Նորա Սալմանեան2025-10-222025-10-222000Սալմանեան, Ն., «Հայկական օփերային ծագումն ու զարգացումը», «Հայկազեան հայագիտական հանդէս», 2000, Պէյրութ, էջ 369-393https://haigrepository.haigazian.edu.lb/handle/123456789/843This article is an overview of the history of the Armenian opera. The author asserts that throughout Armenian history, Armenian bards and minstrels always joined singing with acting. Western travelers like Jean Chardin observed this fact and considered such Armenian performances a preliminary stage of the western opera. Next, the author underlines the role the Constantinople Armenian musicians played in importing western music to the Ottoman empire. The Armenians were instrumental in adopting the new musical methods and keys of the west and composing music accordingly. The author claims that Armenian opera was influenced by both western and oriental music, with strong local and folkloric motifs, while the libretto echoed Armenian history and contemporary life.