2Mayrer/Children’s Songs in Armenian

Arpik Paraghamian
Staff Report

In August of 1999 two Armenian women with two daughters each were having a play-date at a park when one asked the other if she sang songs to her children in Armenian. When the reply was ‘yes’ an exchange of rhymes took place and 2Mayrer (two mothers) was formed.

Nvair Beylerian and Diane Haroutunian are the two moms of the New Jersey duo, 2Mayrer. As second-generation Diaspora Armenians, these women have lived double lives as Armenians and Americans that have led them towards the development of their own musical style.

“Music is what fills the soul,” Beylerian said, who along with Haroutunian has been singing since she was a young girl.
The two women have recently released the CD, “Children’s Songs in Armenian.” The CD is a collection of loosely translated European songs and also songs Beylerian and Haroutunian learned as children at Nareg Saturday School.

These songs, sung in Armenian, have adapted an American style about them and are blended with international rhythms. “They [the songs] have been designed for the Armenian-American ear,” Beylerian said.

“Children’s Songs in Armenian” is primarily for children of pre-school age. The music on this CD is cheerful, the lyrics are lighthearted and the soft voices of Beylerian and Haroutunian make the listening delightful.

It is a great learning tool in that it offers songs about the Armenian alphabet (“Ayp, Pen, Keem”), days of the week (“Yot Orer”) and body parts (“Eencher Ooneem?”). Besides these traditional tracks, you can find some originals on this CD. Like Sosy Krikorian Kadian’s “Paree Looys,” “Shokegark Yegav,” and “Paree Keesher.”

Since the release of the CD last October, Beylerian and Haroutunian were nominated for an Armenian Music Award for Best Children’s Album. The two women are also scheduled to perform at the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) in Watertown, MA for their annual “Armenian Family Day” on March 17.

The added bonus of “Children’s Songs in Armenian” is that Armenian children in America will have more of an exposure to the traditional songs their parents and grandparents grew up with. “This music links us to our past and it is important for us to link ourselves to our past,” Beylerian said.

The CD can be purchased online at www.2mayrer.com where the lyrics and their English translations are available as well.