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NATIONAL SYMBOLS: ARTISTS AGAIN RAISE QUESTIONS OVER ARMENIAN ANTHEM, COAT OF ARMS
SOCIETY | 04.03.15 | 10:11
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
RELATED NEWS
Symbols of Debate: Initiative underway to restore historic Coat of
Arms and anthem
Artists in Armenia again debate on whether the state needs to change
its coat of arms and national anthem. Some claim the current national
symbols are not consistent with the nation's spirit and its rich
historical past.
Enlarge Photo Enlarge Photo The national emblem of the Republic of
Armenia Enlarge Photo The coat of arms of the Armenian SSR
While musicians say that the national anthem should be a tune that
has a history and is loved by the people, some painters and sculptors
call the current national emblem of Armenia "a zoo", implying the
large number of animals depicted on it.
The current coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia is a restored
version of that used by the short-lived Armenian democratic republic
in 1918-1920. Its authors were architect, academician of the Academy
of Arts of Russia Alexander Tumanyan and painter Hakob Kojoyan.
By the July 1, 1991 decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic
of Armenia, the national anthem of the First Republic was chosen as
the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia. The text used in Mer
Hayrenik (Our Homeland) is based on one of the lyrics of poet Mikael
Nalbandian. The music was composed by Barsegh Kanachyan.
Founder and artistic director of the Karin traditional song and dance
group Gagik Ginosyan thinks that Armenia's current national emblem
is only a distorted version of the one created by Tamanyan and Kojoyan.
"This is a trick that was created in 1992 when the country's president
was Levon Ter-Petrosyan. On the real emblem the lion's mouth is open
and it is not in a muzzle, the chain had been cut by a sword as a
symbol of the newly gained freedom. A group of professionals who have
a reputation of national figures should be set up for changing the
national anthem and coat of arms," says Gionsyan.
Sculptor Ferdinand Arakelyan, for his part, says that during the time
of the First Republic the coat of arms was drawn within just one day
upon the order of the then ruling Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun) and despite being meant for use during only one
year before the final design had to be approved, it remained as the
main emblem.
"I have the impression that it was drawn for a zoo as it depicts up
to seven animals. The emblem should reflect the collective power of
the nation. I am in favor of changing the current national emblem
because it has no national spirit," he says. "In the current coat
of arms I do not see our people who worked hard to build churches,
I do not see the power of Armenian women who saved manuscripts,
I do not see smoke coming out of a house's chimney."
The sculptor suggests using a changed version of Soviet Armenia's coat
of arms that was drawn by prominent Armenian painter Martiros Saryan.
Artists say symbols are of great importance and have great influence
on the psychology of a nation. They say it is important to get rid
of the elements that they claim have negative impacts.
Painter Haghtanak Shahumyan thinks that for a small country
like Armenia national symbols are also important in terms of its
representation in the world.
"Our national anthem is distorted. Nalbandian's text was changed
arbitrarily and our national anthem lost its textual integrity. And
the music is not Armenian. We have millennia-old culture, we have
symbols on which we should lean. Adopting the symbols then was a
political decision," says Shahumyan.
Chairman of the Composers' Union of Armenia Aram Satyan also notes
that the national anthem leaves a sad impression, while the tone of
the anthem music should rise and become upbeat in the process.
"In the case of other nations' anthems we see some grandeur as it rises
to the space, and ours on the contrary is directed to the earth...
We can restore Aram Khachaturian's music [used for an anthem in Soviet
Armenia] or use the Hayastan song composed by Gabriel Yeranyan in
2012," he says.
The artists call for the establishment of a special group of
professionals to deal with proposals on the matter.
Calls for and even attempts to make changes in the coat of arm and the
national anthem of Armenia have also been made in the past. A number
of political groups, notably the Dashnaktsutyun party, have opposed
the efforts. The traditional Armenian party, in particular, sought a
special law in 2006 that would perpetuate the official status of the
current national anthem. Many in Armenia also oppose the restoration
of some of the symbols used during the Soviet times.
