Komitas

Armenian composer and musicologist

Komitas, also known as Komitas Vardapet, was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster who is considered one of the pioneers of ethnomusicology. Born Soghomon Soghomonian on September 26, 1869, in Ottoman Turkey, he was ordained as a celibate priest (vardapet) and took the name Komitas. He is revered for his extensive research on Armenian folk music, which he transcribed and arranged for choir or solo voice with piano accompaniment. His work was crucial in preserving Armenian national identity through music during a time when the culture faced the threat of obliteration.