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Hayrik Muradyan is a unique phenomenon within Armenian popular folklore. By profession Muradyan was a historian, who rendered invaluable service for saving various popular songs from extinction. During his long life dedicated to different areas he constantly replenished traditional songlists that he had mastered and sang in his childhood (he performed more than 150 songs by heart). Hayrik Muradyan was to some degree a researcher as well. He looked for songs among his compatriots and compared them. Alongside with traditional songs spread in his native city of Shatakh he also presented the song versions of neighbouring provinces as well. This distinction makes the melodic, rhythmic or modulation differences appear quite evidently and gives musicologists the opportunity to study those melodic dialects. Besides, Muradyan provided specific information on each song, choreographic, as well as other interesting materials about the best folk singers and composers. It is also worth mentioning that Hayrik Muradyan vividly describes the daily life, lifestyle and particularly music in the background of general historical events going on in his native province in the early 20th century. His profession much contributed to this work. Hayrik Muradyan not only invited public’s attention to a whole cultural layer that was on the verge of extinction, but also proved that Armenian folk song in its natural form has the equal right to persist alongside with professional polyphonic music. This task could only be initiated by a real patriot, music lover and connoisseur. Source: Alina Pahlevanyan, “Native Songs” «Լե լե խլպանե»-ն ուրախ պարերգ է, որը բառացի նշանակում է «մատաղ լինեմ քեզ»:
