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• Gusan: Ethno music’s in Armenian blood

It is our moral duty to promote Gusan music and our traditional folklore rather than Rabiz or other low class music from the west...

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A well-known Armenian representative of the ethno bard music genre (known as gusan in Armenia) thinks that television and radio do not pay proper attention to ethno bard songs and music, while these songs and music are in the blood of every Armenian and are never forgotten or ignored.

Gusan Haykazun, who is particularly known for his patriotic songs (“Armenians, Unite!”, “Getashen”, “We Should Go Sooner or Later”, etc) authored during the Karabakh war in the early 1990s, says that during the 20 years of his artistic life he has never been invited to the Public Television of Armenia.

“Armenia’s number one television has never opened its doors to me,” complained the gusan.

Gusan Haykazun (real name Gagik), 58, is a construction engineer by profession, and for many years worked in this area. Now he works at Armenia’s Customs Service. He says that he dreams about the day when he can earn his living only with music and so can leave his current job and concentrate on artistic work. Like all gusans, Haykazun has no music education, nor does he play any instrument or read music notes. Instead, he says, music is born in his mind. In recent years, along with patriotic songs, Haykazun also authored numerous love songs, many of which he is going to present at a concert planned for the coming week. Male and female singers who have for years successfully performed the gusan’s songs (for example Nune Yesayan) as well as the Haykazunq group led by him will also participate in the concert.

The gusan says that for years he could not choose performers for his songs. In the meantime, many changed the lyrics of his songs, which, he says, has angered him a lot.

“Now that I have new songs, I do not let all have them, I give them to people who really deserve it,” says Haykazun and adds that his new songs are most often sung by the 10-member Haykazunq group.

Gusan Haykazun is far from thinking that youths do not listen to folk or gusan music.

“Young people are very fond of gusan songs. My songs that have been popular already for 20 years are the best proof of this. Young people perform them in all halls, and young people are a majority of the audience during my concerts. It is only necessary to offer them good songs and the young are certain to take that,” the gusan says.

Arman Danielyan, pro-rector of the Dramatic Art Teacher’s Training University after Nikol Galanteryan, agrees with Gusan Haykazun.

“I myself stay in daily contact with young people and can say with confidence that the Armenian youth is fond of folk songs. True, a lot of odd things penetrated our culture during this stage of transition and young people tried to copy that, but today I already see that our culture gradually gets cleaned from these things. Our ethnic folk song is in the gene of the youth and is not forgotten,” says Danielyan.

According to him, for the gusan song to be loved by the audience, it should be more often played on radio and television. Danielyan points at the local Shant TV company that for several years already has had a series of programs “Folk Sings” and recently “Folk Dances”, which have proved quite popular among TV viewers.

“Watching these programs, young people grow fond of their national culture,” says Danielyan.