Hampartzoum Berberian (;

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

, May 25, 1905 –

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Sq ...

, March 13, 1999) was an Armenian composer, conductor and political activist.

Background

Born in the Adana province of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, Hampartzoum was the youngest of 13 children. During the 1915

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

, he ended up in

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, where he found refuge in the local American orphanage. There his musical gifts became evident.

Career

Through

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

, in time, he ended up in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, where he decided to become a musician. Berberian enrolled in the Athens Conservatory, studying conducting with Dimitri Mitropoulos. He graduated in 1929. In addition to the indisputable gifts as a composer, Berberian was talented as a violinist, conductor and teacher. In 1931, he was appointed Associate Dean to the

Hellenic Conservatory The Hellenic Conservatory () is an educational institution for the performing arts in modern Greece. It was founded in Athens in 1919 by the composer Manolis Kalomiris. Kalomoiris was the conservatoire's director until 1926, when he left to found ...

in Cyprus, where he built a reputation as a successful composer and conductor. In 1945, Catholicos Karekin I of

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

invited him to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

to serve as music teacher at the Antelias Theological Seminary, as well as in the schools of the

Armenian General Benevolent Union The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU, Eastern Armenian: Հայկական Բարեգործական Ընդհանուր Միություն, ՀԲԸՄ, ''Haykakan Baregortsakan Endhanur Miutyun'', or ,''Hay Parekordzagan Enthanour Miyutyun'' or ...

. During this time, Berberian composed many works and conducted numerous concerts. He traveled to various cities in the Middle East, Europe, North and South America, disseminating Armenian music generally and his own work particularly. From then on, he also became the musical operative of the

Armenian Democratic Liberal Party The Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (), the Ramgavar Party, (known before 1921 as the Armenakan party) (), also known by its Armenian initials () or its English initials ADL (meaning Armenian Democratic Liberal) is an Armenian political party ...

. He moved to the United States in 1962 and became a naturalized citizen in 1968.Choral Concert of Armenian Music, Program Notes. Hunter College Auditorium, New York, Oct 27, 1963. He lived in Watertown, MA, and was the director of music ministry at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Cambridge, MA. He was honored by many religious leaders and secular organizations for his contributions in music, culture and education. Hampartzoum Berberian passed away in Watertown, MA on March 13, 1999.

Selected compositions

Stage works

* ''Թիթեռ'' ("Butterfly" - children's opera, 1934) * ''Շողիկ'' ("Shoghig" - opera, 1939) * ''Արեգնազան'' ("Areknazan" - opera, 1940) * ''Թամար'' ("Tamar" - opera, 1995)

Orchestral works

* "Armenian Maidens," Dance Fantasy No. 2 * Violin Concerto * Cello Concerto

Choral works with instrumental accompaniment

* ''Ուրախ լեր մայր լուսոյ'' ("Rejoice Mother of Light" - Magnificat Hymn) * ''Սարտարապատ'' ("Sardarapat" - Choral Oration /

Paruyr Sevak Paruyr Sevak (; January 24, 1924 – June 17, 1971) was an Armenians, Armenian poet, translator and literary critic. He is considered one of the greatest Armenian poets of the 20th century. Biography Sevak was born Paruyr Ghazaryan () in the vi ...

) * ''Խորհուրդ Վարդանանց'' ("Sacrament of Vartanantz" - Cantata / text by

Vahan Tekeyan Vahan Tekeyan (; January 21, 1878 – April 4, 1945) was an Armenian poet and public activist. In his lifetime he was the most famous poet of the Armenian diaspora, and he remains a significant symbol of Armenian identity and cultural heritage. ...

) * ''Ղարաբաղ'' ("Gharabagh" - Choral Ode / text by

Hovhannes Shiraz Hovhannes Shiraz (; April 27, 1914 – March 24, 1984) was an Armenians, Armenian poet. Biography Shiraz was born Onik Tadevosi Karapetyan in the city of Alexandropol, then part of the Russian Empire (now Gyumri, Armenia). His mother, Astghik ...

