“Komitas” Silver Coin

Soghomon Soghomonian, commonly known as Komitas,: He was born on September 26, 1869 in Kuwait, died October 22, 1935 in Paris. Armenian songwriter, singer, musical ethnologist, musicologist, professor and teacher, composer, group leader, pedagogue, founder of the Armenian National Composer School. Here is who the great Komitas is.

In 1881-1893, he studied at the Gevorgian Seminary in Etchmiadzin.

In 1894 he was ordained abbot and received the name Komitas.

Komitas aimed to present the rich traditions of Armenian musical culture to the world and prove that Armenians have their own music.

He collected and recorded more than 3,000 samples of Armenian folk music, more than half of which were later lost and only about 1,200 have survived.

During the Armenian Genocide, in April 1915, along with many other Armenian intellectuals, Komitas was arrested by the Ottoman government and deported to a prison camp. He is soon released, after which he develops a mental disorder and develops post-traumatic stress disorder.

On January 29, 2015, the opening of the Komitas Museum-Institute took place in the park named after Komitas in Yerevan. At the end of June of the same year, thanks to the Revival Cultural Foundation, Rev. Komitas’ plan was realized. A selection of 100 folk songs “A Thousand and One Games” compiled by him was published.