Sahakdukht

8th century Armenian hymnographer, poet and pedagogue

Sahakdukht (, ; ) was an Armenian hymnographer, poet and pedagogue who lived during the early 8th century. She is the first known woman of Armenian literature and music. Along with her slightly later contemporary Khosrovidukht, she is among the earliest woman composers in history. Sahakdukht and her brother lt=Stepanos Siunetsi, who became a noted composer and music theorist, were educated in Dvin. She then spent her life as an ascetic, living in a cave (a grotto) of the Garni valley where she wrote and taught music. Though she is said to have written much Christian music, particularly for the Virgin Mary, only a single šarakan survives, the acrostic "Srbuhi Mariam" ("Saint Mary"). The work shows considerable stylistic connections to contemporaneous Byzantine theotokions and kanons. Though her piece did not join the general šarakan liturgy, Sahakdukht's oeuvre as a whole is thought to have exerted considerable influence on subsequent šarakans; they introduced certain phrases into popular use and according to ethnomusicologist Şahan Arzruni they "helped to shape the development of the genre during subsequent centuries".

Extremely little is known about the life of Sahakdukht, also spelled as Sahakdoukht, or Sahakduxt. The information available is chiefly from an account of 13th century historian Stepanos Orbelian. Active in the early 8th century, her brother was the composer and music theorist lt=Stepanos Siunetsi, known for his šarakans (canonical hymns). Both Sahakdukht and her brother were educated at a cathedral school in the city of Dvin. She then spent her life as an ascetic, living in a cave (a grotto) of the Garni valley, near present day Yerevan. There she produced ecclesiastical poems as well as liturgical chants. Sahakdukht is said to have taught music to children and amateur adults from Garni. Due to the conventions of her time, Sahakdukht gave such instruction while seated behind a curtain. In 1909, the Armenian poet and writer Sibil used Sahakdukht's role as a teacher to promote education for women, saying in a speech that: