Musicologist, PhD in Arts, Assistant Pro­fessor, Head of the Chair of Music His­tory of the Komitas State Conservato­ry. Sahakyan undertook graduate and post-graduate studies at the Komitas State Conservatory. She defended her dissertation thesis at the Institute of Arts of the National Academy of Sciences of RA in 2007. Sahakyan is the author of a monograph Komitas Studies in Armenian Musicology, as well as a number of articles published in Armenia and abroad. The scope of her research includes Komitas Studies, Armenian music and issues on the interconnections between Arme­nian and World music.

KOMITAS VARDAPET AND THE FRENCH CULTURE

The French period of Komitas’s life is es­pecially significant in Komitas Vardapet’s biography. In Paris Komitas conducted lectures, concerts and lecture-recitals. Here he learnt much on the new trends in music art, communicated with great figures of the French culture. Not only Armenian intellectuals, but also French composers and musicians highly appre­ciated Vardapet’s scientific and artistic activities. In my paper I present how the French period of Komitas’s life impact­ed his activity. I also refer to the French people, with whom Komitas had close relations with, focusing on their opinion on Komitas’s art.