[ARMENICA / MUSIC] [Musical certificate of a degree of the Spiritiual Music Teaching, given by the Armenian Patriarchate of Dersaadet to a student of Gomidas Vartabed, signed by the Armenian Patriarch Hovhannes XII. Arsarûnî Efendi

[ARMENICA / MUSIC] Dersaadet Ermeni Patrikhanesi Maârif Komisyonu mektep muallimlerine mahsus ehliyetnâme. Mûsikî-i rûhânî muallimlik ehliyetnâmesi. [i.e. Musical certificate of a degree of the Spiritiual Music Teaching, given by the Armenian Patriarchate of Dersaadet to a student of Gomidas Vartabed, signed by the Armenian Patriarch Hovhannes XII. Arsarûnî Efendi, Âram Nigoghosyan, and Hovhannes Agopian]. Designed by S. Gargar.

MIKHITARIAN ZÂREH ÂRAM EFENDI VELEDI AGOP [i.e. AGOP, THE SON OF MIKHITARIAN ZÂRAKH ARAM EFFENDY], (Given to).,Dersaadet Ermeni Patrikhanesi [i.e. The Armenian Patriarchate of Dersaadet] / Mocossian Printinghouse., [10 Mayis 1328 AH. = May 1912 AD], Dersaadet, Constantinople.

Original unique musical certificate signed by Armenian Patriarch Hovhannes XII. Arsarûnî Efendi, Âram Nigoghosyan, and Hovhannes Agopian. Fine marginal decorations depicting attractive columns and angels. Designed by a 19th - 20th century Turco-Armenian designer S. Gagar. Atlas folio. (42.5 x 56.5 cm). 23 lines in total under two separate columns, bilingual in Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters) and West Armenian. Signed. Stamped. Heavily stained, slightly chipped extremities on front; tapes and stains on verso. A good/fair paper.

Zâreh Âram Efendi, was born in Istanbul as the son of Hagop Mihitaryan Efendi in 1887 [1303 AH], who was one of the students of the legendary Armenian musicologist Gomidas of Kütahya (Priest Gomidas Sogomonyan [i.e. Gomidas Vartabed], (1869-1935)). Gomidas was the founder of the Armenian national music school and the folk music compilation studies in the Ottoman period. Mkhitaryan received his teaching certificate in 1912 with the approval of Patriarch Hovhannes Arsarûnî Efendi, and then on worked as a teacher in Armenian schools and as a muganni [i.e. singer] in Armenian churches for many years. (Mikhitarian became the chief muganni of Hasköy Halicioglu Surp Stepanos Armenian Church in the 1930s and was appointed as the head of the administrative committee of the Church during the difficult years of the World War II). Zârakh Mikhitarian was one of the founders of the "Gomidas Day Event" held in Istanbul for the 60th anniversary of the birth of Gomitas Vartabed, who was in Paris in 1931. He was also one of the students of Gomidas and contributed to the writing of an early festschrift book on Gomidas, edited by T. Azadian.

With the adoption of the Armenian National Regulations by the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople in Kumkapi in 1863, seven different commissions consisting of civilians were established within the Patriarchate. One of these commissions convened under the leadership of the Patriarch to deal with the problems of the community, especially the schools, was "Maarif Komisyonu" [i.e. Education Commission]. This commission subjected the teachers, who would teach in Armenian schools, to proficiency exams and directed and supervised the teachers of the community by giving a certificate to those who were qualified.