The douduk is considered the most ‘Armenian” of all folk instruments. The child of an ancient pagan culture, it has survived to our own day, in the manner of an old proverb, captivating in its simplicity and tonal beauty and adaptable to contrasting occasions. In the life of the people of Armenia, the douduk is played as often at weddings and other cheerful celebrations as at funerals. On this recording it is heard in consort with other widely used Armenian folk instruments – the bowed four-string kamancha; the oud, a five-string lute; the kanoon, similar to the European zither; and the drum called a dhol – in a selection of popular folk songs together with several pieces created by past and present Armenian composers.