Armenian Hymnary (Charagan, Շարակնոց), 1692 - Lot 211

Armenian Hymnary (Charagan, Շարակնոց), 1692 Amsterdam, Imprimerie Saint-Mère-de-Dieu (Սրբուհու Աստվածածնի) of Mattéos Vanadetsi, 1692. In-8°, 720 pages, title page with three-part engraved wooden architectural border; large ornamental heads; bird-shaped initials; with 46 large woodcuts in the text or full-page, many with initials by the engraver Christofell van Sichem; later half-leather binding. Occasional light brown spots. Second edition of the hymnal, virtually identical to the one printed by Oskan d'Erévan in 1664. This collection constitutes the main canon of Armenian liturgical music and contains the 1166 canonical hymns (charagan) sung during the Divine Office. It uses khaz notation, an ancient Byzantine-inspired musical system that is largely unknown today. A fine copy of a rare book.