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Khosrovidukht (Armenian: Խոսրովիդուխտ, lit. 'daughter of Khosrov'; fl. early 8th century) was an Armenian hymnographer and poet who lived during the early 8th century. After her slightly earlier contemporary Sahakdukht, she is the first known woman of Armenian literature and music, and among the earliest woman composers in the history of music.

Daughter of the ruler of Goghtn, Khosrov Goghtnatsi [hy], her father was killed and she was imprisoned in a fortress of Ani-Kamakh (modern-day Kemah) for twenty years. Her brother was imprisoned and eventually killed; Khosrovidukht's only surviving work, the sharakan (chant) "Zarmanali e indz" (More astonishing to me) was dedicated to him. Its authenticity has occasionally been doubted, with some scholars attributing it to Sahakdukht. The work did not enter the general repertory of sharakan liturgy but was eventually approved by the Armenian Church for religious use.

Life

Extremely little is known about Khosrovidukht. Active in the 8th century, she is recorded as being a member of the royal family. Her father was Khosrov Goghtnatsi [hy], who ruled Goghtn, a province of Vaspurakan. Her given name is unknown; the 'dukht' of Khosrovidukht means 'daughter of'. She is also known as Khosrovidukht Goghtnatsi (Khosrovidukht of Goghtn).

Khosrovidukht's father was killed in 706, when the local Muslim governor gathered many Armenian nobles in Nakhjavan and Goghtn and massacred them. Khosrovidukht's brother, Vahan Goghtnatsi [hy], was then abducted by Muslim Arabs and brought to Syria, while she was taken to the fortress of Ani-Kamakh, now known as Kemah. She remained there in isolation for twenty years. Her brother converted to Islam, before gaining his freedom years later and returning to Armenia. Vahan then converted back to Christianity and the same Muslims, who considered his abjuration a crime, had him killed. His death was in either 731 or 737. The 1978 Anthology of Armenian poetry reports that Khosrovidukht died in 737 as well, though this is not corroborated in other sources.

Works

External audio
A modern interpretation of "Zarmanali e Ints" performed by the Sharakan Early Music Ensemble
"Zarmanali e Ints"

The work of Khosrovidukht was not known to scholars until the 19th century. After its discovery, she was recognized as the second (after her earlier contemporary Sahakdukht) woman composer and poet of Armenia. A modern recording of the piece exists, performed by the Sharakan Early Music Ensemble.

The only work attributed to Khosrovidukht is "Zarmanali e indz" (Զարմանալի է ինձ), a sharakan, or a canonical hymn. The title is variously translated as "More astonishing to me", "Wondrous it is to me", and "It is amazing to me". The piece has been described by historian Agop Jack Hacikyan as evidencing "a great deal of literary skill", and by ethnomusicologist Şahan Arzruni as "florid". Like the work of Sahakdukht, Khosrovidukht's piece was not included in the collection of official sharakans; however, despite its secular nature, "Zarmanali e indz" eventually became approved by the Armenian Church for use in services. Later sources record that the work is dedicated to her brother, following his death. Some scholars, including Ghevont Alishan, Malachia Ormanian and Grigor Hakobian attribute the work to Sahakdukht instead. See Der Hovanessian & Margossian (1978, pp. 43–44) for an English translation of the piece.

References

Notes

1. Also transliterated as Xosroviduxt. She is also known as Khosrovidukht Goghtnatsi (Khosrovidukht of Goghtn), or Khrosovidoukht Koghtnatsi.
2. Also spelled Khrosovidoukht Koghtnatsi.
3. Modern sources differ over the exact nature of the Vahan Goghtnatsi's death: Hacikyan (2000, p. 161) reports that he was kidnapped and taken back to Syria to be killed, while Der Hovanessian & Margossian (1978, p. 43) says he willingly went on a trip to Damascus and was killed there upon flaunting his Christian faith.

Citations

1. ^ Arzruni 1995, p. 506.
2. ^ Hacikyan 2000, p. 161.
3. ^ Der Hovanessian & Margossian 1978, p. 43.
4. ^ Rowe 2003, pp. 17, 298.
5. Garsoïan 1997, p. 127.
6. Khosrovidoukht Goghtnatsi (VIII c.) - Zarmanali e indz (Armenian spiritual song). Retrieved 11 November 2021 – via YouTube.
7. Hacikyan 2000, p. 163.
8. From the Armenian WikiSource

Sources

• Arzruni, Şahan (1995). "Xosroviduxt (fl. early 8th century). Armenian hymnographer and poet". In Sadie, Julie Anne; Samuel, Rhian (eds.). The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-333-51598-3.
• Garsoïan, Nina (1997). "The Arab Invasions and the Rise of the Bagratuni (640-884)". In Hovannisian, Richard G. (ed.). The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times. Vol. 1. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-10169-4.
• Hacikyan, Agop Jack (2000). The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the sixth to the eighteenth century. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-3023-4.
• Der Hovanessian, Diana; Margossian, Marzbed, eds. (1978). Anthology of Armenian Poetry. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-04565-0.
• Rowe, Victoria (2003). A History of Armenian Women's Writing, 1880-1922. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. ISBN 978-1-904303-23-7.

Further reading

• Acharian, H. (1944). Hayotsʻ andznanunneri baṛaran Հայոց անձնանունների բառարան [Dictionary of Armenian Proper Names] (in Armenian). Vol. 2. Erevan: Petakan hamalsarani hratarakchʻutʻyun. pp. 539–540.
• Alishan, L. (1921). Yushikkʻ hayreneatsʻ hayotsʻ Յուշիկք հայրենեաց հայոց [Memories from the Land of the Armenians] (in Armenian). Vol. 2. St Lazar. p. 136.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Arzruni, Şahan (2006). "Xosroviduxt [Khosrovidukht]". Grove Music Online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.2022362. This article is essentially a reprint of Arzruni 1995, p. 506
• Hakobian, Grigor Arshaki (1980). Sharakanneri zhanrě hay mijnadaryan grakanutʻyan mej Շարականների ժանրը հայ միջնադարյան գրականության մեջ [The Genre of sharakan in Medieval Armenian Literature] (in Armenian). Erevan: Haykakan SSH GA Hratarakchʻutʻyun. pp. 167–171. OCLC 20294768.
• Tahmizian, N., ed. (1982). Oskep'orik: hay ergi goharner Ոսկեփորիկ: հայ երգի գոհարներ [A Collectarium: Treasures of Armenian Song] (in Armenian). Erevan: Sovetakay grogh hratarakchʻutʻyun. pp. 26–27. OCLC 1265048578.

External links

• Modern interpretation of "Zarmanali e indz" on YouTube performed by the Sharakan Early Music Ensemble, Armenouhi Seyranyan (singer) and Daniel Yerazhisht (conductor)

v t e Women writers of the Middle Ages
8th century	Khosrovidukht Sahakdukht
9th century	Kassia
10th century	Hrotsvitha
11th century	Ava
12th century	Anna Komnene Héloïse Hildegard of Bingen Marie de France Trota of Salerno
13th century	Clare of Assisi Gertrude the Great Mechthild of Magdeburg
14th century	Bridget of Sweden Catherine of Siena Christine de Pizan Julian of Norwich Margery Kempe
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• 8th-century composers
• Armenian composers
• Armenian women composers
• Armenian nobility
• Christian hymnwriters
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• Medieval Armenian woman writers