Erbil, Tuesday (April 28, 2026)
Assist.Prof. Dr. Amanj Ghazi delivered a scientific seminar entitled “Komitas: The Architect of the Concepts and Foundations of Kurdish Music from an Ethnomusicological Perspective,” shedding light on the figure of Komitas Vardapet as one of the founders of modern ethnomusicology and his historical role in the scientific documentation of the foundations of Kurdish music.
The seminar provided a detailed discussion of the scholarly efforts of Soghomon Soghomonian, known as Komitas (1869–1935). During his studies at Humboldt University of Berlin, he conducted in-depth research on the folklore and music of the peoples of the region, particularly Kurdish music, which has since become an important scientific source in the field of music studies.
The seminar also emphasized that Komitas was not only a collector of melodies, but the first scholar to scientifically and methodically preserve data and information on Kurdish music through musical notation and field research. This contribution helped protect Kurdish music from the risk of loss and distortion, while establishing a strong foundation for understanding its musical characteristics.
The seminar highlighted that Komitas’s works played a major role in introducing the authenticity of Kurdish music to international academic circles, and that his studies on Kurdish folklore continue to serve as a key reference for understanding the structure and forms of Kurdish music.
At the conclusion, the seminar ended with an academic discussion and exchange of views among faculty members on the importance of documenting music and employing scientific methods to enrich Kurdish music scholarship.
