A Nightingale Sang in Los Feliz Square

The young woman took a solo and when she opened her mouth, the music sounded as if a nightingale were singing. Her voice had that same liquid tremolo that a songbird has. The illusion was so strong that the memories came floating back and, of course, I thought of “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square,” “It’s Been a Long, Long Time,” and a hundred other songs of the green and hurtful days of World War II.

So do phrases of music and wafts of perfume transport you instantly and entirely into another time and place. The girl finished her solo and joined again in the voices of the Armenian chorus.

Her name is Marine Der-Ghazarian, and she had just won a scholarship in piano to the USC School of Music.

The chorus was singing on a waning afternoon two weeks ago in the Los Feliz area garden of Dr. Aram and Marilyn Kezirian. Its conductor is Setrak Der-Ghazarian, the father of the beautiful girl with the lovely voice.

The second song the chorus did was a patriotic song called “Mother Armenia.” Change the languages and it could have been Mother Ireland. So do all saddened people sing of their homelands, in part defiance and courage and part tears for lives lost in a forlorn cause.

The occasion for the choral concert was the annual meeting of the USC Friends of Armenian Music. I was lucky enough to be a guest because Aram and Marilyn Kezirian are friends of mine, as are Jessie and Roy Kaprielian and Eric Avazian, all supporters of the Friends.

The organization is 10 years old, and for the past eight years there has been a course in Armenian music at the university, a one-unit course with one lecture a week.

Eric Avazian, who was president of the group five years ago, says that there are about 150 members. That shows what a few determined people with a cause they believe in can do.

The official definition of the group is “an organization devoted to the well-being of Armenian music studies at USC through its membership, contributions, its public activities and its sponsored events.

“The Friends provide the financial support and public awareness the program requires to accomplish its educational and cultural goals.

“To preserve the rich Armenian musical heritage for future generations is its main objective. The Armenian musical library at Doheny Library at USC, cataloguing and collecting manuscripts, compositions, and through Armenian music and through scholarships to support music students of Armenian heritage.”

Eric Avazian is a lawyer as is his twin brother Arthur. Eric told me that early supporters of the organization included Grant Beglarian, the dean of the USC School of Music when the Friends was founded. Another was Zohrab Kaprielian, who was dean of the School of Engineering and later a vice president of USC. Eric Avazian told me they had very few and much appreciated large donations, but mostly the group’s money comes from very small donations. The new Friends president is Rose Ketchoyan, a leader in the Armenian cultural community.

Most of the meeting was conducted in Armenian. I can tell you it was just like most annual meetings you have attended. People were congratulated, sworn in and escorted out with thanks. Meetings have been conducted in this format since someone first gathered the neighbors to see what they could do about the marauding saber-toothed tiger that was knocking down property values.

After the meeting and the chorus performance, there was a buffet of Armenian dishes the women had prepared. There was tabouleh, that marvelous salad of bulgur, parsley, mint leaves, green onions and tomatoes, dressed in olive oil and lemon juice. The boureg was made of phyllo dough, filled with a subtle white cheese and parsley. There was lamajun, a dough-wrapped turnover stuffed with meat, herbs and tomatoes, and a dozen other dishes. The star of the dessert table was the baklava, pastry dough layered with honey and walnut.

The next day, I made tabouleh at home, and while it wasn’t as good as that of the Friends, it was tasty.

If you’re ever invited, be sure and ask for Aunt Pauline Kezirian’s yalanchi. She is Dr. Aram’s sister and yalanchi is grape leaves stuffed with rice, onions, parsley, pine nuts and lemon juice. It’s almost as good as the smoked salmon pate I learned to make at that fine restaurant on the Hook of Howth on the north sweep of Dublin Bay.