The national anthem of the Republic of Armenia
The anthem of the Armenian SSR
http://armenianow.com/society/61123/armenia_emblem_anthem_symbols
SOCIETY | 04.03.15 | 10:11
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
RELATED NEWS
Symbols of Debate: Initiative underway to restore historic Coat of
Arms and anthem
Artists in Armenia again debate on whether the state needs to change
its coat of arms and national anthem. Some claim the current national
symbols are not consistent with the nation's spirit and its rich
historical past.
Enlarge Photo Enlarge Photo The national emblem of the Republic of
Armenia Enlarge Photo The coat of arms of the Armenian SSR
While musicians say that the national anthem should be a tune that
has a history and is loved by the people, some painters and sculptors
call the current national emblem of Armenia "a zoo", implying the
large number of animals depicted on it.
The current coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia is a restored
version of that used by the short-lived Armenian democratic republic
in 1918-1920. Its authors were architect, academician of the Academy
of Arts of Russia Alexander Tumanyan and painter Hakob Kojoyan.
By the July 1, 1991 decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic
of Armenia, the national anthem of the First Republic was chosen as
the national anthem of the Republic of Armenia. The text used in Mer
Hayrenik (Our Homeland) is based on one of the lyrics of poet Mikael
Nalbandian. The music was composed by Barsegh Kanachyan.
Founder and artistic director of the Karin traditional song and dance
group Gagik Ginosyan thinks that Armenia's current national emblem
is only a distorted version of the one created by Tamanyan and Kojoyan.
"This is a trick that was created in 1992 when the country's president
was Levon Ter-Petrosyan. On the real emblem the lion's mouth is open
and it is not in a muzzle, the chain had been cut by a sword as a
symbol of the newly gained freedom. A group of professionals who have
a reputation of national figures should be set up for changing the
national anthem and coat of arms," says Gionsyan.
Sculptor Ferdinand Arakelyan, for his part, says that during the time
of the First Republic the coat of arms was drawn within just one day
upon the order of the then ruling Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun) and despite being meant for use during only one
year before the final design had to be approved, it remained as the
main emblem.
"I have the impression that it was drawn for a zoo as it depicts up
to seven animals. The emblem should reflect the collective power of
the nation. I am in favor of changing the current national emblem
because it has no national spirit," he says. "In the current coat
of arms I do not see our people who worked hard to build churches,
I do not see the power of Armenian women who saved manuscripts,
I do not see smoke coming out of a house's chimney."
The sculptor suggests using a changed version of Soviet Armenia's coat
of arms that was drawn by prominent Armenian painter Martiros Saryan.
Artists say symbols are of great importance and have great influence
on the psychology of a nation. They say it is important to get rid
of the elements that they claim have negative impacts.
Painter Haghtanak Shahumyan thinks that for a small country
like Armenia national symbols are also important in terms of its
representation in the world.
"Our national anthem is distorted. Nalbandian's text was changed
arbitrarily and our national anthem lost its textual integrity. And
the music is not Armenian. We have millennia-old culture, we have
symbols on which we should lean. Adopting the symbols then was a
political decision," says Shahumyan.
Chairman of the Composers' Union of Armenia Aram Satyan also notes
that the national anthem leaves a sad impression, while the tone of
the anthem music should rise and become upbeat in the process.
"In the case of other nations' anthems we see some grandeur as it rises
to the space, and ours on the contrary is directed to the earth...
We can restore Aram Khachaturian's music [used for an anthem in Soviet
Armenia] or use the Hayastan song composed by Gabriel Yeranyan in
2012," he says.
The artists call for the establishment of a special group of
professionals to deal with proposals on the matter.
Calls for and even attempts to make changes in the coat of arm and the
national anthem of Armenia have also been made in the past. A number
of political groups, notably the Dashnaktsutyun party, have opposed
the efforts. The traditional Armenian party, in particular, sought a
special law in 2006 that would perpetuate the official status of the
current national anthem. Many in Armenia also oppose the restoration
of some of the symbols used during the Soviet times.
The national anthem of the Republic of Armenia
The anthem of the Armenian SSR
http://armenianow.com/society/61123/armenia_emblem_anthem_symbols