“The First of the First”

Dedicated to Romanos Melikyan’s 140th Birth Anniversary

Abstract

Music public figure and powerful otganizer Romanos Melikyan lived a very vibrant life, leaving an invaluable legacy for future generations. Even in his youth, he engaged in intense musical activity in his birthplace, New Nakhichevan, and later as a musician, he improved and continued his education in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It was there that he first met his older friend, Alexander Spendiatyan. Initially, the young and rebellious Romanos had a biased attitude toward Spendiaiyan's music, which changed over time. Later, deeply appreciating Spendiatyan’s talent, his unique musical style, his innovative ideas in the musical life of the time, and especially the significance of the opera ՛Almost" in the histoiy of Armenian music, as well as the close friendship between these two great figures, Romanos reevaluated Spendiatyan ՝s role in Armenian music. It was through Romanes's mediation that Spendiatyan met the great Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan and began composing his Swan Song, the opera "Almost". During the debut concert of the conseiyatoiy’s orchestra in their homeland on December 10, 1924, Romanos Melikyan’s wife, Arus Babalyan, performed Spendiaiyan’s romances with the composer accompanying her. Spendiaiyan's arrival in the homeland and the otganization of concerts boosted the activity and revival of musical life, while Romanes’s inquisitive and enthusiastic nature pushed him to establish a new musical institution, the Stepanakert Music School (1925). Some time later, the old friends met again in Yerevan, and Spendiatyan invited Romanos to live in his apartment at the current address of Nalbandyan 21, where the Spendiatyan
House Museum is now located. Romanos played a significant role in immortalizing Spendiaiyan’s memory, realizing the composer’s unfinished works and unrealized dreams, particularly in bringing to life the premieres of the opera "Almast" in Tbilisi, Odessa, and Yerevan. Alexander Spendiaiyan, Romanos Melikyan, Martiros Satyan, Alexander Tamanian, and others were not just names; they were dedicated individuals committed to the mission and belief in creating the new, revitalizing culture of their homeland with their tireless and devoted efforts.