About Armenian Music

Armenia is situated close to the Caucasus Mountains, and its music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by Djivan Gasparyan's well-known duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive Christian music, due to Armenia's status as one of the oldest Christian nations in the world.

About the Christian music
Armenian chant was composed in one of eight modes which is the most common kind of religious music in Armenia. It is written in khaz which is a form of indigenous musical notation. The chants are ancient in origin, extending to pre-Christian times, while others are relatively modern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, who invented the Armenian alphabet. Some of the best performers of these chants or sharakans, are at the Holy Cathedral of Etchmiadzin, and include the late soprano Lusine Zakaryan.

About the melodic basis of Armenian music

Traditional Armenian folk music as well as Armenian church music is not based on the European tonal system but on a system of tetrachords(which is a series of four tones filling in the interval of a perfect fourth). The last note of one tetrachord also serves as the first note of the next tetrachord - making the scale on which a lot of Armenian folk music is more or less based a theoretically endless scale.

About the Folk music

While under Soviet domination, Armenian folk music was taught in a rigidly controlled manner at conservatoires. Instruments played in this way include kanun (dulcimer), davul (double-headed hand drum), oud (lute), shvi and zurna. The duduk is especially important instrument needed. Its famous stars are Margar Margarian, Levon Madoyan, Saro Danielian, Vatche Hovsepian, Gevorg Dabaghyan and Yeghish Manoukian, as well as Armenia's most famous duduk player, Djivan Gasparyan.

Classical music
In classical music, many Armenian singers have gained worldwide recognition like sopranos Haykanush Danielian, Gohar Gasparyan, Gohar Galachian, Tatevik Sazandarian, Anna Nshanian.Armenian classical composers includes Kemani Tatyos Ekserciyan which is one of the best-remembered composers of Ottoman classical music.

Popular music
In pop music, Suzan Yakar and Udi Hrant Kenkulian were famous cabaret singers in Turkey during the 1920s and 1930s. The most prominent female representatives of modern Armenian pop music include Bella Darbinyan, Raisa Mkrtchyan, and the more contemporary vocal performers such as Elvina Makaryan, Erna Yuzbashian, Nadezhda Sargsian, Zara Tonikyan, Suzan Margaryan, Tatevik Hovhannisyan. The Armenian male pop performers in the diaspora are Adiss Harmandian. Rouben Hakhverdian, Forsh, VANArmenya and Aram Avagyan are prominent lyricists and author-performers.
The first jazz-band of Yerevan was founded in 1936.
Today's Armenian traditional dances can be associated with performers such as Tata Simonyan. However, true Armenian traditional songs are being passed on by performers such as Rouben Matevosian, Ophelia Hambardzumyan, Varduhi Khachatrian, and Papin Poghosian.

Source:wikipedia(information),youtube(video)