Armenian Rhapsodies
Syracuse New Times Net
By Colette Hebert
A hero to Armenians around the world, Syracuse musician, composer and recording artist Daniel Decker has written two nationalist songs that have gained much positive response. Always interested in music from other cultures, Decker frequently travels to his homeland to present his music, most recently in April to memorialize the Armenian genocide that began in 1915.
During his first trip to Armenia in 2001, Decker heard a captivating melody while shopping at an open-air market. Moved by the piece, he located the composer, Ara Gevorkyan, and grew interested in writing lyrics to the music.
With Gevorkyan's approval, Decker's lyrics created the successful song, "Noah's Prayer," based on the story of Noah and his ark on Mount Ararat. The song's premiere was accompanied by the Armenian Opera Orchestra during the Independence Day celebration in front of Mount Ararat. "It was an amazing experience," Decker explains. "I'm singing this song about Noah and this ark is sitting a few miles behind it."
The pair joined forces again as Decker chose Gevorkyan's melody for "Adana." "It was the perfect music to tell the story of the Armenian genocide," an event that during World War I resulted in the Turks' execution of 1.5 million Armenian Christians. "Most of the world remembers nothing about the event, and I thought this was a story that needs to get out," Decker says.
In April, the song premiered during the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide at a nationally televised concert as Decker sang "Adana" along with singers from Finland, Germany, Moldova, Bulgaria and Armenia, who performed in their native language. "I felt a very heavy weight on my shoulders," Decker says, "singing to descendants of those killed in the genocide."
"Noah's Prayer" and "Adana" are available on Decker's CD My Offering (Candelas Music). [...]. For more information, visit www.danieldecker.com.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
By Colette Hebert
A hero to Armenians around the world, Syracuse musician, composer and recording artist Daniel Decker has written two nationalist songs that have gained much positive response. Always interested in music from other cultures, Decker frequently travels to his homeland to present his music, most recently in April to memorialize the Armenian genocide that began in 1915.
During his first trip to Armenia in 2001, Decker heard a captivating melody while shopping at an open-air market. Moved by the piece, he located the composer, Ara Gevorkyan, and grew interested in writing lyrics to the music.
With Gevorkyan's approval, Decker's lyrics created the successful song, "Noah's Prayer," based on the story of Noah and his ark on Mount Ararat. The song's premiere was accompanied by the Armenian Opera Orchestra during the Independence Day celebration in front of Mount Ararat. "It was an amazing experience," Decker explains. "I'm singing this song about Noah and this ark is sitting a few miles behind it."
The pair joined forces again as Decker chose Gevorkyan's melody for "Adana." "It was the perfect music to tell the story of the Armenian genocide," an event that during World War I resulted in the Turks' execution of 1.5 million Armenian Christians. "Most of the world remembers nothing about the event, and I thought this was a story that needs to get out," Decker says.
In April, the song premiered during the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide at a nationally televised concert as Decker sang "Adana" along with singers from Finland, Germany, Moldova, Bulgaria and Armenia, who performed in their native language. "I felt a very heavy weight on my shoulders," Decker says, "singing to descendants of those killed in the genocide."
"Noah's Prayer" and "Adana" are available on Decker's CD My Offering (Candelas Music). [...]. For more information, visit www.danieldecker.com.
Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.
posted by Vahe Balabanian at 6:05 AM
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