Karapete Xaco
Encyclopedia
Karapetê Xaço or Karabêtê Xaço or Gerabêtê Xaço (September 3, 1900 or 1903 or 1908 - January 15, 2005), was an Armenian singer of traditional Kurdish dengbêj music
.
Karapetê Haço was born in the village of Bileyder (present-day Binaltı, Batman
) in the Ottoman Empire
to an Armenian family in 1900. He observed the annihilation of his village during the massacres of 1915
. Xaço and his brother Abraham, sisters Manuşak and Xezal survived because a soldier said Let's free them and allow them to go as he lost his parents. He was saved by his knowledge of Kurmanji
and a miraculous talent.
At a young age, he began taking a liking for music and would sing old Kurdish folk songs that were passed on through generations. He have worked as a mercenary soldier of French Foreign Legion
nearly 15 years. He married Yeva of Azizyan family in Al-Qamishli when he was a legionnaire in 1936. They had four daughters and a son. He and his family went to Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and settled in Yerevan
in 1946. He formulated his experiences of the genocide. Karapete Xaço worked for the Kurdish Service of Yerevan Radio and was popular with many Kurdish people
.
Karapetê Xaço later grew up to be known as one of the greatest recorders of Dengbêj music, which is a form of singing that often tells a story. He died on January 15, 2005.
Hundreds of Kurdish dengbêj songs are considered to be one of the key elements in preserving the Kurdish culture and history. Karapetê Xaço was best known for singing and recording the traditional songs, Ay lo mîro, Adullê, Çume Cizîre, Xim ximê and Lê dayikê. Since
Karapetê Xaço recorded them, variations of these songs have been recorded by several different artists to this day.
Kurdish music
Kurdish music refers to music performed in Kurdish language.Traditionally, there are three types of Kurdish Classical performers - storytellers , minstrels and bards . There was no specific music related to the Kurdish princely courts, and instead, music performed in night gatherings is...
.
Karapetê Haço was born in the village of Bileyder (present-day Binaltı, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
) in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
to an Armenian family in 1900. He observed the annihilation of his village during the massacres of 1915
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
. Xaço and his brother Abraham, sisters Manuşak and Xezal survived because a soldier said Let's free them and allow them to go as he lost his parents. He was saved by his knowledge of Kurmanji
Kurmanji
Kurmanji or Northern Kurdish is the most commonly spoken dialect of the Kurdish language.- Scripts and books :...
and a miraculous talent.
At a young age, he began taking a liking for music and would sing old Kurdish folk songs that were passed on through generations. He have worked as a mercenary soldier of French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
nearly 15 years. He married Yeva of Azizyan family in Al-Qamishli when he was a legionnaire in 1936. They had four daughters and a son. He and his family went to Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and settled in Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
in 1946. He formulated his experiences of the genocide. Karapete Xaço worked for the Kurdish Service of Yerevan Radio and was popular with many Kurdish people
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
.
Karapetê Xaço later grew up to be known as one of the greatest recorders of Dengbêj music, which is a form of singing that often tells a story. He died on January 15, 2005.
Hundreds of Kurdish dengbêj songs are considered to be one of the key elements in preserving the Kurdish culture and history. Karapetê Xaço was best known for singing and recording the traditional songs, Ay lo mîro, Adullê, Çume Cizîre, Xim ximê and Lê dayikê. Since
Karapetê Xaço recorded them, variations of these songs have been recorded by several different artists to this day.
Documentary
- Mehmet Aktaş, Dengekî Zemanê Bere: Karapêtê Xaço: Voice from the Past (Belgium: Medya TV, 2000).