The craftsman of Vanadzor: Azat Sargsyan’s path to music

While shopping at the Vanadzor food market, I heard a butcher arranging meat say something that caught my attention. “Don’t throw it away. Keep it for Azat.” I was curious about who Azat was, the person for whom the butcher was keeping the membrane of a cow’s heart. But what intrigued me even more was what he needed it for? Armenia is a country where you can simply ask a stranger who Azat is, and they will do everything they can to help you find him. But because the covered market in Vanadzor was one of the most vivid memories of my childhood, I knew the butcher, who helped me get in touch with the man. Soon I found myself in the workshop of Azat Sargsyan, a craftsman who repairs string instruments. Sargsyan was modest and a little too shy to talk about his experience repairing different string instruments. Before the interview, he even asked whether I could send him the questions in advance. I joked that I wasn’t going to ask him any questions about physics, only to find out that physics had been his first field of study and remained his passion. Everyone had a good laugh at my expense! In the late 1970s, Azat Sargsyan traveled from Vanadzor to Yerevan to study physics at Yerevan State University. Many of his friends gathered in the dormitory to listen to Sargsyan play the guitar. His first attempt at making his own guitar was quite impressive, but it wasn’t an instrument that could actually be played. His classmates knew how much he dreamed of having a guitar, so they surprised him with one for his birthday. It cost 16 rubles. The guitar is still playable, and Sargsyan’s nephew continues to play it. His love for string instruments began back then and has stayed with him ever since. But today, he is interested in playing them and understanding how they work and making them from scratch. “I never thought I would fail an exam at the faculty and would soon have to leave the university,” Sargsyan said. “I didn’t want to imagine doing anything other than physics. But I ended up at the Polytechnic Institute in Kirovakan, now Vanadzor.” He had always loved making things by hand, but never imagined that this would become his occupation. During the Soviet era, there were large, adjustable chalkboards that not every institute could afford. Sargsyan had seen them at Yerevan State University but not at the Polytechnic Institute in Vanadzor. “I made one for my professor, and he was so thankful, so happy. I didn’t expect that reaction,” Sargsyan said. “That’s how my passion started to turn into something I felt could be useful. Every machine, loom and workbench you see in my workshop was made by me. So whether I’m repairing a string instrument or making one from scratch, I often have to start by building the tools I need to do the job.” One of the most valuable things in his workshop is an instrument that belonged to his great-grandfather, his grandmother’s father. Sargsyan keeps it like a treasure. Although it is old and no longer useful for modern instrument-making, it connects him to his family’s past. Sargsyan said he doesn’t know anyone else in the city who repairs instruments such as the tar, saz, kamancha and guitar. He knows a young man who repairs guitars, but doesn’t have a workshop of his own. “I use the beef heart membrane you saw at the market to make a kamancha from scratch. It’s the best material for this kind of instrument,” Sargsyan said. “I also have horsehair to make strings.” The beef heart membrane is first washed thoroughly and then soaked in salt for hours. After that, it is washed again and again. Sargsyan stretches it and places it on a wooden board. A few days later, it is ready to be used in making musical instruments. There are other unusual materials in Sargsyan’s workshop, including glue made from cow horns and hooves. Physics helps a lot here. You don’t need to make 100 attempts to gain experience in instrument-making. Scientific knowledge helps you understand the physics of an instrument and how it produces sound. Sargsyan said the acoustic guitar is the most challenging instrument to make, and requires a great deal of time. “Education gives you the basics. It helps you think critically and see the bigger picture, but everyone needs training and self-education. I read different books and watch videos to make use of the education I have,” Sargsyan said. Once, a group of Armenians from France brought him a oud that had been broken into so many pieces that they had been told to throw it away. Sargsyan repaired it. “My job has never been about making money. I know how much instrument makers earn in Yerevan. This work requires a lot of energy, technical knowledge and time. But I love my job so much that I never think about the money,” Sargsyan told the Weekly. Sargsyan’s wife says it is difficult to get him to leave the workshop. He can spend hours there without even stopping to eat. “That’s when your hobby becomes your job. It’s true happiness,” the master said with a laugh. Although Azat Sargsyan never became a physicist in the way he had once dreamed of, his passion for physics continues to guide his craft. In his workshop, knowledge, curiosity and a lifelong hobby have come together to create something meaningful and beautiful: music. Photos courtesy of Kushane Chobanyan.

The craftsman of Vanadzor: Azat Sargsyan’s path to music

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Kushane Chobanyan

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Kushane Chobanyan

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