Newmag and "Renaissance" Presented Makar Yekmalyan's "Chants for the Liturgy of the Saints" and "Harutyun Galentz: The Form of Colour" Books (Video)

Makar Yekmalyan's Chants for the Liturgy of the Saints was presented by musicologist-medievalist and professional editor of the edition Gayane Amiraghyan, together with Lilit Harutyunyan, a researcher at the Komitas Museum-Institute.

Gayane Amiraghyan described Yekmalyan's work as a musical manual of exceptional value: 

“First published in Leipzig in 1896, this work has remained one of our most requested and widely used musical texts for one hundred and thirty years. When Yekmalyan composed this masterpiece, Catholicos Khrimyan Hayrik issued an official encyclical authorizing its performance in churches.

It quickly gained widespread adoption across almost all Armenian churches, including those throughout the Russian Empire, and it remains the most frequently performed Liturgy to this day. Although reprinted several times over the years, previous editions were incomplete. The original work was written for three distinct vocal arrangements: three-part, four-part male, and four-part mixed choir - the latter being the most commonly printed. This complete edition includes all three versions."

The professional editor outlined the primary significance and key characteristics of the work: 

"Yekmalyan had a background in religious education combined with advanced musical training in Saint Petersburg, allowing him to elevate traditional Armenian sacred music to European standards for the first time. Our sacred music is traditionally monophonic, whereas European music is polyphonic. Yekmalyan was the first to seamlessly blend traditional Liturgy melodies with European polyphony.

It was a bold undertaking executed with great mastery and subtlety. Remarkably, the book was first published in Europe by a renowned publishing house in Leipzig, which still operates today, where the musical score was set, while the Classical Armenian text was typeset by the Mechitharist Congregation. 

After being out of print for many years, its first major re-edition was initiated by the Renaissance Foundation in 2017, and it has now been reissued through the joint efforts of the Renaissance Foundation and Newmag."

Lilit Harutyunyan, researcher at the Komitas Museum-Institute, emphasized the publication's broad utility: 

"The Liturgy text is bilingual, presented in Armenian and English, complete with transliteration, a crucial feature for diaspora educational centers to ensure accurate performance of the Classical Armenian chant. The book includes musicological commentary, an introductory overview of the Liturgy, an editor's note, and an analytical essay tailored for professional circles."

Another major release compiled by art historians Vardan Karapetyan and Marie Tomb, “Harutyun Galentz: The Form of Colour”, was published by Skira Publishing and presented in Paris. Following the launch of the art volume, a conference dedicated to the master Armenian painter Harutyun Galentz was held at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. Art historian, curator, and Director of Exhibitions at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts Armen Yesayants participated in the conference and shared insights on Galentz's artistic legacy during the television presentation:

"Any publication released by Skira carries monumental weight, making this a major milestone for our culture, as Galentz stands among the prominent figures of 20th-century visual art deserving of global recognition. Interest in his work gained renewed momentum in the late 2000s when his son opened the Galentz Museum in Yerevan, followed by several major exhibitions.

The Skira publication features Artur Janibekyan's personal Galentz collection, critical essays, as well as family and archival documentation. The monograph was compiled on the initiative of art historian Vardan Karapetyan."

Armen Yesayants also commented on the rationale behind the book's title, Harutyun Galentz: The Form of Colour. According to the art historian, color and form are often treated as distinct elements, yet Galentz used color to impart volume and depth to the canvas: 

"Galentz transforms color into form. Through every gestural brushstroke and sculptured tone, he builds volume; upon a flat, two-dimensional surface, we observe images rich in three-dimensional chromatic depth. Galentz's use of color shifts, assuming form and revealing new content."

In compiling the book, Vardan Karapetyan and Marie Tomb included previously unpublished correspondence with writers and scientists whom the artist met through the chemist Artem Alikhanian. The volume also features two portraits of Maya Plisetskaya. According to Yesayants, the publication reflects an extensive body of analytical research:

"Galentz moved to Armenia from Lebanon during the repatriations. Before relocating to his homeland, he was already an established painter. He is often characterized as a non-conformist; within the Soviet context, political non-conformism referred to liberal, independent artists whose work remained free of propaganda, socialist realism, and rigid formal constraints.

After relocating to Armenia in the 1940s, the painter experienced a ten-year hiatus in his creative output, unable to paint as he confronted strict Soviet realities. His most prolific period flourished only after Stalin's death, following the end of the cult of personality. He passed away at the age of 57 at the height of this vibrant creative phase."

Yesayants noted that the publication of this volume once again highlights the growing international interest in 20th-century Armenian fine arts. While Armenia is widely recognized globally for its medieval architecture, miniatures, and khachkars (cross-stones), Harutyun Galentz: The Form of Colour presents Armenian art within a modern context.