The World of Estonian Music: Vol Iv
The World of Estonian Music: Vol Iv
The World of Estonian Music: Vol Iv
ESTONIAN MUSIC
DE
CULTU
CIVILI
ESTONICO
VOL IV
THE WORLD OF
ESTONIAN MUSIC
Eesti Instituut
Tallinn, 2015
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BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
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Estonia is a young state and a young
culture. In the ancient past, Estonians
were a peasant nation who had their
own ancient way of life and culture,
but not much is known about either.
We only know about runo songs (regilaul), which were not sung for quite a
while but, having done a stint on the
archive shelves, they are now enjoying a new lease on life. Before the
19th century national awakening period, German-language high culture
prevailed on the Estonian territory.
Estonian music education has
been connected with the Russian
school for a long time. The first Estonians travelled to St Petersburg
to study at the conservatory there
at the end of the 19th century. After
graduation, most of them returned
home to teach others. Around
1919 two parallel schools of music
emerged in Tallinn and Tartu, which
both tried to find their own way during the Republic of Estonia (19181940).
The Soviet reign (1944-1991)
brought along a new approach to
the Russian educational landscape,
and the Iron Curtain blocked Western influence in all areas of culture,
including music. During and after
World War II dissidents often had
to face the security organisations
interrogations and acts of repression. Many cultural people managed
to flee to the West. In the late 1940s
the authorities ruled that composers
could only write ideologically correct music suited to the prevailing
socialist realism. In practice, this was
often (pseudo) national-romantic,
programme music, as anything else
was banned.
Access to Western music and information was difficult, and many developments in Estonian music occurred
on their own strength: sometimes in
parallel with the West and sometimes
separately. Every fragment of information, book or record that found
its way to Soviet Estonia had a huge
impact: it was shared by many (often
in secret), was discussed and offered
inspiration.
Soviet music education had a
strong system and professional
standards. The musicians today still
have a solid technical foundation
and the precision of their performance is often praised by music academics. Non-academic styles have
lagged behind, although higher
education in traditional and rhythm
music is now available in Estonia.
Estonia regained its independence in 1991, but a fresh breeze was
already blowing through Estonian
music in the late 1980s. Composers
and musicians were able to travel to
the West, and the horizons of people
writing about music changed quickly. However, something in Estonian
music that is recognisably ours has
been preserved. What is it? Maybe
a reflection of Nordic nature, the
melancholy of cloudy skies and scant
sunshine visible between bare trees,
or direct or indirect usage of folk
songs.
Estonia is a small country, where
talented people can be active in
many fields. Musicians can leap from
one music style to another: keep one
foot in classical music and the other
in jazz, with an occasional dose of
pop. We have internationally acclaimed composers and musicians,
Heino Eller
BACKGROUND
www.estinst.ee/music01
Heino Eller, A Homeland Tune
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COMPOSERS
COMPOSERS
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The beginning of professional composing in Estonia can be dated to
the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when most Estonians involved
in music studied at the conservatory
in St Petersburg. At that time, the first
large-scale compositions were produced in various genres: overtures,
instrumental concertos and oratorios
(by Rudolf Tobias), symphonies (by
Artur Lemba), plus the first compositions for the stage.
Todays Estonia is part of the global
world and composing has moved in
all possible directions. However, some
significant trends and elements can be
distinguished.
Folk songs have often been used
since the early 20th century, when
young composers participated in expeditions to gather traditional music.
Folk tunes in their purest form were
introduced into composing, especially
into choral music, by Mart Saar; they
were used in instrumental music by
Heino Eller and Eduard Tubin, still the
greatest symphonist in Estonian music.
Folk tunes were later frequently used
by Ester Mgi and by Veljo Tormis in
choral music.
Estonia is one of the most religiously indifferent countries in the world,
but sacred music clearly dominates in
Estonian classical music. Catholic and
Orthodox, and to a lesser extent Lutheran, melodies and especially texts
frequently occur in the works of Estonian composers. Besides Arvo Prts
music, the music of Galina Grigorjeva
stands out in this area.
