06/09/2025
Tonight at 9 PM the Armenian Chamber Choir will perform at the Geniko Gymnasium and Lyceum. A rare opportunity to hear an exceptional live performance of authentic Sacred Music.
Mesrop Mashtots (361–440), the inventor of the Armenian alphabet and codifier of the religious canon, was also the author of numerous liturgical hymns, especially sharakan (sacred hymns of repentance) composed in Classical Armenian (grabar). About 129 sharakanq are attributed to him. The Four Chants of Repentance (with texts such asMeġay k’ez Tēr, Voġormea inj Astuac, Ankanim aṙaǰi k’o, Voġormea) embody a penitential and meditative function, characterized by simple, often recitative melodic lines that reflect the deep spiritual vocation of Armenian liturgy. Movses Khorenatsi (410–490), the father of Armenian historiography, also contributed to the tradition of sacred song. According to historical sources, he played a crucial role in enriching and disseminating Armenian hymnography in the 5th century, enhancing the epic-lyrical expressivity of melody and text in his native chants. Grigor Narekatsi (951–1003), a mystical figure and sacred poet, expressed in his Two Spiritual Hymns an intense devotional tension of deeply lyrical quality. Although no specific online sources exist for his hymns, his lyrical and mystical poetics are widely known in medieval Armenian theological literature. Nerses Shnorhali (1102–1173), Catholicos of the Armenian Church, reformed the sacred texts and musical form of the sharakan, bringing them closer to the sensibility of popular song and making them more melodically accessible. His compositions, here presented in two odes elaborated by Komitas Vardapet, testify to the continuity and reworking of the liturgical heritage, mediated through a modern sensibility that preserves its spiritual value.....
(The text continues on our website in the Sacred Music Festival section)
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