Յասմիկ Ստեփանեան2025-11-102025-11-102006Ստեփանեան, Յ., «Հայ միջնադարեան երաժշտութեան տեսութեան առնչուող յիշատակութիւնները Ե.-ԺԵ. դդ. ձեռագրերի յիշատակարաններում», «Հայկազեան հայագիտական հանդէս», 2006, Պէյրութ, էջ 29-39https://haigrepository.haigazian.edu.lb/handle/123456789/928In medieval Armenian literature the role and place of music was always appreciated among the four sciences: arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music. The colophons in particular are abundant with rich information on the place and value of Armenian medieval professional music as science and as a teaching subject: the terms and concepts relevant to professional singing and the system of notes as well as the art of the khaz, the khaz-books and the famous centers of khaz writing. The author compares the different wordings of musical concepts. She notes that the titles given to musicians identify a hierarchy among the musicians, which make the volumes correspondingly more appreciated. Such manuscripts have become prototypes and models for copying. The scribes were more observant, more outspoken and expressed themselves more fully in the colophons. The scribes were also more intimate and judgmental on certain aspects of music, musicians, terms and kind of songs etc. in the colophons, which were a venue where they explained certain details of their work and gave reasons why they have opted for a particular track. One can come across certain details and difficulties the scribe encountered while learning the art of music or khaz. To be sure, a good number of the scribes were highly educated. The scribe used to give particular importance to the place where the khaz book was copied or created because the birthplace of the manuscript validated it and gave it significant authority. The importance of the colophons in this regard lies in the fact that one can trace the development of medieval Armenian music in all its aspects by analyzing the colophons from a chronological perspective. The author names the most important manuscript sources; she also names the medieval Armenian musicians who were considered authorities in the field and highlights the role each may have played in the study of medieval Armenian music.