13 Facts About Nikoghos Tahmizian

Nikoghos Tahmizian was an Armenian musicologist, theorist and historian.

Nikoghos Tahmizian brought to life the musical contributions of Mesrop Mashtots, Sahak Partev, Movses Khorenatsi, Gregory of Narek, Nerses Shnorhali, Sayat-Nova, Makar Yekmalian, Dikran Tchouhadjian, Komitas and others.

Nikoghos Tahmizian's work placed an overall historical perspective of the musical development in Armenia from 5th to 20th Centuries.

Nikoghos Tahmizian categorized the period from ancient times to the 12th century as an ascending era, and the timeframe from 13th to 18th centuries as a period of creative decline.

Nikoghos Tahmizian conducted extensive research into the theory of Armenian music from the pagan era to the church music of the 8th century AD In his defining book entitled 'Theory of Music in Ancient Armenia' he interpreted and classified the modal system used during this period.

Nikoghos Tahmizian analyzed the metric and rhythmic constructs and their formational significance.

Nikoghos Tahmizian explained the uniqueness of the Armenian oktoechos and shed light upon the conceptual and aesthetical issues of the medieval music of Armenia.

Nikoghos Tahmizian has delivered over 60 academic lectures in universities and conservatories throughout the former Soviet Union, as well as London, Rome, Tokyo, Paris, San Francisco and New York City.

Nikoghos Tahmizian contributed to the Russian Music Encyclopedia, and the Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia.

Nikoghos Tahmizian was born in Athens, Greece on May 9,1926.

Nikoghos Tahmizian received elementary education at the local Armenian school, followed by high school at the Melkonian Educational Institute in Cyprus on a merit-based scholarship.

Nikoghos Tahmizian completed his graduate studies with a thesis on 13th-century Armenian monk Hovhannes Erznkatsi's views on music theory.

From 1947 to 1956 Nikoghos Tahmizian worked at the Yerevan Opera House occupying the chair of third French horn in the orchestra.