
KOMITAS-the founder of the Armenian national music school
Komitas is the founder of the Armenian national music school. But he wasn’t always known as Komitas. He was named Soghomon Soghomonian when he was born. As a young boy, he moved to Etchmiadzin, the religious center of Armenia, where he received his education to become a priest. At 25, he was ordained as a Vardapet, a celibate priest, and changed his name to Komitas.
Komitas had a passion for music and possessed an exceptional voice. He pursued his musical studies at the private conservatory and university in Berlin, Germany’s capital. Upon returning to Armenia, he used his expertise to study and transcribe the country’s musical traditions.
