Hripsime Aghakaryan
Pianist
Sahak the Parthian
Biography
Isaac or Sahak of Armenia was Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church. He is sometimes known as "Isaac the Great," and as "Sahak the Parthian". He was born in 348. Isaac was the son of Christian St. Nerses I. Through his father, he was a Gregorid and was descended from the family of St. Gregory I the Enlightener. He was the fifth Catholicos of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia.
Isaac received an excellent literary education in Constantinople, particularly in the Eastern languages. After his election as patriarch he devoted himself to the religious and scientific training of his people. Armenia was then passing through a grave crisis. In 387 it had lost its independence and been divided between the Byzantine Empire and Persia; each division had at its head an Armenian but feudatory king. In the Byzantine territory, however, the Armenians had forbidden the use of the Syriac language, until then exclusively used in divine worship: for this, the Greek language was to be substituted, and the country gradually Hellenized; in the Persian districts, on the contrary, Greek was absolutely prohibited, while Syriac was greatly favoured. In this way, the ancient culture of the Armenians was in danger of disappearing and national unity was seriously compromised. To save both Isaac helped Mesrop to invent the Armenian alphabet and began to translate the Christian Bible.
Sahak Partev's musical heritage is represented by four Nightly Sermons in the Psalm Book, followed by lyrical prayers, as well as hymns, which were later arranged by the church to be included in the Sharaknots. Among the mentioned songs there are both psalm-type and samples with developed melodic characteristics, full of fictional breath.
Sahak Partev died in 439 in the village of Blur, Baghrevand province. The Armenian Church celebrates the memory of Sahak Partev twice a year.
Isaac received an excellent literary education in Constantinople, particularly in the Eastern languages. After his election as patriarch he devoted himself to the religious and scientific training of his people. Armenia was then passing through a grave crisis. In 387 it had lost its independence and been divided between the Byzantine Empire and Persia; each division had at its head an Armenian but feudatory king. In the Byzantine territory, however, the Armenians had forbidden the use of the Syriac language, until then exclusively used in divine worship: for this, the Greek language was to be substituted, and the country gradually Hellenized; in the Persian districts, on the contrary, Greek was absolutely prohibited, while Syriac was greatly favoured. In this way, the ancient culture of the Armenians was in danger of disappearing and national unity was seriously compromised. To save both Isaac helped Mesrop to invent the Armenian alphabet and began to translate the Christian Bible.
Sahak Partev's musical heritage is represented by four Nightly Sermons in the Psalm Book, followed by lyrical prayers, as well as hymns, which were later arranged by the church to be included in the Sharaknots. Among the mentioned songs there are both psalm-type and samples with developed melodic characteristics, full of fictional breath.
Sahak Partev died in 439 in the village of Blur, Baghrevand province. The Armenian Church celebrates the memory of Sahak Partev twice a year.