Its clear that quite a few Estonian
composers have been inspired by the
beautiful local nature there is plenty of it everywhere, and people have
Arvo Prt
COMPOSERS
www.estinst.ee/music02
Arvo Prt, Fr Alina
Veljo Tormis
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Erkki-Sven Tr
COMPOSERS
www.estinst.ee/music03
Erkki-Sven Tr, Illusion
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PERFORMERS OF CL A SSIC AL AND CONTEMPOR ARY MUSIC
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One of the landmarks of Estonian
classical music is the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, which was
founded in 1926 as a radio orchestra
and still plays a crucial role in Estonian cultural life. The Tallinn Chamber
Orchestra should be noted here as
well, which alongside the Estonian
Philharmonic Chamber Choir has
recorded several groundbreaking
works by Arvo Prt.
Two top vocal ensembles frequently tour the world. Jaan-Eik Tulve,
a superb authority on Gregorian
chant, conducts the vocal ensemble Vox Clamantis, whose repertoire
often mixes Gregorian chant with
contemporary music, even adding
jazz and other genres. The composer
Margo Klar and his vocal ensemble
Heinavanker focus on religious folk
songs, early sacral music and runo
songs, blending them with new compositions.
posing, e.g. the early music ensemble Hortus Musicus, which has been
active since 1972. Contemporary
composers have written music for its
period instruments. Another outstanding group has been the NYYD
Ensemble, which strongly influenced
the repertoire of contemporary music
in the 1990s.
Among individual performers,
piano culture prevails. A hefty part
of the Russian school still survives in
Estonian piano music, offering a powerful manner of performance, technical precision and a varied repertoire.
Several acclaimed pianists have maintained their links with Russia: they
studied there, tour Russia or simply
love the music of Russian composers. For example, Tanel Joamets and
Ivari Ilja, the piano accompanist of the
famous Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, still give concerts in Russia,
where they are treated as true stars.
Our pianist of the younger generation,
Vox Clamantis
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Vox Clamantis and Arvo Prt after a concert in honour of Prt at Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland.
www.estinst.ee/music04
Vox Clamantis
Tnu Kaljuste
Tnu Kaljuste with the head of ECM Records Manfred Eicher and with
Arvo Prt at the recording of Adams Lament.
The conductor Tnu Kaljuste (1953) is internationally acknowledged for his highly diverse
repertoire, which ranges from operas and classical symphony pieces to contemporary music.
Kaljuste has cooperated with great figures
of northern and eastern European modernism, such as Alfred Schnittke, Gyrgy Kurtg,
Krzysztof Penderecki, Giya Kancheli and Einojuhani Rautavaara. He has proved to be a superb
connoisseur and introducer of Estonian composers, e.g. Arvo Prt, Erkki-Sven Tr, Veljo Tormis
and Heino Eller.
Kaljuste is the founder and was the first conductor of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber
Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. Since
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CONCERT VENUES
CONCERT VENUES
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Suure-Jaani Music Festival. The sunrise concert on Hpassaare bog island has just finished.
CONCERT VENUES
Estonian Ballads
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Nargenfestival
CONCERT VENUES
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THE ATRE MUSIC
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The building of the Estonian National Opera and the Estonia Concert Hall.
www.estinst.ee/music06
Erkki-Sven Tr, Wallenberg
Jri Reinvere
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Ain Anger
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SONG FES TIVAL S AND THE ES TONIAN CHOIR TR ADITION
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www.epcc.ee
www.estinst.ee/music07
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
Prt Uusberg
www.estinst.ee/music08
Prt Uusbergs Music at a song festival
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TR ADITIONAL MUSIC
TR ADITIONAL MUSIC
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www.estinst.ee/music09
Trad.Attack!
example, listening to songs in Setomaa near the Russian border it becomes clear that this is one version
of the runo song. The Seto polyphonic singing tradition, or leelo,
with its over one thousand years of
history, is on the UNESCO List of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity.
Until World War II, large parts
of western Estonia and the islands
were inhabited by coastal Swedes,
who cultivated religious folk songs
with special sounds. This music long
ago stopped being a living tradition although, for example, Cyrillus
Kreek (18891962), who grew up on
the small island of Vormsi, used the
melodies in his work.
Along with runo songs, Estonian traditional music has also used
a wide range of folk instruments
mainly in dance music and in rituals.
Until the early 20th century playing
musical instruments was seen as
TR ADITIONAL MUSIC
Paabel
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Svjata Vatra
TR ADITIONAL MUSIC
JA Z43
Z
JA Z Z
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of the new millennium was the founding of the Estonian Jazz Union (2004).
