National chamber choir of Armenia – Yel, yel (Armenian folk song)

English translation of the text is by Ani Toroyan (Անի Թորոյան).
“Yel, yel” (Ել, ել – Stand up, stand up) – Armenian folk labor song, performed by Armenian State Chamber Choir. Conductor: Robert Mlkeyan. Reworking: Komitas.
In Armenian (հայերեն):
На русском языке:
Maestro Robert Mlkeyan says of this song: “This song shows the Armenian peasant’s attitude towards his ox. The ox used to be very important for the peasant for it was the breadwinner of his family. It can be said that it’s being healthy was equal to his child’s being healthy. And if someone’s ox was sick or died it was a great tragedy. This song marks that very moment. He says, “Stand up, stand up, the day passed, it got dark.” The peasant asks the ox to stand up and not die, i.e. In this sense there is a great dogmatism in the song. It was a question of daily bread. In order to support his family the man had to cultivate his soil. And for that reason he had to take care of his ox. And that was not easy for the poor peasant. So, he could only ask God to keep the ox healthy so that it could provide their daily bread. In our performances the song sounds very dramatically.
It is not known where Komitas recorded it. For instance, Lorva Gutanerg (Song of the plough of Lori) is important because the work was organized in a different way. And as to this song the place was not deemed important.
Do you know that I am the “most unhappy” man in the sense that I feel the audience standing with my back to them but from my choir members’ eyes I feel that they hardly suppress their tears. In the hall of St. Louis Cathedral in Paris, filled with 1000 audience, only 5 were Armenians, our minister of culture, his attendants and Armenians living there, the rest were French. And when we were singing songs recorded and reworked by Komitas and especially this song everyone was crying. It happened in other halls too. Komitas’ songs result in such a state of mind in which the nationality doesn’t matter and the 70% of the audience cannot stand the emotional effect and their eyes are filled with tears. But it’s not a mere emotion. The European audience is more prepared and they realize what they have heard. Anyway they say, “We don’t understand what happens to us, we cannot resist those emotions and cry.” Such is Komitas. They are astonished how a folk song can be this way and be performed on such academic stages as a miracle. And Armenians are the only people who while listening to the song get goosebumps don’t cry.”

Armenian text of the song in Latin letters:

Yel, yel, yel!
De yel, de yel, de yel, de yel!
De yel, de yel, de yel, de yel!
Yel, yel, yel!

Lachin, Manan,
De yel, de yel, de yel, de yel!
De yel, de yel!
Yel, yel, yel!

Orn antsav,
Qamin yelav.

Mouthn enkav,
Astghern yelan.

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