String Quartet No 3

The 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, an internationally acknowledged tragedy in which more than one and a half million Armenians died, was commemorated in 2015. To mark this anniversary and draw our attention to this tragedy, I have written four string quartets, all based on Armenian liturgical chants. These chants, which date from the medieval period (from the 5th to the 15th centuries), have been transmitted to us in manuscript form. The neumes in which they were notated were transcribed by musicologist Nikoghos Tahmizian and compiled in his book on Gregory of Narek and Armenian music from the 5th to 15th centuries. In this book, the main source of the liturgical chants that inspired my quartets, these chants are presented in the form of monologues or prayers for a single voice. In my quartets, the content of these prayers is enriched with polyphony. Each movement is named after a river in Armenia. The symbolism is intentional: water is essential to life, and rivers are the veins of a country, just as faith nourishes and sustains our existence as creative and forward-looking people. 1i iiDebedii Sadness, solitudei the first violin starts a monologue, which becomes a somber dialogue with the second violin. The viola and cello enter with brief interventions, enhancing the mood of subtlety and depth. 2i iiArpaii In this prayer for forgiveness the cello has the theme, supported by the three other instruments playing a choir-like pianissimo accompaniment. In the movementis canonic ending, the cello comes to the fore once again, formulating a last prayer. 3iii Dzoragetii This movement is imbued with the power of faith and the inherent majesty of the prayer, Alliluia, whose magnificent melody is its sole theme. The music becomes an appeal to protect and preserve the Christian faith. The tense mood continues to the very end, and, through the music, one becomes aware of the gaze and soul of a believer strengthened, and carried ever higher, by faith. Petros Shoujounian Translated by Sean McCutcheon