Garbis Aprikian
Garbis Aprikian 
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| Name in Armenian | Կարպիս Ափրիկեան |
| Birthplace | Alexandria |
| Birth date | 1926 |
| Death date | 2024-10-15 |
| Death year | 2024 |
| Languages | French, Armenian |
| Ethnicities | Armenian |
| Dialects | Western Armenian |
Garbis Aprikian (1926 – 15 October 2024) was a musician from the Armenian diaspora who was born in Egypt and moved to Paris in 1953, where he studied, inspired especially by Olivier Messiaen. He conducted the Armenian mixed chorus Sipan-Komitas for around 50 years, composing many works especially for the group and also arranging Armenian folk music and works of others. He combined melodies from Armenia with Western musical techniques such as harmonies and counterpoint. Aprikian is regarded as a pioneer of bringing Armenian music to France.
Biography
Aprikian was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1926.[1][2] He studied at the Armenian National Boghossian primary school and then at the American College. From the age of ten he began serious music lessons with Maestro Frapicini, a student of Pietro Mascagni, in piano as well as in harmony and counterpoint.[3]Template:Rp[2] He sang in the children's choir of the Eglise Arménienne d'Alexandrie, also as a soloist.[3]Template:Rp Learning about Armenian history and music made him feel "a sense of national pride".[2]
In 1948, Aprikian founded the mixed chorus Hamazkaine with which he gave concerts in Alexandria, in Cairo and on radio. The success encouraged members of the association Houssaper to award him a scholarship to complete his training in Europe.[3]Template:Rp
Paris
Aprikian arrived in Paris in 1953 where he studied composition and conducting at the Ecole Normale of Music[2] with Simone Plé-Caussade, Tony Aubin and Jean Fournet[3]Template:Rp and took a course on musical aesthetics by Olivier Messiaen at the Conservatoire de Paris.[2]
The Armenian mixed chorus Sipan-Komitas then sought him to replace Kurken Alemshah, and he accepted the position.[3]Template:Rp He conducted the choir from the 1950s for about fifty years.[2][4] He composed and harmonized popular melodies and old patriotic songs, more than two hundred religious, secular and folk works.[3] They performed at the Festival d'Avignon, at Sénanque Abbey, the Chartreuse of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, in Normandy, Rennes, Cannes, Venice, and the festival Art Sacré de la ville de Paris.[3]Template:Rp They performed concerts in Brussels, Geneva, Bern, Basel, Munich and Amsterdam, among others,[2] and recorded several CDs.[3]Template:Rp
In 1991 Aprikian was invited for the first time by Armenian authorities to go to Yerevan, where he performed in a concert of his own works and those of other composers of the Armenian Diaspora.[2]
Personal life
Agprikian had a son, Ara.[4]
Aprikian died at his home[1] in Malakoff, Hauts-de-Seine, on 15 October 2024,[4] at the age of 98.[2][5][6]
Works
Template:Main Aprikian said in an interview that in his compositions, he took melody mostly from Armenian music, but fused it with Western classical music's harmonies when he arranged themes from Armenian folk music,[4][5] calling it a "'noble' transcription of tradition".[4] He composed original works but also arrangements of Armenian folk music and of works by other Armenian composers such as Komitas. His sources included Armenian children's songs, prayers, songs about nature, battle songs and processional songs.[2]
He composed the Petit suite nuptiale for his son's wedding, based on songs his father had sung to him when he was a child.[7] He wrote an oratorio, Naissance de David de Sassoun,[1][2] to a libretto by Hagop Oshagan, for soloists, choir and orchestra, premiered in 1994.[3]Template:Rp
Honours
- 1989 Medal of Saint Nerces Chenorali by Vasken I, Catholicos of all Armenians[3]Template:Rp
- 1993 Medal of Saint Mesrop Machtots by Garéguine II Nersissian of the Great House Of Cilicie[3]Template:Rp
- 1994 Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris awarded by Jacques Chirac[3]Template:Rp
- 2004 Ordre des Arts et des Lettres[3]Template:Rp[8]
- 2024 Grand Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris, for his life's work.[1][4]
- 2025 A square in Paris is named after Aprikian on the anniversary of his death[9]
Recordings
- 2003: Aprikian: Oeuvres Vocales et Instrumentales is a collection of vocal and instrumental pieces, including Aprikian's "Lamento", Petite suite nuptiale in both a trio and an orchestral version, "Moutn er" and Divertimento.[10]
- Mayrig: To Armenian Mothers is a collection of songs by Armenian composers, including Aprikian's "Lamento", "Lullaby", and Petite suite nuptiale.[7]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ "Arrêté du 12 mai 2021 portant nomination et promotion dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (in fr). Ministry of Culture. 12 May 2021. https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Nous-connaitre/Organisation/Conseil-de-l-Ordre-des-Arts-et-des-Lettres/Arretes-de-Nominations-dans-l-ordre-des-Arts-et-des-Lettres/Nomination-dans-l-ordre-des-Arts-et-des-Lettres-hiver-2021. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
- ↑ https://en.armradio.am/2025/10/16/square-named-after-karpis-aprikian-inaugurated-in-paris/
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
External links
- Template:Discogs artist
- Template:IMDb name
- Accueil (in French) Chorale Sipan-Komitas (Choeur Mixte Arménien de Paris)
- Mayrig (Lamento) highresaudio.com
Source for article above: Wikipedia
Square named after Karpis Aprikian inaugurated in Paris
Siranush Ghazanchyan
October 16, 2025
A square in Paris’s 9th arrondissement has been officially named after renowned French-Armenian composer and conductor Karpis Aprikian, founder and longtime director of the Sipan-Komitas Choir. The inauguration ceremony took place on October 15, marking the first anniversary of Aprikian’s passing and honoring his lifelong contribution to music and culture.
The event brought together numerous officials and members of the Armenian community. Among those delivering remarks were Armen Khachatryan, Ambassador of Armenia to France; Laurence Patrice, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of Memory and Veterans Affairs; and Delphine Bürkli, Mayor of the 9th arrondissement. Members of the Aprikian family — his sons Goryoun and Ara Aprikian, and granddaughter Talin Aprikian — also attended the ceremony.
Other participants included Paris Deputy Mayors Arnaud Ngatcha and Anouch Toranian, Paris City Council member and Delegate for Memory and Veterans Affairs Alexis Govciyan, President of the Philharmonie de Paris Olivier Mantéi, as well as representatives of Armenian organizations, cultural circles, and the broader French-Armenian community.
In his address, Ambassador Armen Khachatryan expressed gratitude to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the Paris City Council, and the leadership of the 9th arrondissement for their initiative in perpetuating Karpis Aprikian’s memory and strengthening Armenian-French friendship.
The ambassador highlighted that through his creative work and his leadership of the Sipan-Komitas Choir, Aprikian played a vital role in promoting both Armenian and French musical heritage. He added that having Aprikian’s name inscribed in the heart of Paris symbolizes the harmonious unity of Armenian and French cultures.
Photos by Melkon Ajamian and Lydia Kasparian
Source: https://en.armradio.am/2025/10/16/square-named-after-karpis-aprikian-inaugurated-in-paris/
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