The lyrics of "Mer Hayreniḱ" were derived from "The Song of an Italian Girl", a poem written by Mikael Nalbandian in 1861.[1][2] (Armenian: Իտալացի աղջկա երգը, romanized: Italats’i aghjka yergy),[3] It is more well known by its incipit, "Mer Hayreniḱ" ("Our Fatherland").[2][4] In the early 20th century,[1] the music was composed by Barsegh Kanachyan.[3] Subsequently, both the lyrics and music were adopted as the national anthem of the First Republic of Armenia, which briefly existed from 1918 to 1920.[3][5]
Restoration of sovereignty and beyond (1991–present)
"Mer Hayreniḱ" was reinstated as Armenia's national anthem on 1 July 1991[3] by the constituent republic's Supreme Soviet.[10] The lyrics are not identical to the 1918 version, however, because several of the words have been modified.[1][11] As an intrinsic element of civic education in Armenia, the anthem is one of several national symbols which feature prominently in the classrooms of the country's schools. By dignifying the song in this manner, teachers reckon that this "encourage[s] students to sing the national anthem every day".[12]
A debate of the national anthem was a question in the Armenian Parliament in 2006 and 2019. The new government had called for the restoration of the Soviet era anthem with newer lyrics in its place.[13]
The italian violist Marco Misciagna composed the "Introduction and Variations on Mer Hayrenik” for viola solo and in 2018 he played it during a concert at the Komitas Chamber Music House.[14]
Lyrics
The lyrics of "Mer Hayreniḱ" promotes the worthiness of "dying for the freedom" of Armenia.[15] Its discussion of death, however, has led several commentators to complain that the anthem is overly "wimpy" and "gloomy".[5][16] Specifically, some members of the National Assembly are of the opinion that the song – written at the time of the first fight for independence – does not accurately reflect the present era of triumph and success.[17] However, none of the proposals to replace "Mer Hayreniḱ" have come to fruition,[18] as the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) – which were part of the coalition government[5] – have so far resisted efforts to change the national anthem,[5][16] especially proposals to replace it with one based on the music of the anthem of the Armenian SSR.[19][20]
Due to the brief length of a singular verse (around 30 seconds), more than one verse is usually repeated when played.
Current text
Note: The last two lines of each paragraph are repeated
^"Armenia – History". Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations (12th ed.). Thomson Gale. 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
^Dowsett, Charles James Frank; Suny, Ronald Grigor (14 March 2017). "Armenia – History". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
^"Aram Khachaturian". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. 14 December 2000. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
^Ter-Matevosyan, Vahram; Danielyan, Hamazasp; Sisserian, Serge-Varak; Kankanyan, Nina; Shorjian, Nayiri (2017). "Institutions and identity politics in the Armenian diaspora: the cases of Russia and Lebanon". Diaspora Studies. 10 (1): 78. doi:10.1080/09739572.2016.1239436. S2CID157417683. (registration required)
Armenia