One of its main functions is to organise
regular jazz concerts. The Tallinn centre
of jazz evenings has long been the jazz
club at the NO99 theatre, which has
been supplemented by the new club
Philly Joes and the Tallinn TV Tower.
Regular jazz concerts take place in
other towns as well, in clubs in Tartu,
Prnu, Rakvere, Viljandi and Narva.
On the initiative of the jazz guitarist
Jaak Soor, jazz music was included in
the curriculum at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in 2004. The
first university-educated Estonian jazz
musicians had to study abroad (Soor
in Denmark, the percussionist Tanel
Ruben in Sweden, the saxophonist Raul
St in the US, etc.), whereas now it is
possible to acquire a jazz education
here, often in master classes held by
teachers from abroad.
The biggest international interest,
however, has been attracted by our
jazz musicians who have acquired skills,
ways of thinking and contacts at universities abroad. One of the most exciting
among them is the saxophonist and
band leader Maria Faust, who has lived
and studied in Copenhagen for years.
The pianist Kristjan Randalu grew up in
Germany, and is a cosmopolitan who
appreciates Estonian (traditional) music
and is eager to work with Estonian
musicians. The singer Kadri Voorand,
with her unique voice, expanded her
horizons in Stockholm and is now internationally acclaimed for her various cooperation projects. The contrabassist
Peedu Kass acquired a significant part
of his training in Aarhus, Stockholm and
Helsinki.
Kadri Voorand
JA Z Z
Echo of a Feeling, and the trio album Cosmogonic Etude, and has participated in the CDs of
many other musicians. Kadri Voorand sings in the
acclaimed vocal ensemble Estonian Voices. The
winner of the award Young Jazz Talent 2008
studied jazz singing at the Estonian Academy of
Music and Theatre and at the Stockholm Royal
Music Academy; she is currently teaching at the
Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.
www.kadrivoorand.com
www.estinst.ee/music10
Kadri Voorand
Maria Faust
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Kristjan Randalu
JA Z Z
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POP MUSIC
POP MUSIC
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POP MUSIC
music is still striking. A similar grandeur that ignored genre boundaries was common in another proge
band, In Spe. It was founded by
Erkki-Sven Tr one of the best
known Estonian composers in the
world today, especially in the field
of symphonic music.
In the 1980s Estonian musicians
the already mentioned Ruja, Jaak
Joala, Tnis Mgi, Anne Veski and
others introduced fresh Western
ideas to one sixth of the world.
(The Soviet Union called itself one
sixth of the planet.) Estonian musicians are still warmly remembered
in Russia. They had a lot to offer, as
they had secretly listened to Radio
Luxembourg and watched Finnish
television.
The most important local music
event was the Tartu Pop Music
Days, dominated by more artistic
rock music. At the end of the 1980s
Rock Summer was initiated, which
brought an incredible number of
performers from abroad to Tallinn
at the beginning of the new independence era.
Enthusiasm for punk arrived via
Finland. It reached its apogee when
J.M.K.E.s freedom-flavoured song
Hello, perestroika! was aired on
television in 1987.
In the 1990s Estonian stages
were invaded by dance music and,
as a newly independent country,
Estonia also tried its luck at the Eurovision song contest. It paid off: in
2001 Tanel Padar and Dave Benton
secured a victory for Estonia and
the following years contest took
place in Tallinn. Since 2009 Eurovision songs have been selected at
Metsatll
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www.estinst.ee/music11
Metsatll & Estonian National Mail Choir
www.ewertandthetwodragons.com
www.maria-minerva.com
POP MUSIC
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FILM MUSIC
FILM MUSIC
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The film Hotel of the Perished Alpinist was set in the Alps. The hotel for the film was built in the mountains of Kazakhstan.
The films architecture, design and music still astonish today with their fresh approach.
Sven Grnberg
FILM MUSIC
www.estinst.ee/music12
Sven Grnbergs Ball in
Hotel of the Perished Alpinist
Estonian Institute
Suur-Karja 14
10140 Tallinn
Estonia
Tel: +372 631 4355
E-mail: [email protected]
www.estinst.ee
More information about Estonian music and excerpts:
Estonian Music Information Centre, www.emic.ee
Estonian cultural events at home and abroad:
www.culture.ee
Information about Estonia:
www.estonica.org