UNMATCHED ARTIST OF ARMENIAN SPIRITUAL SONGS KHOREN PALIAN DIES
YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. "The Armenian culture suffered
a heavy loss – the unmatched artist of Armenian spiritual songs,
connoisseur of sharakans Khoren Palian passed away. His contribution
was great. He was not only a higly artistic performer of spiritual
songs but also their untiring herald in the world, an apologist for
education of the future generations by this culture and an active
peson." This is said in the Forum of Intellectuals’ press release,
which was submitted to NT.
Being from the famous Palian family – he inherited their high
human characteristics, talent and unbending will to serve his
nation. According to the press release, "everything mean and dark,
the permissiveness which have afflicted the Armenian people over the
last fifteen years were strange to him." K.
Palian never betrayed himself: he lived an exemplary life and and
immortalized his name.
Assistant professor of the Armenian Language History Department of
Yerevan State University, well-known expert of sharakans (Armenian
church psalms), lecturer of grabar (old Armenian language), composer
and singer Khoren Palian graduated from the Etchmiadzin Seminary. In
1955, he was ordained as a deacon, and in 1961 he was ordained
as a priest by the Catholicos of All Armenians Vazgen I. He held
positions in St. Etchmiadzin. The unprecedented outburst of national
self-consciousness in Armenia in 1965 in connection with the 50th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide caused him to leave the spititual
field of activity, however, never separating from the church.
In 1965 Khoren Palian entered the Armenian Language Department of
Yerevan State University and 3 years later graduated with honors. In
1968, he was appointed a lecturer at the Armenian Language History
Department where he taught language history and grabar. In 1978-2004,
he taught chronicle, theory of sharakans and Armenian spiritual
music at the Gevorgian Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin, then – at the
Vazgenian school of Sevan. Catholicos Karekin II conferred Saint
Nerses Shnorhali Order on him.
K. Palian was married to the unmatched performer of spiritual songs
Lusine Zakarian.
The funeral of Khoren Palian will take place in the cemetry of
Etchmiadzin’s St Gayane Monastery on January 25.