Müzisyen - Besteci
Hidden Melodies
of the Hampartsoum Manuscripts
In the early 19th century Constantinople and its exquisite music scene, Hampartsum Limondjian, an Ottoman-Armenian musician, developed a new music notation system and served the music world greatly by doing so. The use of his notation system by musicians for over two centuries helped thousands of musical works survive to this day.
Turkish Classical Music is a unique genre of music that carries a deep history within itself, nurtured with the contribution of numerous musicians from different nationalities and cultures throughout the centuries. This convergence zone is inherent of many works of art and we are aiming to share it with the world and touch on the interconnectedness of these cultures. In this Hamparsum project, with the contribution of musicologist Tulin Degirmenci who specializes on Hamparsum notation, we are aiming to shed light on history and bring these artworks to life, from the pages of the manuscripts.
The transcription and performance of the unknown works from these manuscripts will be a service to this culture and music, as well as connecting them with an audience that is not familiar with it, by introducing the listeners to this music style and its ethnic instruments. The pre-concert talk will provide information about the structure of the music and historical aspects of the era and will help the audience perceive the music in a better way.