Tweet
A Personal Reminiscence of Armen Babamian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/01/03/a-personal-reminiscence-of-armen-babamian/
by CK Garabed on January 3, 2013
By Charles Kasbarian
My first glimpse of Armen Babamian was in 1931 when I was four years
old. My mother had enrolled my older brother and I in the Sunday
School of Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church in Union City, N.J. At
a certain point our teachers would take us into the sanctuary to
witness the Armenian Liturgy that was under way. It was then that I
saw Armen, standing on the altar, book in hand, singing one of our
timeless and beloved sharagans. I felt exalted by Armen's enchanting
voice, and I resolved at that tender age to some day join the choir,
which I eventually did.
Armen Babamian, Onnik Dinkjian, and Charles Kasbarian, the `Three
Musketeers of Dikranagerd,' and Hagopig Kadian, the `Bolsetsi
D'Artagnan.'
By that time Armen was no longer singing in Holy Cross Church, and I
was grouped with the sopranos because my voice hadn't changed yet.
When it did, the choir director, Artin Shalian, an erudite scholar who
later translated our Armenian epic, David of Sassoun, published by
Ohio University Press, took me in hand and personally taught me the
bass part of the Badarak. When later he was relieved of his duties, I
decided it was time to move on.
When I next met Armen, with whom I had developed a close friendship
over the years, I said to him, `Armen, I know that you are the
choirmaster of St. Illuminator's Cathedral in New York, and I'd like
to come join your choir.' He replied, `I would consider it an honor to
have you in my choir. As a matter of fact, we have choir rehearsal
this Thursday night. Come.' So I went, and he introduced me as the
newest member of the choir. He also described me as his cousin (which
I wasn't), probably counting on that to put me in the good graces of
the other members. Well, it sure worked. It happened that elections
were scheduled for a new executive body that very night, and, based
upon Armen's recommendation, I was elected to the executive committee.
That shows how highly he was thought of by the young people who
practically worshipped him. His popularity was enhanced by his habit
of taking the kids after Sunday Badarak to the local ice cream parlor
for a treat at his expense. They would sing on the streets, all the
way, the Armenian folk songs he had taught them. Many of them joined
the Armenian National Chorus, which he eventually directed.
When it came to encouraging the youth, Armen was not surpassed. Thanks
to him we were blessed with some of the finest church organists to be
found. This brings to mind names such as Ara Dinkjian, Laurens
Ayvazian, Raffi Kadian, Antranig Kasbarian, Diane Kradjian, and Anne
Boyajian. No potential candidate was too young for Armen if he thought
that person had the ability to succeed. Just think, when Laurens
Ayvazian left the post of organist, Armen recommended Raffi Kadian and
Antranig Kasbarian as co-organists. And they were 13 and 12 years old,
respectively. They fully measured up to his expectations, as did all
the others.
Although Armen was 12 years my senior, he always behaved as if I was
an older brother. Together with Onnik Dinkjian, we acted like the
`Three Musketeers of Dikranagerd,' always speaking our dialect when in
each others' company. Armen had mentioned to me that our dear departed
friend Zabelle Bogosian, when a child, had difficulty saying akhper,
Dikranagerdtsi for yeghpair or brother. She would address her brother
as aper, and we picked up on that, calling each other aper, or ap for
short. Many a time Armen would address me with, `Hi ap, what's up!'
Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, observed, `Life is such a great
surprise. There is no reason why what follows should not be an even
greater surprise.' And so, we say Adieu to you, dear Armen, and look
forward to when our spirits will meet again in the Great Beyond.
To hear Armen's vocal renditions of our sacred and secular Armenian
music, visit this YouTube link: http://youtu.be/XUd7tVJUxNA.
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2013/01/03/a-personal-reminiscence-of-armen-babamian/
by CK Garabed on January 3, 2013
By Charles Kasbarian
My first glimpse of Armen Babamian was in 1931 when I was four years
old. My mother had enrolled my older brother and I in the Sunday
School of Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church in Union City, N.J. At
a certain point our teachers would take us into the sanctuary to
witness the Armenian Liturgy that was under way. It was then that I
saw Armen, standing on the altar, book in hand, singing one of our
timeless and beloved sharagans. I felt exalted by Armen's enchanting
voice, and I resolved at that tender age to some day join the choir,
which I eventually did.
Armen Babamian, Onnik Dinkjian, and Charles Kasbarian, the `Three
Musketeers of Dikranagerd,' and Hagopig Kadian, the `Bolsetsi
D'Artagnan.'
By that time Armen was no longer singing in Holy Cross Church, and I
was grouped with the sopranos because my voice hadn't changed yet.
When it did, the choir director, Artin Shalian, an erudite scholar who
later translated our Armenian epic, David of Sassoun, published by
Ohio University Press, took me in hand and personally taught me the
bass part of the Badarak. When later he was relieved of his duties, I
decided it was time to move on.
When I next met Armen, with whom I had developed a close friendship
over the years, I said to him, `Armen, I know that you are the
choirmaster of St. Illuminator's Cathedral in New York, and I'd like
to come join your choir.' He replied, `I would consider it an honor to
have you in my choir. As a matter of fact, we have choir rehearsal
this Thursday night. Come.' So I went, and he introduced me as the
newest member of the choir. He also described me as his cousin (which
I wasn't), probably counting on that to put me in the good graces of
the other members. Well, it sure worked. It happened that elections
were scheduled for a new executive body that very night, and, based
upon Armen's recommendation, I was elected to the executive committee.
That shows how highly he was thought of by the young people who
practically worshipped him. His popularity was enhanced by his habit
of taking the kids after Sunday Badarak to the local ice cream parlor
for a treat at his expense. They would sing on the streets, all the
way, the Armenian folk songs he had taught them. Many of them joined
the Armenian National Chorus, which he eventually directed.
When it came to encouraging the youth, Armen was not surpassed. Thanks
to him we were blessed with some of the finest church organists to be
found. This brings to mind names such as Ara Dinkjian, Laurens
Ayvazian, Raffi Kadian, Antranig Kasbarian, Diane Kradjian, and Anne
Boyajian. No potential candidate was too young for Armen if he thought
that person had the ability to succeed. Just think, when Laurens
Ayvazian left the post of organist, Armen recommended Raffi Kadian and
Antranig Kasbarian as co-organists. And they were 13 and 12 years old,
respectively. They fully measured up to his expectations, as did all
the others.
Although Armen was 12 years my senior, he always behaved as if I was
an older brother. Together with Onnik Dinkjian, we acted like the
`Three Musketeers of Dikranagerd,' always speaking our dialect when in
each others' company. Armen had mentioned to me that our dear departed
friend Zabelle Bogosian, when a child, had difficulty saying akhper,
Dikranagerdtsi for yeghpair or brother. She would address her brother
as aper, and we picked up on that, calling each other aper, or ap for
short. Many a time Armen would address me with, `Hi ap, what's up!'
Vladimir Nabokov, author of Lolita, observed, `Life is such a great
surprise. There is no reason why what follows should not be an even
greater surprise.' And so, we say Adieu to you, dear Armen, and look
forward to when our spirits will meet again in the Great Beyond.
To hear Armen's vocal renditions of our sacred and secular Armenian
music, visit this YouTube link: http://youtu.be/XUd7tVJUxNA.