As we close out the fourth year of the Sound Archive project here at the Armenian Museum of America, we are thrilled to have compiled 40 presentations in that time. Each has been dedicated to a different story of Armenian artists who made an impact on the musical and cultural heritage through the legacy of their audio recordings. Across those 40 articles, we have shared 156 different recordings, all digitized and restored from the Museum's expansive collection of early to mid-20th century 78rpm records. Presented here are some highlights from this year's selections.

Megerditch Douzjian, born in Dikranagerd in 1896, arrived in the U.S. in 1921 after surviving the Genocide and World War I in hiding. He settled in New Jersey, where he became involved in the Hunchakian party and the Paramaz Dramatic Association. His success on stage led to a recording career, beginning in 1925, where he recorded numerous songs for various labels and he continued performing with the Paramaz troupe until his last performance in 1947.

This installment of the Sound Archive highlights recordings made in late 1947 by Armenian composer and conductor Kurken Alemshah in Paris, shortly before his untimely death. A significant figure in modern Armenian music, Alemshah merged traditional Eastern Armenian melodies with Western classical techniques, drawing inspiration from composers like Sayat Nova and Gomidas Vartabed. The recordings feature the soprano Asdghig Arakelian and showcase Alemshah's talents, which had flourished throughout his career as a teacher and composer between Paris and Venice. Despite passing away just before a performance in Detroit, Alemshah left a lasting legacy, influencing Armenian classical music, with his works being featured posthumously by the Armenian National Chorus shortly after his death.

Setrag Vartian and Zaruhi Elmassian amazed and impressed audiences from stage to screen. Before meeting, they had each gained national recognition: Zaruhi as a singer and Setrag as an entertainer. Eventually eloping to Las Vegas in 1942, the couple became invaluable to the Armenian community through continued commitment to Armenian art and culture.

Western Armenian folk music was not only preserved through social gatherings or widely distributed recordings, but also through the private sphere. As a practice often carried on by women and existing outside the market of commercial recording, it was not until consumer level home recording equipment became widely available in the 1940s that much of this repertoire was recorded. We are fortunate to be able to share the privately recorded rendition of the Van folk song Le Le Jinar, sung by the late Dr. Elizabeth Gregory, a woman whose professional career in medicine and support of the arts were as impactful as her voice. The recording was made in the mid 1940s to 1950s on a one-of-a-kind home recorded lacquer disc, likely as part of an exchange between Elizabeth and the artist Yenovk Der Hagopian.

Like many musicians we’ve discussed here, Hrach Yacoubian's name has fallen into obscurity. But from the mid-1930s well into the 1980s, he enjoyed a successful career as a violinist, band leader, and composer. Here, we present Hrach’s earliest recorded work, a four-disc set of his compositions titled Armenian Sketches. The set was published in the 1940s on the private Hollywood-based record label Notable Records. We’ve taken the liberty to present the album in full as one continuous piece of music. Hrach was notable not only for the strength of his compositions and virtuosity as a violinist, but for the energy and personality he conveyed as a performer — characteristics which both strengthened and damaged his reputation.

Hrach Yacoubian did not fall within a neat, idealized framework of Western or Eastern Armenian music. Though it was substantially informed by his Armenian heritage and perspective, his music was distinctly American in its aesthetics and context, a product of his own biography. 

As we process the Museum's early 20th century sound recordings and as new materials are donated, individual records shed light on other familiar, but only partially understood recordings. This edition of the Sound Archive presents one such case. By cross-referencing the information from three record labels — Orfeon Records, Favorite Records, and Odeon Records — we’ve identified a previously uncredited artist on some of the collection’s scarce Armenian language Odeon discs. 

This artist is renowned oud player, singer, and composer Krikor Berberian, featured here as an Armenian-language vocalist. Born in 1884 in Istanbul, Berberian was part of a strong lineage of Armenian musicians in the region. 

Reuben Sarkisian and his wife Vart were born in Kharpert, ultimately settling in Haverhill to become active members of Boston's Armenian music community. Reuben was a violinist, composer, and lyricist primarily playing at dances, while Vart gained a reputation for her voice and her exceptional repertoire of songs.

As a young man Ardashes followed in his father's footsteps, gaining acclaim for his recitation of lyrical narratives, a musical form of storytelling. Born on March 10, 1900 in Gyumri (then Alexandropol) in the Russian Empire, Kmpetian was raised in a musically rich environment. His father, Ashough Pesendi (born Mardiros Kmpetian), was a renowned performer among both Turkish and Armenian audiences in his native Sebastia. After the Constitution of 1908 was announced, he, like many other Armenians, gained hope and returned to the Ottoman Empire.1 Ardashes began his career as a stage actor, joining the Arevelyan Taderakhump (Eastern Theatre Troupe) under the direction of Mihrtad Haygazn. But just as his fledgling career was beginning to take off, Kmpetian would flee the newly established Turkish state in 1923, settling in Paris.