musicologist-medievalist, PhD in Arts, Senior Researcher at the Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts – Matenadaran. She has published the study The Armash Monastery Musical Traditions (in the book: The Armash Seminary Yerevan, 1998, part 2).… She has presented papers at a number of local and international conferences. A. Musheghyan has defended a dissertation thesis on Hambardzum Cherchyan and the Armash Monastery Musical Traditions at the Institute of Arts of the National Academy of Sciences in 2005. Her scientific research covers different aspects of the history and theory of Armenian sacred chanting.

TAGHS AND MEGHEDIES OF THE ARMENIAN LITURGY

Out of the immense heritage of Armenian tagh chanting only a few pieces with their musical component have survived up till today. Some of them were preserved in Nicoghayos Tashchyan’s records and were published in the “Notated Chants of the Holy Liturgy” miscellany (Ձայնագրեալ երգեցողութիւնք Սրբոյ Պատարագի) approved by the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church.
Up till today in Armenian musicological studies only a few of the preserved samples have been explored, while there is the need for substantial research, which would shed a new light on a number of issues related to the history and theory of Armenian sacred chanting. This paper presents a general panorama of taghs and meghedies (genres of Armenian sacred music) included in the abovementioned miscellany, as well as observes their direct connection with the liturgical books Gandzaran and Tagharan with an attempt to define as accurately as possible the time period and the place of their creation and their authorship. We also consider the individual characteristics of the musical components, issues related to the modal system and the melodic interconnections.