Description: (Armenian Priest, Musicologist and Composer)
Vartapet Komitas, an Ottoman-Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, and choirmaster, is renowned for establishing the Armenian national school of music. He received musical education in Berlin, leveraging his Western training to shape a distinctive national music heritage. Komitas dedicated himself to preserving Armenian folk music, transcribing over 3,000 pieces, alongside Kurdish melodies. His efforts to showcase Armenian music in European cities earned him widespread acclaim as a guardian of Armenian musical heritage. Despite enduring mistreatment and imprisonment during the Armenian genocide, Komitas is honored as a martyr and a poignant symbol of the tragedy.