"Orhnerg" is a proposed Armenian national anthem based on the Armenian SSR anthem, whose lyrics were modified and expanded upon by Arshak Banuchyan.[1]
History[]
Soviet-era anthem[]
The Soviet-era anthem has garnered mixed public reception throughout the years in post-Soviet Armenia, with some supporting it and some opposing it. There have been attempts to restore the anthem's melody with new lyrics as the new national anthem of Armenia, similar to the case with Russia's in 2000 during the early years of Vladimir Putin's presidency. Some Armenian composers and artists have long disliked the uncomplicated theme of the current national anthem, "Our Fatherland", and have expressed a desire for a more solemn tune,[2] while others have stated that singing "Our Father" itself has carried too much sorrow throughout the 20th and 21st centuries and that a more joyous alternative should be chosen.[3]
2000s[]
In 2005, the issue of changing the national anthem was discussed in government, which culminated in a constitutional referendum on adopting new state symbols within one year.[4]
In 2006, a competition for a new anthem was held by Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan. The competition received 85 entries, and in August the commission shortlisted five, which did not include "Our Fatherland" but included a proposal with the music of the Armenian SSR anthem and new lyrics by Armen Soghomonyan. This proposal won the competition, but the commission members rejected the submitted lyrics, urging local authors to submit better ones.[2] While several Armenian music and arts figures were indifferent to or supportive of the change to the music,[5] the results of the competition were eventually scrapped in October, after strong opposition from the Dashnaks, then a member of the ruling coalition, throughout over the selection of a Soviet-era anthem. The government instead adopted a draft law that would keep "Our Fatherland" as the anthem for at least one more year.[2] The adoption of the law was after the 6 December 2006 date set late the year prior as the constitutional deadline for reaffirming the existing state symbol.[4]
2010s[]
In 2012, actor Sos Sargsyan, writer Levon Ananyan and publicist Zori Balayan sent an open letter with over 2,000 signatures to the president, petitioning to restore the Soviet-era coat of arms designed by painter Martiros Saryan and the anthem composed by Aram Khachaturyan. Ananyan stated, "... this is an issue that’s always important and has to always be raised, it’s the face of our country, our symbols that have to be representative and impressive." Political historian Shushan Khatlamadzhyan, the widow of the painter who restored Armenia's current coat of arms, opposed the restoration of the anthem, stating that people were trying to return "symbols of a period when they had a good life" and attributed Russia's Soviet-era anthem restoration to "pro-empire aspirations", stating, "... what do we want to achieve by trying to bring back fragments from our past?" while director of the Martin Saryan House-Museum Ruzan Saryan, Martin's granddaughter, supported it, stating, "... viewing the masterpieces by Saryan and Khachaturyan through the prism of ‘totalitarian past’ is medieval prejudice.”[6]
In 2015, Chairman of the Composers' Union of Armenia Aram Satyan criticised the current Armenian anthem's sad impression and stated that the tone of the music should rise and become upbeat in the process. He stated, "In the case of other nations’ anthems we see some grandeur as it rises to the space, and ours on the contrary is directed to the earth… We can restore Aram Khachaturian’s music or use the Hayastan song composed by Gabriel Yeranyan in 2012."[7]
In 2018, the House-Museum of Aram Khachaturian proposed for the national anthem to be changed to one based on the music of that of the Armenian SSR. This petition was not supported at the time in Armenia, which was dealing with the 2018 Armenian revolution.[8]
In 2019, National Assembly vice-speaker Alen Simonyan claimed that most Armenians do not like the current anthem. Eurasianet reported in 2019 that the current anthem remains unpopular with many Armenians, mainly for aesthetic reasons. Another suggestion to adopt a national anthem based on the music of the anthem of the Armenian SSR was put forward by vice-speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan.[8][9] In a Facebook post, he stated that it is "a powerful anthem that meets all the requirements." His comment received support from composer Ara Gevorgyan, who replied, "It is a great hymn and we look forward to the decision to restore it." Simonyan subsequently created a Facebook poll, in which two-thirds of more than 6,500 respondents voted in favour of the change. Minister of Diaspora Babken Ter-Grigoryan responded by stating that he would survey the Armenian diaspora on the potential change.[9] With Armenia's new parliament under Nikol Pashinyan]] seated just three weeks prior, many among the Armenian public responded by saying it was not a pressing issue at the time.[8][9] A member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation again expressed strong opposition to the idea.[9]
Proposed lyrics[]
Armenian original[]
| Armenian script | Latin script | Cyrillic script |
|---|---|---|
Արարատյան սուրբ աշխարհ իմ Հայաստան, |
Araratyán surb ashxárh im Hayastán |
Араратян сурб ашхарҳ им Ҳаястан, |
Russian translation[]
Святая земля Арарата, моя Армения,
За множество веков суровый путь ты прошла,
Твои сыновья пролили святую кровь,
Чтоб ты прославилась как мать-родина для армян.
Припев:
Слава тебе, всегда — слава, колыбель Ноя Армения,
Гениальная словом, мастерица-строительница,
Непоколебимая, как меч, благословлённый святым Варданом,
Здравствуй во веки веков!
Запечатлевшие бессмертие Христа Бога,
Пред нами открылись врата царства,
Освободившись от оков тьмы,
Наше государство крепло на протяжении веков.
Припев
В священной колыбели судьбы
Мы создали крепкое государство,
Перед лицом вечно беспощадной смерти непоколебимое,
Прошедшее путь от смерти к бессмертию!
Припев
English translation[]
The Holy Land of Araratian Armenia,
For centuries you had gone through brutal pathways,
By the holy blood of your martyred sons
You are always a glorious Motherland of all-Armenians!
Chorus:
Glory, always glory to you, the hearth of Noah, Armenia,
In your divine wisdom, in your creative–genius!
By the blessed steadfast Sword of Saint Vardan
You live on and will be forever and ever.
Sealed by the immortality of Christ the Lord,
The doors of Kingdom are open to us,
Delivered from dark yokes
We proved our identity for ages as is.
Chorus
In this holy land, where once was a Paradise,
We edified our firm, unbending image,
Facing death with conscious heroism,
Marching through to eternal life.
Chorus
References[]
- ↑ Օրհներգ – LyricsTranslate
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Government Shelves Plans For New Armenian Anthem. «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան։
- ↑ ARMENIA'S NATIONAL ANTHEM TO BE REVAMPED (2006-08-26). HyeTert.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Is Armenia Left Without an Anthem?
- ↑ ԽԱՉԱՏՐՅԱՆԸ՝ ԽԱՉԱՏՐՅԱՆ | Առավոտ - Լուրեր Հայաստանից
- ↑ Symbols of Debate: Initiative underway to restore historic Coat of Arms and anthem (2012-12-04). Abrahamyan, Gayane. ArmeniaNow.
- ↑ National Symbols: Artists again raise questions over Armenian anthem, coat of arms (2015-03-04). Mkrtchyan, Gayane. ArmeniaNow.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Armenia takes yet another look at changing its national anthem - JAMnews (2019-02-05). JAMnews.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Armenia's new authorities debate changing national anthem (2019-02-05). Eurasianet.