This is not 'bizarre' at all. Hovhaness used the vernacular of traditional, folk and classical Armenian music quite a bit. All you need to do is listen to Armenian kanun music and you will hear everything, because that is what he heard in his early life. The kanun is very much like the harp, onl...
A couple of other things to remember....there was no 'war' with each other...except the one the Turkish govt waged against its own citizens....Armenians did not leave the Ottoman Empire by choice or for 'opportunity'...they were escaping certain death, aka - a genocide. Also, please note that Har...
This is so essentially, fundamentally and beautifully Armenian in its inspiration, it is hard to ignore. Welcome to the Armenian world, everyone.