Makar Yekmalyan

In 1872, Yekmalyan graduated from the Gevorgian Seminary of Etchmiadzin. In 1873–1874, he studied Armenian ancient notation and the system of church singing under Nikoghayos Tashchyan. This stage connected with Tashchyan was very important for Yekmalyan, because it was there that he came deeply into contact with the ancient layers of Armenian sacred music.

In 1878, Yekmalyan entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. There he studied in the environment of Russian and European professional music, and one of his teachers was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1888, Yekmalyan graduated from the conservatory and received a high professional education. This education allowed him to view Armenian traditional song not only as heritage, but also as material for arrangement, polyphony, and compositional development.

Later, Yekmalyan lived and worked in Tiflis. He taught, conducted choirs, wrote and arranged songs, and participated in the development of Armenian musical life. Komitas was also within the circle of his students and influence, and later raised the study and arrangement of Armenian folk and sacred song to a new level.

Makar Yekmalyan died in 1905 in Tiflis. Although his life was not long, the legacy he left became an inseparable part of the history of Armenian church and national music.

Historical and Cultural Context

Makar Yekmalyan’s activity unfolded during the Armenian cultural revival of the late 19th century. At that time, Armenian music faced an important question: how to preserve the sacred and folk foundation of national song, while also making it professional, polyphonic, and usable in liturgical or concert settings.

Armenian church singing had developed for centuries mainly within a monodic tradition. The strength of that singing lay in its liturgical depth and in the unity of word and melody. However, in the 19th century, Armenian musical life began to interact more actively with European polyphony, the Russian compositional school, and concert culture. Under these conditions, the question arose: could Armenian monodic singing be arranged polyphonically without losing its spiritual character?

Yekmalyan gave his creative answer to this question. He tried to present Armenian sacred melodies through European harmonic thinking while preserving their seriousness, liturgical character, and national sound. His “Patarag” is the largest result of this search.

Yekmalyan arranged the singing of the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in polyphonic form. He created versions for different ensembles: three-part and four-part male choirs, as well as a four-part mixed choir. This work was highly important because, for the first time, the singing of the complete church rite was presented in a professionally arranged polyphonic form.

Arrangements of folk songs also hold an important place in Yekmalyan’s creative thought. He understood that the foundation of Armenian music was not only church tradition, but also folk song. In his arrangements one feels the natural flow of Armenian melody as well as the influence of European harmonic thinking.

Yekmalyan was also a teacher. His pedagogical and choral activity had a strong influence on the Armenian musical environment. He formed a generation of musicians and singers that would later continue the work of studying and arranging Armenian song.

Musical and Artistic Analysis

The main value of Makar Yekmalyan’s art lies in the combination of Armenian monodic singing and European polyphony. He sought to find a form in which Armenian sacred song would preserve its liturgical seriousness while sounding broader, richer, and more complete chorally.

His “Patarag” is built on the principles of clear, balanced, and homophonic harmony. Yekmalyan does not aim for overly complex polyphonic structures. His goal is to create a clear, prayerful, understandable, and unified sound. That is why his Patarag remained usable and beloved for a long time in both church and concert settings.

The influence of the Russian compositional school can also be felt in Yekmalyan’s music. Yet he does not lose the Armenian character. His harmonies serve the Armenian melody rather than covering it. This is one of Yekmalyan’s strengths: he does not try to make Armenian song foreign, but tries to give it a new sound while preserving its foundation.

Yekmalyan’s significance should also be viewed in relation to Komitas. Komitas later studied the nature of Armenian folk and sacred song more deeply, but Yekmalyan had already opened an important path by showing that Armenian song could become material for professional arrangement. In this sense, Yekmalyan is a preparatory and foundational figure.

