Persian, and also contributed significantly to the modern Armenian Badarak (the holy mass). His main contribution was to rediscover Armenian folk music and "to rescue" the genuine armenian rythms and harmonies from the influence of persian, turkish, arabic or other foreign cadences or styles. He spent years traveling throughout the historical armenian provinces (actually the third eastern part of turkey) and visiting many villages listening to native songs and dances, and making notes of them for further analysis. His work in arranging and collating the folk music he had collected over the years, eventually became excellent songs for 4 voices chorus music, and made the public aware of the existence of true classic armenian music. In addition to the folk music, Komitas arranged the entire music of the Divine Liturgy (Surp Badarak) of the Armenian Apostholic Church, for male voices sung every sunday morning in many churches of the armenian diaspora. The internationally known priest was the first non-European to be a member of the International Music Society. Komitas performed concerts in Paris, Geneva, Berne, Constantinople, Venice, and Alexandria. It is interesting to note that in the spring of 1915, during the imprisonment of 700 leaders of the armenian community in turkey for their killing, Gomidas too was taken into custody. Through the efforts of Henry Morgenthau, Ambassador from the United States of America in turkey, and the turkish poet Mehmet Emin Yurdakul, who admire