Syracuse Post Standard, NY
Aug 3 2004
Solvay man writes hit songs for Armenia
Decker has written lyrics for works by a prominent Armenian composer.
By Mark Bialczak
Staff writer
You could argue that Daniel Decker gets more attention in Armenia
than he does in his hometown of Solvay.
After all, an American TV crew has yet to surreptitiously follow
Decker around for a couple of days for a network series.
That’s exactly what happened to Decker when he visited his wife
Armine Khurshudian’s homeland in May.
Unbeknownst to Decker, cameras followed him from the moment he walked
in the airport gate. Three days later, the host of the show, the
title of which translates into “By Their Steps,” caught Decker in the
lobby of his hotel for a face-to-face interview.
The host’s questions and Decker’s answers were translated by
Khurshudian and Armenian composer Ara Gevorgian. Decker was in
Armenia to work with Gevorgian, who’s one of the country’s most
prominent composers. For several years now, Decker has written lyrics
to pair with Gevorgian’s grand musical landscapes.
Decker pops a DVD of the 30-minute TV show into his portable computer
and relives the moment, from the stalker-like opening to the “big
reveal” in the hotel lobby.
American Armenians there for a visit applaud in the background when
Decker moves to the lobby piano and performs his piece “Redemption’s
Song.”
That piece appears on this year’s independently made, 11-song disc
“My Offering.”
The Christian-based recording also includes “Noah’s Prayer,” the
collaboration between Decker and Gevorgian that made him famous for
his 2002 performance of the song on Armenian Independence Day, May
28, 2002, with the Armenian Opera Orchestra. A video of that
performance, which has Mount Aratat
jutting in the background, was part of the Armenian show chronicling
that year’s significant events. The video still is played often on
Armenia TV, as well as on the big screen in the capital city of
Yerevan’s version of Times Square.
Decker writes and sings in English. The Armenians get his message.
His next video release in Armenia will be “Adana,” named for the city
that was one of the primary locations of the Armenian genocide during
World War I. In the lyrics, Decker describes how more than a million
Armenians were “slaughtered because they would not renounce their
faith in Christ.”
Decker says he loves writing for the Armenian people because of their
huge spirit.
He’s working on programs to provide financial aid to the poor in his
wife’s home country. Khurshudian moved to Syracuse after marrying
Decker in 2001, but they visit there as frequently as possible.
“On my fourth trip to Armenia, we went to the place where I had heard
the melody to ‘Noah’s Prayer’ (composed by Gevorgian) for the first
time,” Decker says. “I saw an old man being helped by a young girl.
They were begging for coins. People were giving them 10 drams. There
are 550 drams to a dollar. This had a huge impact on me.”
So Decker is working with Armenian programs that provide soup
kitchens, school supplies and clothing for the poor.
“They’re caring. They’re warm. There’s something about the Armenian
people that’s really touching,” Decker says. “It absolutely changed
my life. I decided I’d dedicate my career, my life, to helping these
Armenian people who have so little. This is just the beginning now.”