Armenian music has its roots in the Pagan period. Sacred music appeared in the 4th century.
The Armenian music has a history of thousands of years. It dates back to the period of paganism. Beginning from the 4th century ecclesiastic music developed. It is connected with the creation of the Armenian alphabet and the performance of the church ceremonies in Armenian. Mesrop Mashtots and Sahak Partev (5th century) are well - known for their contribution to music. Mashtots wrote sharakans (hymns). According to Khorenatsi pupils with 'sweet voice and deep breath' were admitted to schools and were taught to sing hymns. In the 7th century Barsegh Tshon created new hymns that are known as Hymns of Tshon. In the 8th century the well - known musician Stepanos Sunetsi became famous.
In the 8th-9th centuries unique musical signs, called khazes, were created.Their code is not found yet. They were used to record and sing the hymns of Mashtots (361-440), Khosrovidukhts (8th century) hymn to Vahan Goghtnetsi, the gentle odes of Grigor Narekatsi (951-1003) and Nerses Shnorhali (1102-1173).
Beginning from the 8th-9th centuries the art of khazes was continually perfected until the 14th-15th centuries, reflecting the high standards of the Armenian church music. Later, in the 16th - 17th centuries this art was gradually forgotten.
In the Middle Ages, together with the teaching of khazes, they worked out the theory of music, which was called manrusumn. There are many manuscripts of this content, including On the harmony of voices, On the voices, etc. The theory of music was especially flourished in Cilicia (Arkakaghin, Drazark, Skevra, Karmir Vank, etc). Nerses Shnorhali considers the theory of music one of the main subjects of the clerical education. To have an idea about the variety and versatility of the khazes, it is enough to mention, that in the manuscripts (A Book of Theory, A Book of Hymns, A Book of Songs, A Book of Odes) besides the mundane songs there are more than 40 names of the main melodies of the hymns and their subdivisions and 152 melodies of other church melodies.
In the manuscripts there is much information about musical instruments. Of special interest are miniatures with the pictures of different musical instruments, used in ancient and medieval Armenia, such as a pipe, a horn, a violin, a saz, a lute, a canon, a harp, a lyre, a drum, a kittle - drum, a tambourine, cymbals, etc. The instruments are depicted mainly with the musicians. There are single musicians as well as groups of them. For example in a manuscript of the 14th century a quartet of stringed and wind - instruments is depicted.
In the manuscripts there is much information about the theatre, too. The Armenian theatre has a more than 2000 - year - old history. The Greek historian Plutarch wrote that in 53 BC Euripidess The Bacchae was performed in Artashat and the Armenian king Artavazd wrote tragedies. Armenian historians also mention unique folk theatres of later centuries. Several manuscripts contain miniatures with the paintings of masked actors.One of them is preserved in a manuscript of 1286 belonging to the Armenian king Hetum 2nd with an actor of pantomime theatre who has a double mask on his head. He had played two roles and used both of this masks.
The works of the 5th century authors Hovhan Mandakuni, Movses Khorenatsi, David Kertogh contain noteworthy information about the theatre. Later in the 9th-10th centuries author Toma Artsruni and others also speak about the theatre. It means that the theatre continued to exist during the later centuries.
In the 8th-9th centuries unique musical signs, called khazes, were created.Their code is not found yet. They were used to record and sing the hymns of Mashtots (361-440), Khosrovidukhts (8th century) hymn to Vahan Goghtnetsi, the gentle odes of Grigor Narekatsi (951-1003) and Nerses Shnorhali (1102-1173).
Beginning from the 8th-9th centuries the art of khazes was continually perfected until the 14th-15th centuries, reflecting the high standards of the Armenian church music. Later, in the 16th - 17th centuries this art was gradually forgotten.
In the Middle Ages, together with the teaching of khazes, they worked out the theory of music, which was called manrusumn. There are many manuscripts of this content, including On the harmony of voices, On the voices, etc. The theory of music was especially flourished in Cilicia (Arkakaghin, Drazark, Skevra, Karmir Vank, etc). Nerses Shnorhali considers the theory of music one of the main subjects of the clerical education. To have an idea about the variety and versatility of the khazes, it is enough to mention, that in the manuscripts (A Book of Theory, A Book of Hymns, A Book of Songs, A Book of Odes) besides the mundane songs there are more than 40 names of the main melodies of the hymns and their subdivisions and 152 melodies of other church melodies.
In the manuscripts there is much information about musical instruments. Of special interest are miniatures with the pictures of different musical instruments, used in ancient and medieval Armenia, such as a pipe, a horn, a violin, a saz, a lute, a canon, a harp, a lyre, a drum, a kittle - drum, a tambourine, cymbals, etc. The instruments are depicted mainly with the musicians. There are single musicians as well as groups of them. For example in a manuscript of the 14th century a quartet of stringed and wind - instruments is depicted.
In the manuscripts there is much information about the theatre, too. The Armenian theatre has a more than 2000 - year - old history. The Greek historian Plutarch wrote that in 53 BC Euripidess The Bacchae was performed in Artashat and the Armenian king Artavazd wrote tragedies. Armenian historians also mention unique folk theatres of later centuries. Several manuscripts contain miniatures with the paintings of masked actors.One of them is preserved in a manuscript of 1286 belonging to the Armenian king Hetum 2nd with an actor of pantomime theatre who has a double mask on his head. He had played two roles and used both of this masks.
The works of the 5th century authors Hovhan Mandakuni, Movses Khorenatsi, David Kertogh contain noteworthy information about the theatre. Later in the 9th-10th centuries author Toma Artsruni and others also speak about the theatre. It means that the theatre continued to exist during the later centuries.
