14 Facts About Hampartsoum Limondjian

Hampartsoum Limondjian was an Ottoman Armenian composer of Armenian church, inclined to composition of classical music and Ottoman classical music.

Hampartsoum Limondjian was a musical theorist who developed the "Hamparsum" notation system used as the main music notation for Western Armenian and Ottoman classical music until the 20th-century introduction of European notation systems, and is still in use by the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Hampartsoum Limondjian was born in 1768 on Cukur Street in the Pera district of Istanbul.

Hampartsoum Limondjian married at the age of 27 and had six children.

One of them, named Zenop Hampartsoum Limondjian became a musician and played the ney.

Hampartsoum Limondjian took lessons in Armenian music from various Armenian musicians like Krikor Karasakalyan and Zenne Bogos.

Hampartsoum Limondjian soon came under the patronage of another Armenian - Hovhannes Celebi Duzyan, director of the Ottoman Imperial Mint.

Around this time, Hampartsoum Limondjian started attending mevlevihanes, places of gathering for dervishes of the Mevlevi order, to learn Ottoman music.

Hampartsoum Limondjian was then accepted at the court of Ottoman Sultan Selim III, himself a composer whose music is still performed today, and was a regular member of the music circles of his day.

Hampartsoum Limondjian worked as a master of music and educated a number of Turkish and Armenian musicians of his day.

Hampartsoum Limondjian has composed a large number of Turkish music pieces, most of which are regularly performed today.

The Hampartsoum Limondjian notation uses symbols derived from an older notation called khaz used by the Armenian Church.

Hampartsoum Limondjian died at the age of 71 in his house in the Haskoy district of Constantinople.

Hampartsoum Limondjian is buried in the Surp Agop Armenian Cemetery.