Duduk Music, inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, returns to Italy
© Maestro Gevorg Dabagyan - duduk course at the Naregatsi Art Institute
The eighth edition of the Course on Armenian duduk, taught by Maestro Gevorg Dabagyan, was held on 12-14 June 2015 at the Villa de Manzoni ai Patt di Sedico in Belluno (Italy). The course was organised by the music section of the Studies and Documentation Centre of Armenian Culture of Venice, in collaboration with the Intercultural Institute of Comparative Music Studies of Giorgio Cini Foundation and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Venice (Italy).
The duduk, or “dziranapogh” in Armenian, is a double-reed woodwind instrument made of apricot wood, conventionally called the “Armenian oboe”. The roots of its music go back to ancient times. It accompanies Armenian traditional songs and dances of the various regions and is played at events such as weddings and funerals. Over the last few decades, its popularity has declined, in particular in the rural areas where it originated. Nonetheless, many Armenians still consider the duduk to be the instrument that most eloquently expresses warmth, joy and their history.
Over recent decades, the popularity of Armenian duduk music has decreased, in particular in the rural areas where it originated. At present, most duduk players are concentrated in Yerevan. The duduk instrument is played less and less in social festivities, but more often by professionals as a staged performance. Duduk music therefore runs the risk of losing its viability and traditional character and becoming just another facet of “high culture”.
Following the success elicited by the course held in the past years, Minas Lourian, director of the music section of the Studies and Documentation Centre of Armenian Culture of Venice, has invited Gevorg Dabagyan back to teach another edition.
Dabagyan is a major living expert on this ancient instrument. He has founded several ensembles, including Shoghaken, a group dedicated to conserving the very rich Armenian folk music heritage, and is the main duduk teacher at the Yerevan State Conservatory. Liturgical music also features prominently in his vast repertory. He launched his international career in 1991, collaborating with famous musicians such as Gidon Kremer, Jan Garbarek and Yo-Yo Ma (thanks to whom he became involved in the “Silk Road” project).
* * * * *
In 2005, Duduk and its music were proclaimed a masterpiece representing the Armenian musical tradition in the UNESCO “Programme of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”, and in 2008 it was inscribed on the new “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”.
Links:
<- Back to: All news