Old Armenian Songs: A Nineteenth Century Collection by Ghewond M. Alishan

Old Armenian Songs: A Nineteenth Century Collection by Ghewond Alishan, edited by Andy Nercessian. Hardback, iii + 90pp, ISBN 1-904303-00-5, EAN 9781904303008, 22 x 14cm, u29.50, $39.00. Includes introduction by Andy Nercessian, songs in original Armenian, songs in original English translation, original and new footnotes, and index. The collection of songs presented here was first published in 1852 in Venice, as part of a project to preserve Armenian culture. The collection was made from Armenian manuscripts held at the Armenian monastery in San Lazzaro, dating from the 14th to 18th centuries, and is therefore of great value for historical ethnomusicologists, historians, and Armenologists in general. Andy Nercessian introduces the collection, and puts the contents in perspective through annotations which complement the original footnotes made by Ghewond Alishan. Some of the songs are well-known folk songs commonly performed by singers and folk musical ensembles in Armenia today, for example, Groung (Crane). In addition, there are wedding songs, laments, songs about foreign oppression, and love songs.