Andrejs Jurjāns

Andrejs Jurjāns (September 30, 1856 —September 28, 1822) was a Latvian composer and musicologist. He was Latvia's first classical composer, having composed instrumental pieces and cantatas. Jurjans also studied and collected more than 6000 pieces of Latvian folklore, among them 3000 songs, which he compiled in six books, called Latvju tautas mūzikas materiāli (Materials of Latvian Folk Music).

Andrejs Jurjans was born in 1856 in Ergli. In 1875 he studied music at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, having composition, organ and French horn classes with Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, Louis Homilius and Friedrich Homilius.

In 1877, he published his first composition. From 1882 to 1916 Jurjans taught music in the Russian Imperial Music Society Conservatory in Kharkiv, Ukraine. At the same time, he took an active part in Latvian musical life as a collector, researcher and arranger of national folk songs. His five-volume work, "Materials of the Latvian folk music," collects about 2,000 tunes. Jurjans laid the foundation for all further research in this area. Together with his brothers, he regularly took part in the Latvian Song Festival.

Around 1910 Jurjāns hearing became weaker. In 1916 he was unable to finish the teacher's work. Seriously ill in 1920, he returns to Latvia, where he dies in 1922.

After the death of Jurjans, the 6th part of his work was published posthumously by his brother, Pavuls.

Jurjans composed 15 symphonic works, 5 vocal and instrumental works , as well as many solo songs, choir and folk songs. He is the first person to detail the Latvian folk song characteristics, thus to turn the public's attention in Latvian and Russian folklore common features. Jurjāns often used folk song intonations and fragments in his compositions A.Jurjāns called the newer Latvian composers to learn from the Russian classical music - especially from Mikhail Glinka.

Selected folk songs

• "Pūt, vējiņi"
• "Čuči, mana līgaviņa"
• "Kur tu skriesi, vanadziņi"
• "Es karāi aiziedams"
• "Aiz upītes es uzaugu"
• "Tautu meita, melnacīte"
• "Stādīju ieviņu"
• "Tautiešam roku devu"
• "Kur gāji, puisīti", etc.

Selected choir songs

• "Nevis slinkojot un pūstot"
• "Lūk, roze zied"
• "Ozoldēli, liepas meitas"
• "Nakts dziesma"
• "Dievozolu trijotne", etc.

Symphonic music

• Latvju dejas (Latvian dances)- suite (1884)
• Tēvijai (Fatherland)- cantata (1888)