The third and fourth volumes of the excellent series The Music of Armenia 

have recently been released by Celestial Harmonies. Composer David Parsons has 

continued his exploration into the sacred and folk traditions of Eastern Armenians, begun 

with volumes one and two, which revealed the world of Armenian sacred songs and 

sharakans, respectively.

	In the new productions, listeners are introduced to the sound of two instruments 

traditionally employed by the Armenians; the duduk and the kanon, which 

are a vital part of Armenian music. 

	Volume Three centers around the music of the duduk, a double-reed 

instrument developed more than a thousand years ago. The duduk, a relative of the 

Western oboe, is made of apricot wood.  Gevorg Dabaghian is the featured soloist on this 

recording. His soulful sound draws the listener into a musical world which most will be 

unfamiliar with. But after a few minutes a listening, one will not be able to pull away from 

the powerful draw of this music.  The duduk is part of the Armenian musical 

ensemble. 

Accompanying the soloist are Grigor Takushian, Eduard Harutunian, and Kamo 

Khachaturian playing other traditional Armenian musical instruments such as the dhol 

(drum) and the drone duduk.  The settings are purely instrumental although 

traditionally the duduk was associated at least in part, with the Armenian 

ashoughs (troubadors).  The works of the ashoughs form a distinctive 

repertoire within Armenian music.  In the twentieth century there has been a good deal of 

interest in the works of the ashoughs, whose music displays the sophistication, 

depth, and versatility of a classical musical tradition. 

	Instrumental renderings of the famous troubadour Sayat Nova highlight the 

eighteen recordings on this CD. 

	The kanon is the featured instrument in Volume Four of the series. 

Soloist Karineh Hovhannessian enchants with her rendition of traditional and folk music on 

the kanon.  Many of her recordings are of instrumental works which were 

originally vocal works. More than likely the kanon was used to accompany the 

early folk songs or the recitation of epic poems.  The kanon , a type of zither, is an 

instrument well known in Middle Eastern traditions.

Similar to the tradition from which arose the duduk, the kanon was also 

used to render the ashough tradition in works by the famous twentieth century 

musician Gomidas Vardapet  and the tenth century Armenian composer Khachatour 

Avetissian, who is credited with  developing the Armenian version of the kanon 

and creating the first body of works for it.  The music of the poet and ashough 

Sayat Nova is also recorded in these songs. Nineteen traditional songs are recorded on this 

CD which captures the essence of Armenian traditional music. 

Both Compact Discs reviewed are of excellent quality and would make an excellent gift for 

anyone.