-I didn’t choose anything. I only wrote and sang what I felt. First I wrote for children, then for teenagers, and finally I began to write and perform my own songs.

-What can you say about singer-songwriters in Armenia?

-This genre of song is poorly developed in Armenia. No one thinks of it. The society mostly knows Ruben Hakhverdyan. It’s good, of course, that we have him, but it’s not as if he were the only one. There are many others, who have good songs and are worth performing on great stages.

But now our stages are provided only to Armenian rabiz music, since majority listen to it and take it as the genre most close to their heart. It seems to have been injected into their blood like a drug. But it would be much better if we had also “drugs” for folk, pop and other genres, including rabiz. Then people would develop a philosophy of understanding music. It is not as if we could stage the opera “Aida”  in restaurants or perform wedding songs in the philharmonic hall or the Opera House.

High-class music must be distinguished from country music. Every genre of music must be performed in its proper place. If one wants to listen to Turkish-Persian modulations, others must not be condemned to do the same. After all, these tones may not be pleasant to everyone’s ear. There must be special places where you can go to listen to this kind of music, but it must not be broadcast on TV or performed in superior music halls.

Very often you are surprised at the great number of worthless video clips shown on TV. It is understandable that money is taken for broadcasting them. But let them choose the best ones, even if they had to take a greater amount of money.

-What can we do to regain the former purity of the Armenian music?

-We must start from schools. I do not agree to the idea that singing as a subject must be taught at schools, starting from spiritual music. In musical schools and in special purpose schools you can start from spiritual music. But in schools of secondary education not all the students are gifted with singing skills. I used to teach singing at a school for thirty years and I know how difficult it is for pupils to take in and sing spiritual songs. Simpler methods should be used. For instance, for 15 minutes we painted music, such as that of Bach, Beethoven or Aram Khachaturian, giving our pupils an opportunity to learn classical music through painting. In order to be able to develop a good taste for music in our pupils, we must first choose the right way of teaching and a proper style for a teenager. If stresses in the song are placed inaccurately, the Armenian charm of it is lost.

Tatul Altunyan Song & Dance State Ensemble has unequaled songs, about 500 in number… Where are they now? Why aren’t they aired? The more the real Armenian music is propagandized, aired and performed in music halls, the earlier our ear will be cleaned from bad-quality music.