Soon after she got married in 1944, the mother-in-law of my pianist aunt Sirvart Kalpakyan Karamanuk (1912 - 2008) complained constantly of the "noise" she was making when practicing. Finally, my aunt gave up the piano and tried her hand at composing. Initially, she composed piano music, but soon she discovered that she expressed herself much better through vocal music. She composed over a hundred solo and choral pieces. As a gesture of gratefulness, I produced and published her works towards the end of her life.
A comprehensive biography and an examination of the creative life of composer Sirvart Karamanuk, authored by musicologist Prof. Araksi Saryan. The book also contains a number of highly personal essays by Karamanuk herself about her formative years. The volume includes several analytical articles about Karamanuk's output by various music critics. Written in Western Armenian, the book encompasses English and Turkish language summaries and includes some one hundred color photographs. Produced by Şahan Arzruni, this elegant volume is published by the Charents State Museum of Literature and Art.
Բոլորս նկատած ենք, թէ նորածին մը իր զգացումները ձայներով կ՚արտայայտէ։ Այս ձայները հետզհետէ զարգանալով ուրախութեան, գարմանքի, նոյնիսկ բարկութեան դայլայլերու կը վերածուին այդ անուշ բերաններուն մէջ։ Այս հաւատքով էր, որ փունջ մը երգեր յօրինեցի փոքրիկներու համար։ Բարեկամ բանաստեղծներու քերթուածները առիթ հանդիսացան, որ տարիներու ընթացքին անզգալաբար շատնան անոնք։
— Սիրվարդ Գարամանուկ (1912-2008)
As a songwriter, Sirvart Karamanuk's intentions are twofold. First, to use only good literature: in her case, convincing marvels of Armenian poetry of recent times, with special emphasis on Western Armenian verse. Secondly, to write gracefully for the voice — that is, in the words of American composer Ned Rorem, to "make the voice line as seen on paper have the arched flow that singers like to interpret."
The musical film Akhtamar was made in 2004 in Armenia on the shores of Lake Sevan. It was composed by Sirvart Karamanuk in 1969 to celebrate the centennial of its author, the national poet Hovhannes Tumanyan. The film was directed by Hovhannes Hovhannissyan with Samvel Ohanyan as the cinematographer. The lead artists include Mkhitar Melkonyan, Karen Mirzoyan, Anush Hovhannisyan and Nina Vartanyan. The orchestra and the chorus of the Yerevan State Conservatory was conducted my Maestro Hovhannes Mirzoyan. Produced by Sahan Arzruni.
Zahrad, the renowned Armenian poet who lived in Istanbul (1924 - 2007), put together a bunch of verses by the 19th century poet Bedros Tourian (1851 - 1872) for Sirvart Karamanuk to create a large-scale composition. Soon thereafter Karamanuk put together a cantata for soloists, chorus and orchestra based on Zahrad's setting. The vocal-piano version was published in 2000 by the Charents Museum of Literature and Arts in Yerevan, Armenia.
Karamanuk's formation as a composer is tied to her place of birth and residence. Considered one of the "three cities of the world" by historians of the past, Constantinople (now Istanbul) has supported a significant portion of Armenian musical culture. Beginning with Dikran Tchouhadjian, the founder of Armenian opera, western Armenian culture in the 19th century developed primarily in Constantinople, leading eventually to Komitas's genius.
Aghtamar is an island in Lake Van in Eastern Turkey where during the reign of King Gagik I Artsruni (r. 908-943/944) of the Armenian Kingdom of Vaspurakan; King Gagik chose the island as one of his residences. In 1952 the Turkish President Celal Bayar ordered all the buildings on the island demolished. Thanks to the intervention of writer Yaşar Kemal, the Holy Cross Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Խաչ եկեղեցի) was spared. The sanctuary was built of pink volcanic tuff by the architect-monk Manuel during the years 915-921. Karamanuk created a cantata based on Hovhannes Toumanyan's famous poem with the akin designation.
We all know that an infant expresses most of his feelings through sound. When he vocalizes through his diminutive mouth he may convey happiness, surprise or annoyance. With this conviction I composed some 80 songs for children. Taking advantage of poets I knew in Istanbul, I used the material they had created for youngsters for my melodies.
— Sirvart Karamanuk
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