Spiridon Melikyan (

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

: Սպիրիդոն Ավետիսի Մելիքյան; 1 December 1880; – 4 April 1933) was an Armenian musicologist, composer, choirmaster, and teacher. His son composer Hrachya Melikyan died in 1942 during the Mogilev offensive in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life

Spiridon was born on 1 December 1880 in

Vagharshapat Vagharshapat ( hy, Վաղարշապատ ) is the 4th-largest city in Armenia and the most populous municipal community of Armavir Province, located about west of the capital Yerevan, and north of the closed Turkish-Armenian border. It is comm ...

, the

Erivan Governorate The Erivan Governorate was a province (''guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty (1801–1917), Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its centеr in Erivan (present-day Yerevan). Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometеrs, roughly correspondin ...

of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, into a family of teachers. At an early age he lost his parents, and was raised by his uncles. He entered the

Gevorgian Seminary Gevorkian Theological Seminary ( hy, Գևորգյան Հոգևոր Ճեմարան ''Gevorkyan Hogevor Č̣emaran''), also known as Gevorkian Seminary ( hy, Գևրգյան Ճեմարան ''Gevorkyan Č̣emaran'', ), is a theological university-ins ...

when he was thirteen. His superior singing ability caught the attention of

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

, his teacher, who appointed him as his assistant upon graduation. In his memoires, his schoolmate Simak Sahakyan writes: “I met Spiridon Melikyan in 1895. We became good friends, for we understood each other’s language…. He was familiar with folk songs as well as liturgical chants. From fifth grade on, he was designated head chorister for all the student chanters who sang in the church.” In 1902 Melikyan graduated from the seminary and was ordained a deacon. He joined the faculty and taught there for three years. Adhering to Komitas’s council, he went to Berlin from 1905 to 1908 to study at the Richard Schmidt private conservatory. Komitas advised him to concentrate on ancient and modern music history, cultivate his voice, and deepen his knowledge of the choral art. Komitas loaned him his huge collection of Armenian folk songs to copy and take it with him to Berlin. That providential decision saved the collection from loss, for the original manuscript disappeared along the way. Fortunately, in 1931 Melikyan published the copy he had made, «Ազգագրական ժողովածու» (Ethnographic collection), thus saving a national treasure.

Musical Activities

Upon his return to Armenia in 1908, Spiridon Melikyan decided to dedicate himself exclusively to music, left the church and renounced his order of deaconship. After a year of teaching in

Shushi / hy, Շուշի , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = ShushaCollection2021.jpg , image_caption = Landmarks of Shusha, from top left:Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govhar ...

, he settled in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

, becoming a music teacher and choirmaster at the

Nersisian School Nersisian School ( hy, Ներսիսեան դպրոց, ''Nersisian Dprots''; ka, ნერსისიანის სემინარია, ; russian: Нерсесяновское училище, translit=Nersisyanovskoye učilišče) was an A ...

. In 1917, he founded and directed the Armenian Choral Society, he lectured widely and authored textbooks on singing, elevating the musical sophistication of the community. With the establishment of

Soviet Armenia The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,; russian: Армянская Советская Социалистическая Республика, translit=Armyanskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialisticheskaya Respublika) also commonly referred to as Soviet A ...

, Melikyan moved to

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

and began teaching in local music schools. In 1927, he joined the faculty of the Yerevan Conservatory (now

Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan ( hy, Երևանի Կոմիտասի անվան պետական կոնսերվատորիա), also known as Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory (YKSC) or Yerevan State Conservatory (YSC), is a state-owned colleg ...

) and taught music theory and conducted its choir. He was the rector of the Conservatory between 1930-1931, and the head of the theory department during 1931 to 1932. With the seventy-five-member conservatory choir, Melikian toured various cities, including a performance in Moscow.

Works

Spiridon Melikyan’s most significant contribution to Armenian music has been his publication of various compendiums of folk music, including «Շիրակի երգեր» (Songs of Shirak), collected with Anoushavan Ter-Ghevondyan in 1914, pub. 1917;. «Հայ ժողովրդական երգեր և պարեր» (Armenian folk songs and dances), two vols, pub. 1949-1952; «Վանա ժողովրդական երգեր» (Folk songs of

Van A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...

), two vols, pub. 1927-1928, collected by his student G. Gardashyan; «Ազգագրական ժողովածու» (Ethnographic collection), pub. 1931, collected by Komitas. Melikyan’s own compositions include «Ախթամար» (Akhtamar), a ballad for orchestra and chorus, several arrangements of folk songs for solo voice and choir, some having a permanent place in the repertoire. Spiridon Melikian has also dabbled in several musicological studies, such as «Հունական ազդեցութիւնը հայ երաժշտության տեսականի վրայ» (The Influence of Greek on the Theory of Armenian Music), and «Հայ ժողովրդական երգի գամմաներ» (The Scales of Armenian Folk Songs). However, these texts contain errors and have methodological issues; they do not meet the scholarly standard.Ռոբերտ Աթայան. Հայկական սովետական համայնագիտարան (Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia). Vol. 7, p. 390-391. Yerevan, 1981. Spiridon Melikyan was given the title of Honored Art Worker of Armenian SSR in 1933. Shortly thereafter, on 4 May 1933, he passed away of cancer. He is buried in the

Komitas Pantheon __NOTOC__ Komitas Park and Pantheon ( hy, Կոմիտասի անվան զբոսայգի և պանթեոն) is located in Yerevan's Shengavit District, on the right side of the main Arshakunyats Avenue, in Armenia. It was formed in 1936 after the de ...

in Yerevan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melikyan, Spiridon 1880 births 1933 deaths Armenian musicologists Armenian composers Armenian conductors (music) People from Vagharshapat Armenian schools Soviet musicologists