Ktsord or Ktsourd ( Armenian "attachment") is the most ancient type of Armenian religious

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...

. It received its name from being "attached" to biblical

psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

and blessings. They have been sung since 4th-5th centuries, and until the invention of the

Armenian alphabet The Armenian alphabet ( hy, Հայոց գրեր, ' or , ') is an alphabetic writing system used to write Armenian. It was developed around 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader. The system originally ha ...

it was communicated orally. The first ktsords were generally short songs composed of three verses.

References

* Grigor Suni, Armenian music, Yerevan, 2005, p. 102-103, {{ISBN, 99930-60-59-3 Armenian music