THE PRIDE WILL REMAIN

Interview with Jivan Gasparyan

-Master, it’s interesting to know, when and how the way that subsequently brought you global reputation and recognition began.

-By origin I’m from Mush and I have inherited Armenianism from my ancestors. I have had difficult, troublesome and sad childhood; from the age of 12 I have tasted the bitterness of orphanhood. When my father went for a fight, me and three children became waif and abandoned. My childhood was an interminable struggle against hunger and privations for daily bread and survival. That was specific ordeal, from which I got out with triumph retaining the warmth of my spirit, the love towards humanity, my principles and my virtue. My fate was predetermined the first moment I heard the play of duduk. I was charmed with its generous and plaintive tones. Leaving out of account every prohibition and impediment true love opens way, if there is divine spark in your spirit, if you have found your innate title. I have never wanted fame, recognition, prosperity, my only longing was to play well, to attain perfection, to be worthy of the deepness and beauty of duduk. The meanness begins from self-satisfaction, the lack of great and honest aims, and mercenary aspirations convict and destroy even the talented and gifted men. I think, that only endowment isn’t enough, to be a good specialist, first of all we ought to be a good Armenian.

-What do you understand saying a good Armenian?

-All the works are vain without patriotism. The private impulses and aimless desires can’t become a source of inspiration and powerful emotional experiences, contrary to elevated and non private aims. Is it possible that I could work so much, could seek for Jivan Gasparyan’s person’s fame and recognition? Certainly not. Only the happiness to inspire my fatherland and nation, to spread their name and reputation, could inspire me. Each of us is transient, fleeting, we come to give our instantaneous life and to do our mission; only the nation and fatherland are everlasting, all the victories and laurels belong to them. Everybody wants to be happy, but not everyone finds the way to happiness. Nobody can be happy alone. We must be happy or unhappy together, so we are condemned to live for each other. Today all of us want our families to live comfortable, well-off and beautifully, but we don’t understand that the only way is to make our big home-our fatherland prosperous; the president must rule well, the tailor must sew well, the doctor must treat well, I must play well and the interests of the state and the nation must lead each of us, otherwise all will be incomplete and imperfect, our home will not be built, the walls will not raise. There is an ancient, sage speech – we have been created from soil and will become soil. God has created each of us from our native soil, to live on that soil, to take strength and ardour from soil, to join that soil. I have been all round the world, I have seen magnificent countries, have had an opportunity to live at request, but have again returned home. There is nothing sweeter than native air, soil and water.

-Mr. Gasparyan, there have been good duduk players before you – Levon Madoyan, Vache Hovsepyan, but only you could spread the fame of the instrument all over the world.

-I have learned many things from both Levon Madoyan and Vache Stepanyan, but I have created my own style, my school. My musical taste and my performances are closer to classical traditions and consequently – they are perceptible to the world. For the first time in America I played in 1956 and deserved hearty welcome. I was very excited, when one of the listeners of Hollywood recognized me and remembered my play after about half century. I have gone round the world, have had solo concerts in the most famous stages and the foreign audience was delighted with our duduk, with its sound, deepness, sensitivity and they liked Armenian national music. Duduk with its inspiration and influence clearly and comprehensibly tells to the world about sufferings, pain and tragedy of our nation. It’s not by chance that I begin my concerts with the performance of the song “Qele lao”. I have played with outstanding musicians; duduk has sounded in English, German, Armenian, Russian and Spanish films. Armenian respiration, Armenian soul and thinking have mixed with foreign melodies and both the foreigners and the Armenians liked that combination.

-Today some steps are taken to give ideological directions to culture – army connections, to spur the patriotic feelings of the soldiers by the strength of art.

-Army is the thickening of our patriotism, power, nationalism, valour, it’s the lymph of our tenacity. The army is the lord of the land, because it’s the defender of the land, the symbol of dignity of each of us. We have never had such a professional, efficient, patriotic, spiritual, brave, self – confident and stable army. Fatherland begins from the soldier, the soldier is standing on the border and this fact has its meaning. The nation, that has cult of soldier, the people, that estimate their power, will be able to defend their liberty and independence. My grandson David has served in the national army and that was a supplementary chance to contact with the army as a soldier’s grandfather. Thank god, that we could add to our power, heroism and courage some virtues typical to us – intimacy, love, care faithfulness. David keeps in touch with his commanders, they visit each other, and they are on friendly terms up to this day.

-What advice did you give to your grandson when you were seeing him off to the army and what will you tell the soldier who keeps our borders?

-I persuaded my grandson to discharge his military service honourably, to become a staunch soldier for fatherland, because the military duty is the holiest of all the inmost duties. And to the soldiers that stand on the borders I wish to be without mishap, healthy, full of life, brave. All the difficulties will slip by and the pride, which is above everything, will remain.

GAYANE POGHOSYAN