HISTORICAL NOTES
This volume contains the Liturgy of the Mass with its Proper as well as the Order of Baptism of our Lord, according to the Rites of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Its text, the redaction of which began at the beginning of the £th century, underwent numerous modifications and took its final form in the 11th century; this latter form is presently in use. The greater fraction of the hymns ("sharagan" in Armenian) was set in rhythmic prose at the earlier epoch, whereas those in verse, fewer in number, belong to later dates.
The modulations -eight in number- came to being during the period of "Translators" and were conveyed from one generation to the next; the neuraes ("khaz" in Armenian) were of partial assistance in carrying over the traditional hymns to the 18th century. At that time, Baba Hampartzoom Limonjian invented the Armenian musical notes. A century later under the auspices of George IV, Catholicos of ALL Armenians, Nicholas Tashjian edited in Echmiadzin the first Missal and Hymnal with Armenian notes.
Prior to the selection of the first voice of his Mass, Gomidas Vartabed had familiarized himself with the styles of prominent contemporary clerics and musicians; then, based partially on Tashjian's work, he began to compose his own. Upon-returning to Istanbul in 1915, while he was staying at the Garabedian Brothers' residence, Gregory Garabedian, then choirmaster of the Church of the Apparition of the Holy Cross -later bishop- copied the clerks' score of his guest's Mass and had it sung, that same year, by the choir of that church in the original version which is transcribed in this book. Later he copied the hymns of the Order of Baptism of our Lord as well as the available Proper.
Choirmaster Zareh Sarian states that Gomidas Vartabed was present at the rehearsals on several occasions and acted as soloist. On Nov. 2h, 1918, the choir in appreciation adopted the name of "Gomidas Choir" and became an important instrument in the dissemination of his music.
This Mass was polygraphed, for the first time, by Zareh Sarian in 1920. Later, on the occasion of the 60th birthday of the composer, few more copies were poly-graphed for the use of the United Choir.
In view of the steady increase of the singers during my tenure as choirmaster of the Istanbul and New York Gomidas Choirs, I had considered it a duty to edit in a volume this sacred legacy. However, time and circumstances allowed me only towards the end of 1°6£, to compile the supplementary hymns which I had already arranged during some forty years, and give the opportunity to my collaborator and organist oJf three decades, Or. Ara Bohcali, to complete the harmonization of the additional hymns and publish it without further delay*
New Yok, January 1968
Isahag Aprahamian