Main Works

“Patarag” / “Chants of the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church” — 1891–1892

“Patarag,” version for three-part male choir — 1891

“Patarag,” version for four-part male choir — 1892

“Patarag,” version for four-part mixed choir — 1892

First publication of “Patarag” — 1896, Leipzig

“Nocturne” for piano — mentioned in press sources in 1892

“Song Without Words” — 1888

“10 Armenian Folk Songs” — 1889

“3 Armenian Folk Esquisses” — 1891

Arrangements of Armenian folk songs — 1880s–1890s

Songs and romances — late 19th century

Choral compositions — late 19th century

Piano works — late 19th century

The exact dates of some of Yekmalyan’s works have not been clearly preserved or are not fully presented in sources. In such cases, it is more accurate to indicate the creative period without artificial dating.

Commentary on Selected Works

“Patarag”

“Patarag” is Makar Yekmalyan’s principal work and one of the most important compositions in the history of Armenian church music. It was created in 1891–1892 and first published in 1896 in Leipzig. With this work, Yekmalyan presented the singing of the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in a complete polyphonic arrangement.

The value of this work is not only musical. It is connected with Armenian church rite, language, national spiritual identity, and choral culture. Yekmalyan did not try to turn the Patarag simply into a European choral work. He preserved the liturgical character of Armenian sacred melody and enriched it with harmonic sound.

In the “Patarag,” sections such as “Khorhurd Khorin,” “Surb, Surb,” “Hayr Mer,” “Miayn Surb,” “Ter, Voghormya,” and others stand out. They show Yekmalyan’s ability to turn prayerful words into music that is resonant, clear, and at the same time elevated.

“Surb, Surb”

“Surb, Surb” is one of the best-known sections of Yekmalyan’s Patarag. It has prayerful dignity, a calm structure, and clear harmonic movement. Here Yekmalyan’s musical thinking is simple, but powerful: the word is not lost in the music, but lifted through it.

This section is important because it shows Yekmalyan’s main principle: church music should not be showy, but prayerful. In his work, the combination of voices creates not theatrical drama, but spiritual ascent.

“Hayr Mer”

“Hayr Mer” is one of the central prayer sections of the Patarag. In Yekmalyan’s arrangement, it receives a humble, pure, and communal sound. The unified voice of the choir is especially important here, because the prayer is presented not in the name of an individual, but in the name of the community.

The value of Yekmalyan’s “Hayr Mer” lies in its simplicity. He does not burden the melody with unnecessary ornamentation. The music serves the word, and the word serves prayer. That is why his Patarag was able to remain in church use for a long time.

Arrangements of Armenian Folk Songs

Yekmalyan’s arrangements of folk songs show his broader national thinking. He was interested not only in church music, but also in the song heritage of the people. His “10 Armenian Folk Songs” and other arrangements reveal the lyrical, simple, and emotional sides of Armenian melody.

In these works, Yekmalyan tries to adapt folk song to piano or arranged musical forms. He preserves the national character of the melody, but presents it in a more professional framework. This was important for the development of Armenian music, because folk song was gradually becoming the foundation for compositional arrangement.

Piano Works

Yekmalyan’s piano works present the more chamber-like and intimate side of his creativity. In them one feels the influence of European Romantic music, but also the trace of Armenian melodic thinking. For him, the piano becomes not only a means of virtuosity, but also of lyrical expression.

These works are important because they show that Yekmalyan was not only an author of church music. He also worked in secular and instrumental genres, expanding the boundaries of Armenian composed music.

Yekmalyan is also important as a figure in the formation of the Armenian national compositional school. He developed principles through which Armenian monodic song could receive polyphonic sound without entirely losing its national and spiritual character. This work had a major influence on later Armenian composers.

His influence is especially important for Komitas. Komitas later chose a more ethnographic, deeper, and more independent path, but Yekmalyan’s work showed that Armenian song could be high-value material for professional study and arrangement. In this sense, Yekmalyan is not a secondary, but a foundational figure in Armenian music history.

On a page dedicated to Armenian musical heritage, Makar Yekmalyan should be presented as one of the principal shapers of Armenian church polyphonic music, the author of the “Patarag,” and an important forefather of the Armenian national school of music. His work is a bridge between medieval sacred singing, 19th-century polyphonic arrangement, and the national musical school of the 20th century.

The cover and section images are AI-generated artistic illustrations, not authentic depictions of historical scenes or people.