Dr. Elizabeth Gregory

Born: Apr. 7, 1917, Bridgewater, MA
Dies: Oct. 30, 2012, Kennett Square, PA
Active years recording: 1940s - 1980s
Label Association: Not on label - private home recording

Western Armenian folk music was not only preserved through social gatherings or widely distributed recordings, but also through the private sphere. As a practice often carried on by women and existing outside the market of commercial recording, it was not until consumer level home recording equipment became widely available in the 1940s that much of this repertoire was recorded. We are fortunate to be able to share the privately recorded rendition of the Van folk song Le Le Jinar, sung by the late Dr. Elizabeth Gregory, a woman whose professional career in medicine and support of the arts were as impactful as her voice. The recording was made in the mid 1940s to 1950s on a one-of-a-kind home recorded lacquer disc, likely as part of an exchange between Elizabeth and the artist Yenovk Der Hagopian.

Dr. Elizabeth Gregory was born Elizabeth Kachperouni on April 7, 1917, in Bridgewater, MA. She grew up between Bridgewater, Chelsea, MA and Lewiston, ME. Her parents Krikor (Gregory) and Mayis (May) Kachperouni were both survivors of the Armenian Genocide from the provincial city of Van. Both were educated and dedicated to the transmission of culture through oral history. Krikor was a teacher and a writer, known in Van as a storyteller. In Massachusetts, he ran a shoe factory but always advocated for the educational and cultural empowerment of his children. Similarly, Mayis, who had collected a vast repertoire of Van folk songs as a child, taught this to Elizabeth.

Steeped in Armenian cultural heritage at home and in her community, Elizabeth pursued a rigorous academic education. After high school she continued her studies at Bates College, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1938. She then studied medicine at Boston University, graduating in 1942 and establishing a career as a noted pediatric physician in the Boston area. She also taught at Harvard Medical School, served as a trustee for her alma mater Bates College, and received numerous distinctions and awards within the medical field. 

As dedicated as she was to her medical practice, Elizabeth was equally involved in the arts and culture of the Armenian community. She was embedded in a community of historically pivotal Boston-based artists, largely centered around the painter Hyman Bloom, a close friend whose work she collected extensively. Within this constellation of artists, Elizabeth was also close with both Yenovk Der Hagopian and the composer Alan Hovhaness. She would become an early proponent of Hovhaness’ work, helping to organize one of his first concerts in Boston. Yenovk, who was first introduced to Hovhaness through Bloom, would become a major influence on Hovhaness’ music.

As singers dedicated to preserving the folk songs of the Van region, Yenovk and Elizabeth's musical friendship came to life in small, private gatherings among friends, where the two would trade off performing songs from their repertoire. In the spirit of those informal gatherings, the two singers shared home recordings of their performances of songs from Van. The Museum's recording of Le Le Jinar was likely part of this exchange. In 1986, Elizabeth was visited by musicologist Bedros Alahaidoyan, who documented songs of Armenian Genocide survivors throughout the United States. During this meeting, Elizabeth sang her songs and shared the records of Yenovk from her personal collection. Many of the recordings made by and shared with Alahaidoyan during that visit have been beautifully compiled by the organization Houshamadyan and can be heard on their website. 

The song Le Le Jinar, also known as Le Le Chinar Dnaver, is a mournful love song from the region of Van, similar both in tone, content, and melody to the well-known tune Dle Yaman. The term chinar comes from the Classical Persian chenar, meaning “plane tree.” The species Platanus Orientalis has long been a symbol of majestic grace and splendor in the Middle East and South Asia. As used in Armenian folk songs, calling one’s beloved chinar has the connotation of “tall and beautiful.”

The following is a partial translation of the words as sung by Dr. Gregory:

Lele chinar, our house and your house are facing each other

That’s enough with you making eyes at me

Lele chinar, from the mountain comes the sound of the naghara (drums)

From the valley comes the sound of the naghara

Lele chinar, if I don’t see fortune, may my fortune go to you instead

Give your troubles to me, and they’ll say that it’s ours

Lele chinar, you have a red dress and an inexperienced face

You are standing in a high fastness

Lele chinar, the wind blew, and touched your face

The one who looks upon you, loses his wits

Lele chinar, you’re going to the spring, you’re bringing water

May God grant mercy, that you pass by again

A special thanks to the SJS Charitable Trust for their generous support of our work to digitize and share our collection of 78 rpm records.