Sheram In Love

With great pleasure, we announce the publication of the second book devoted to one of Armenia's most important ashughs. The focus of our attention is on Sheram as a poet of love this time. Ashough Sheram of Armenia composed so many beautiful and memorable songs that are still performed today that we are confident that his music will continue to live on long after his passing in 1938. The beauty, complexity, and sometimes unconventional nature of his melodies have earned him the nickname Sheram, which refers to a silkworm. "You are weaving your melodies in a similar manner to a silkworm", was an observation by the distinguished Armenian poet Hovhannes Hovhannisyan once, resulting in the birth of his new musical avatar. There are thirty songs by Ashough Sheram in this book, which have been translated for the first time into English by the publisher. A large part of Sheram's lyrics has been composed in the Alexandropol dialect (Gyumri) of Armenian. Therefore, to assist Armenian readers who are unfamiliar with this dialect in understanding the songs, a comprehensive dictionary is provided at the end of the book with English terms where applicable. And finally, the last chapter contains the musical notation of the songs as transcribed by Sheram's son, composer Vardges Talyan circa 1948.