) * "Requiem Aeternam" (Text by Yeghishe Charents) * ''Սայաթ Նովա'' ("Sayat Nova" - Choral Ode / text by Yeghishe Charents) * '' Եկեղեցին հայկական'' ("The Armenian Church" - Oratorio / text by

) * "Lincoln at Gettysburg" - Choral Oration * ''Աղօթք վաղուան սեմին առջեւ'' ("Prayer on the Threshold of Tomorrow - Cantata / text by

) * "Resurrection" - Cantata Sacra * 4 ''Նայիրեան խմբերգներ'' - ''Հայաստանի գովքը'', ''Գութաներգ'', ''Խօսք իմ որդուն'', ''Հայոց համբարձումը'' ("Four Ballades from Nayiri": "Ode to Armenia" / text Yeghishe Charents, "Harvest Song" / text by Chituni, "A Word to My Son" / text by Silva Kaputikyan, "Ascension of Armenians" / text by Fr. Sarhadian)

Choral works

* ''Սարերի աղջիկ'' ("The Mountain Girl" / text by Fr. Sarhadian) * ''Գիւղացի գեղեցկուհին'' ("Beauty of Villages" / text by Fr. Sarhadian) * ''Խաչը'' ("The Cross" - Motet / text by Yeghishe Tourian)

Songs with piano

* ''Սէր մը գաղտնի'' ("The Secret Love" / text by

) * ''Կ՚անձրևէ տղաս'' ("It's Raining My Son" / text by

) * ''Ոսկի երազ'' ("The Golden Dream" - duet / text by Mihran Damadian) * ''Սիրտս'' ("My Heart" / text by Hmayeak Arekents) * ''Աչքերդ'' ("Your Eyes" / text by Sibil) * ''Սէր'' ("Love" / text by Zareh Melkonian) * ''Սիրերգ'' ("Love Song") * ''Հասուն արտ'' ("Ripe Harvest" / text by Daniel Varoujan) * ''Շէկլիկ աղջիկ'' ("The Blonde Maiden" / text traditional) * ''Անոր'' ("To Her" / text by

Tlgadintsi Tlgadintsi or Tlkatintsi (), Hovhannes Harutiunian (, 1860, Tlkatin village, Kharpert, Ottoman Empire – 1915) was an Ottoman Armenian ...

) * ''Երգ Հայաստանի'' ("Ode to Armenia" / text by Azad Vshduni) * 8 ''Աշուղական խաղեր, Սայաթ Նովայի խօսքերով'' ("8 Art Songs in Troubadour Style" / text by Sayat Nova) * 5 ''Նայիրեան երգեր'' - 1. ''Գիւղ հայրենի'', 2. ''Զմրուխտ սարից հովեր կու գան'', 3. ''Վարուժնակիս'', 4. ''Գողթան երգը'', 5. ''Լուսաւորչի կանթեղը'' ("5 Art Songs from Nayiri": 1. "Native Village" / text by Yeghivart; 2. "Winds from Emerald Hills" / text by

; 3. "To My Little Varoujan" / text by Daniel Varoujan; 4. "Bardic Song from Goght" / text by K. Ipekian; 5. "The Lamp of the Illuminator" / text by

Hovhannes Toumanian Hovhannes Tumanyan (, Classical Armenian orthography, classical spelling: Յովհաննէս Թումանեան, – March 23, 1923) was an Armenians, Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the List of n ...

)

Organ

* ''Ուրախ լեր'' ("Rejoice O Holy Church" based on Medieval chant by Catholicos

Sahak III :''Sahak III may also refer to Sahak III Bagratuni.'' Sahak III, was the Catholicos of Armenia from 677 through 703. According to the historian Hovhannes Draskhanakerttsi Sahak III was alive in Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and ...

of Dzorapor) * ''Խորհուրդ խորին'' ("O Mystery Deep" based on Medieval chant by

Khachatur of Taron Khachatur of Taron or Khatchatur Taronatsi (; 12th century, in Taron, Turuberan, Greater Armenia – 1184, at Haghartsin Monastery) was an Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Ca ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berberian, Hampartzoum 1905 births 1999 deaths Armenian activists Armenian conductors (music) Armenian musicians 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Armenian composers People from Adana People from Watertown, Massachusetts Armenians from the Ottoman Empire American people of Armenian descent Syrian emigrants to the United States Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire