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Garbis Aprikian

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Garbis Aprikian
Colour publicity shot of an elderly, bald man with spectacles and a black shirt.
Aprikian in the 1990s
Born1926 (1926)
Alexandria, Egypt
Died (aged 98)
Malakoff, Hauts-de-Seine, France
NationalityArmenian
Occupations
  • Composer
  • Choral conductor
OrganizationsSipan-Komitas
WorksList of compositions
Awards

Garbis Aprikian (1926 – 15 October 2024) was a musician from the Armenian Diaspora who was born in Egypt and moved to Paris in 1953, where he studied, inspired especially by Olivier Messiaen. He conducted the Armenian mixed chorus Sipan-Komitas for around 50 year, composing many works especially for the group and also arranging Armenian folk music and works of others. He combined melodies from Armenia with Western musical techniques such as harmonies and counterpoint. Aprikian is regarded as a prioneer of bringing Armenian music to France.

Biography

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Born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1926, Aprikian grew up in the cosmopolitan city.[1][2] He studied at the primary school "Armenian National Boghossian", then at the American College. From the age of ten he began serious music lessons with a student of Pietro Mascagni, Maestro Frapicini, in piano and also harmony and counterpoint.[3]: 17 [2] He sang in the children's choir of the Eglise Arménienne d'Alexandrie, also as a soloist.[3]: 17  Learning about Armenian history and music made him feel "a sense of national pride".[2]

In 1948, Aprikian founded the mixed chorus Hamazkaine with which he gave concerts in Alexandria, in Cairo and on radio. The success encouraged members of the association Houssaper to assign him a scholarship to complete his training in Europe.[3]: 17 

Paris

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Aprikian arrived in Paris in 1953 where he studied composition and conducting of orchestra at the Ecole Normale of Music[2] with Simone Plé-Caussade, Tony Aubin and Jean Fournet[3]: 17  and took a course of musical aesthetics by Olivier Messiaen at the Conservatoire de Paris.[2]

The Armenian mixed chorus Sipan-Komitas then sought him to replace Kourkène Alemshah, and he accepted the position.[3]: 17  He conducted the choir from the 1950s for about fifty years.[2][4] He composed and harmonized popular melodies and old patriotic songs, more than two hundred religious, secular and folk works.[3] They performed at the Festival d'Avignon, at Sénanque Abbey, the Chartreuse of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, in Normandy, Rennes, Cannes, Venice, and the festival Art Sacré de la ville de Paris.[3]: 17  They performed concerts in Brussels, Geneva, Bern, Basel, Munich and Amsterdam, among others,[2] and recorded several CDs.[3]: 17 

In 1991 Aprikian was invited for the first time by Armenian authorities to go to Yerevan, where he performed in a concert of his own works and those of other composers of the Armenian Diaspora.[2]

Personal life

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Agprikian had a son, Ara.[4]

Aprikian died at his home[1] in Malakoff, Hauts-de-Seine, on 15 October 2024,[4] at the age of 98.[2][5][6]

Works

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Aprikian said in an interview that in his compositions, he took melody mostly from Armenian music, but fused it with Western classical music's harmonies when he arranged themes from Armenian folk music,[4][5] calling it a "'noble' transcription of tradition".[4] He composed original works but also arrangements of Armenian folk music and of works by other Armenian composers such as Komitas. His sources included Armenian children's songs, prayers, songs about nature, battle songs and processional songs.[2]

He composed the Petit suite nuptiale for his son's wedding, based on songs his father had sung to him when he was a child.[7] He wrote an oratorio, Naissance de David de Sassoun,[1][2] to a libretto by Hagop Oshagan, for soloists, choir and orchestra, premiered in 1994.[3]: 12 

Honours

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Recordings

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  • Mayrig. To Armenian Mothers. is a collection of songs by Armenian composers, including Aprikian's Lamento, Lullaby and Petite suita nuptiale.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Leroy, Alice (16 October 2024). "Death of Garbis Aprikian, emblematic figure of Armenian music in France". Entrevue. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ciavarini Azzi, Lorenzo (15 October 2024). "Le compositeur et chef d'orchestre Garbis Aprikian, grand passeur de la musique arménienne en France, est mort à 98 ans". francetvinfo.fr (in French). Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Naissance de David de Sassoun / Oratorio pour soli, deux choeurs et orchestre / Livret de Hagop Oshagan" (PDF). Marseille (in French). 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Le compositeur arménien Garbis Aprikian est décédé à 98 ans" (in French). RTL. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b Dati, Rachida (16 October 2024). "Hommage de Mme Rachida DATI, ministre de la Culture, à M. Garbis APRIKIAN". Ministry of Culture (in French). Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  6. ^ "Décès du Maestro Garbis Aprikian, une grande perte pour la musique arménienne" (in French). Nouvelles Arménie Magazine. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b Pullinger, Mark (July 2023). "Mayrig. To Armenian Mothers". Gramophone. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  8. ^ "Arrêté du 12 mai 2021 portant nomination et promotion dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres". Ministry of Culture (in French). 12 May 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
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