As a result of the cooperation of font designer Ruben Tarumyan and the Vem Educational and Cultural Foundation, tools have been created to use Armenian musical notation (Limonjian Notation) on a computer — the LimonjianNotation font and corresponding keyboard layouts. This will, hopefully, contribute to the revival and widespread use of Armenian musical notation.

Armenian musical notation is a national treasure that needs to be preserved and propagated — not every nation has its own system of musical notation. Created in the early 19th century in Constantinople, the Armenian musical notation system was very effectively used throughout the 19th century and in the early 20th century to save the riches of Armenian musical culture from loss. Almost all important collections of Armenian Church music were recorded and published with this system, and Komitas recorded thousands of Armenian folk songs with this notation. Armenian notation was used later also, particularly in the Armenian churches of Istanbul, but, unfortunately, it no longer has the widespread use and importance that it had in the 19th century. Therefore, we hope that the availability of these computer tools will contribute to the revival of this system of musical notation.

To acquaint you with Armenian notation and its use on a computer, also a brief Guide was created in Armenian, Russian and English languages, which is available on the website of Radio Vem along with the LimonjianNotation font and corresponding keyboard layouts.

http://vem.am/en/59

Vem Educational and Cultural Foundation