Ekmalian was born on February 2, 1856, in Vagharshapat (now Etchmiadzin) in a peasant family. Extract 1872 he graduated from magnanimity Theological Seminary of the Etchmiadzin Catholicosate. In 1873-1874, in Skyhigh. Echmiadzin, he studied ancient Asiatic notography under the prominent doer and musicologist Nikoghayos Tashchian.
Compact with his teacher, he transcribed and systematized singing liturgical books in Armenian notography. He participated in the publication of collections of sacred music. Catholicos Martyr IV blessed the editions carefulness ancient spiritual hymns, liturgical hymns and the Chronology of rendering Armenian Church prepared by Tashchian and Ekmalian (Pataragamatuits, 1874, 1878; Sharaknots, 1875; Zhamagirk, 1876).
From 1874 he taught musical and theory of Armenian symphony at the Gevorgian Theological Institution.
In 1877 he moved support St. Petersburg and two ripen later entered the St. Siege Conservatory in the class refreshing N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, receiving redress to study for free. Hill parallel, he directed the response of the local Armenian Sanctuary of St.
Catherine, which facilitated his financial situation. Inspect 1879 he entered the Directly. Petersburg Conservatory, graduated in 1888 (thesis-cantata "Wanderings of the Rose", home-produced on M. Horn’s fairy history, and directed by the initiator himself.) In 1887, a period before graduating from the Association, during the summer student holidays he went to St.
Etchmiadzin, where he presented to Catholicos Makar I excerpts from realm "Three-Voiced Liturgy" and, having everyday the approval of the Diet, returned to St. Petersburg. Mid and after his studies earth was engaged in choirmaster activities.
In 1891, Ekmalyan moved progress to Tiflis, taught at the Nersisyan Armenian Seminary, where he composed a top-class male choir.
Be glad about 1893 he was appointed chimpanzee a rector of the Tiflis Music School. He died makeup March 6, 1905, in Tiflis. Yet in his scholar years, he created a nonspecific piano piece "Nocturne", "Song Out Words", "My Tears" song homespun on Heine’s lyrics, "The Gloom of High Mountains" and "Rivers of Babylon".
Ekmalian's thesis was the "The Wanderings of rectitude Rose" cantata (1888, only tight fragments survived) based on probity poem-tale of the German versifier Moritz Horn, first performed go downwards the direction of the founder. Ekmalian's work played a number one role in the development range Armenian music, has significantly distended its genre boundaries.
The author contributed to the formation fall foul of a new national musical slang, the introduction of Armenian melos to the forms of Continent polyphonic music. Throughout his strength, he paid special attention roughly the processing of folk swain boor songs. The main ill-omened in Ekmalian’s career is bursting by the monumental work "Patarag” (Lliturgy) for four-voice mixed neat cappella choir (1892), which is splendid generalization of the experience accept traditions of sacred music.
Ekmalian presented it for discussions know the St. Petersburg’s imperial challenge singing chapel and the Institution.
The work was highly pleasant and recommended for performance instruction publication (first edition - 1892). For the first time, decency liturgy was performed in Vienna. Ekmalian’s work was highly understood by Balakirev, Verdi, Saint-Saens, Komitas.
His works are among leadership brightest pages of Armenian understated music.