Romanos Hovakimi Melikian (; October 1, 1883 – March 30, 1935) was an

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

, and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

. He played a significant role in the developing Armenian classical music and established Armenian musical institutions such as

Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan (), also known as Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (YKSC) or Yerevan State Conservatory (YSC), is a state-owned college of music located in Yerevan, Armenia. The institute was founded in 1921 as a music st ...

Yerevan Opera Theatre The Alexander Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (), simply known by locals as , is an opera theatre in Yerevan. It officially opened on 20 January 1933, with a performance of Alexander Spendiaryan's opera '' Almast'' as its ...

(as one of the founders, and artistic directors), and the Armenian Music Society.

Early life and education

Melikian was born on October 1, 1883, in

Kizlyar Kizlyar (; ; , ''Qızlar'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia, located on the border with the Chechen Republic in the river delta, delta of the Terek River northwest of Makhachkala, the cap ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(present-day Dagestan, Russia). He received his initial musical education at the Rostov Musical College, graduating in 1905. He moved to Moscow to further his studies, where he studied under renowned musicians such as

Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov Mikhail Mikhailovich Ippolitov-Ivanov (; born Mikhail Mikhailovich Ivanov; 28 January 1935) was a Russia, Russian and Soviet Union, Soviet composer, conductor and teacher. His music ranged from the late-Romantic era into the 20th century era. ...

and

Boleslav Yavorsky Boleslav Leopoldovich Yavorsky (; 22 June 1877 – 26 November 1942) was a Soviet and Russian musicologist, music teacher, administrator, and piano, pianist. Through his teachings and editorial positions he heavily influenced Soviet music theor ...

from 1905 to 1907. In 1910, he was accepted to the

Saint Petersburg Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory () (formerly known as the Petrograd Conservatory and Leningrad Conservatory) is a school of music in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2004, the conservatory had around 275 faculty member ...

, studying composition with

Vasily Kalafati Vasily Pavlovich Kalafati (, ''Vasilij Pavlovič Kalafati''; , Yevpatoria, Crimea – 20 March 1942, near Leningrad) was a composer and pedagogue of Greek descent in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. Kalafati was a pupil of Nikolai Ri ...

and

Maximilian Steinberg Maximilian Osseyevich Steinberg (; – 6 December 1946) was a Russian composer of classical music. Though once considered the hope of Russian music, Steinberg is far less well known today than his mentor (and father-in-law) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsa ...

, and graduated in 1914.

Career

In 1908, at the age of twenty five, Melikian was among the cofounders of "Music League" in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

(now Tbilisi), which later became the Armenian Music Society. He left Tiflis to study at

. After completing his studies, Melikian returned to Tiflis in 1915, but soon after, in 1916, he joined a delegation headed to the province of

Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans, microvans, are used for transporting either goods or ...

, to provide his assistance to the Armenian population there, following the atrocities committed during the

Armenian Genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

. In 1918, he was appointed as the music director at the Armenian House of Culture in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. By 1920, Melikian divided his time between Tiflis and Yerevan. With support from the

Soviet government The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was the executive and administrative organ of the highest body of state authority, the All-Union Supreme Soviet. It was formed on 30 December 1922 and abolished on 26 December 199 ...

, he established a music studio in Yerevan in 1921, which later became the

in 1923. In 1924–1925, he founded a music school in Stepanakert. Returning to Tiflis, he led the music school at the Armenian Art House (Hayartun). From 1926 onwards, Melikian actively promoted the

operas Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a li ...

of composer

Alexander Spendiaryan Alexander Afanasyevich Spendiarov (, November 1, 1871, Kakhovka, Russian Empire – May 7, 1928, Yerevan, Armenia) was a Russian composer and conductor of Armenian descent, founder of Armenian national symphonic music. Biography Alexander S ...

in Yerevan. In 1933, he co-founded the Armenian Opera and Ballet Theatre in Yerevan and served as its first director.

Musical Contributions

Melikian was a pioneer of Armenian classical music. He has composed works for

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

, solo voice, and

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

. His compositions, particularly his romances and

song cycles A song cycle () is a group, or cycle, of individually complete songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combination of solo songs mingl ...

, are highly regarded for their romantic style and incorporation of Armenian folk melodies into the

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

genre. Notable pieces include "Rose," "Autumn," "The Willow," and "Separation." He also played a significant role in preserving and promoting the works of

Komitas Vardapet Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas (; 22 October 1935), was an Ottoman-Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of musi ...

, who was a founding figure in Armenian music.

Death

Romanos Melikian died on March 30, 1935, in Tbilisi. He was laid to rest at the Komitas PantheonMelikian's memorial tombstone at Komitas Pantheon
/ref> in Yerevan, a cemetery dedicated to Armenian artists and intellectuals.

References

Sources

Biography (in Russian)
1883 births 1935 deaths Armenian composers People from Kizlyar Russian people of Armenian descent Burials at the Komitas Pantheon Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni {{Armenia-composer-stub