Arvo Pärt (born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer, often identified with the school of minimalism and more specifically, that of "holy minimalism" or "sacred minimalism". He is considered a pioneer of this style, along with contemporaries Henryk Gorecki and John Tavener. Arvo Pärt is best known for his choral works.
Biography
- Even in Estonia, Arvo was getting the same feeling that we were all getting. [...] I love his music, and I love the fact that he is such a brave, talented man. [...] He's completely out of step with the zeitgeist and yet he's enormously popular, which is so inspiring. His music fulfils a deep human need that has nothing to do with fashion. —Steve Reich
Pärt's musical education began at age 7, and by 14 or 15 he was writing his own compositions. While studying composition (with teacher Heino Eller) at the Tallinn Conservatory it was said of him that: "he just seemed to shake his sleeves and notes would fall out". There were very few influences from outside the Soviet Union at this time, just a few illegal tapes and scores.
Although at the time of Pärt's birth Estonia was a nascent independent nation, the Soviet Union occupied it in 1940 as a result of the Soviet-Nazi Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, and the country remained under Soviet control (except for a 3-year period of German occupation), for the next 51 years.
Pärt's oeuvre is generally divided into two periods. His early works range from rather severe neo-classical styles influenced by Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Bartók. He then began to compose using Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique and serialism. This, however, not only earned the ire of the Soviet establishment, but also proved to be a creative dead end. Pärt's biographer, Paul Hillier, says:
- "... he had reached a position of complete despair in which the composition of music appeared to be the most futile of gestures, and he lacked the musical faith and will-power to write even a single note"
This may be an overstatement since the transitional third symphony (1971) was composed during this time. However, it is clear that Pärt experienced a deep personal crisis. His response to this impasse was to immerse himself in early music - to go, in effect, back to the roots of western music. He studied plainsong, Gregorian chant, and the emergence of polyphony in the Renaissance. At the same time he began to explore religion and joined the Russian Orthodox Church, perhaps indicating that his crisis was partly spiritual in nature, rather than exclusively musical.
The music that began to emerge after this period was radically different. Pärt describes it as tintinnabular - like the ringing of bells. The music is characterised by simple harmonies, often single unadorned notes, or triad chords which form the basis of western harmony. These are reminiscent of ringing bells, hence the name. The Tintinnabuli are rhythmically simple, and do not change tempo. The influence of early music is clear. Another characteristic of Pärt's later works is that they are frequently settings for sacred texts, although he mostly chooses Latin or the Church Slavonic language used in Orthodox liturgy instead of his native Estonian language.
It is for these latter works that Pärt is best known, and he is unusual for a modern composer in that he is very popular in his own lifetime.
Pärt has said that his music is similar to light going through a prism: the music may have a slightly different meaning for each listener, thus creating a spectrum of musical experience, similar to the rainbow of light.
His music has been used in over 50 films, from "Väike motoroller" (1962) to "Promised Land" (2004). The "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten" was used in Leos Carax's "Les Amants du Pont-Neuf" (1991) and in Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" while showing the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York City. "Spiegel im Spiegel" was prominently used in Mike Nichols' "Wit" (2001) and the Gus van Sant's drama "Gerry" (2003).
Well-known Works
- Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten
- Fratres
- Tabula Rasa
Works for Voices
- Our Garden, Cantata for children's chorus and orchestra (1959/2003)
- An den Wassern zu Babel saßen wir und weinten for voices or choir and organ or ensemble (1976/1984)
- Missa syllabica for chorus and organ (1977)
- Summa for chorus (1977)
- Sarah Was Ninety Years Old for three voices, percussion and organ (1977/1990)
- De profundis for chorus, percussion and organ (1980)
- Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Joannem for soloists, vocal ensemble, choir and instrumental ensemble (1982)
- Es sang vor langen Jahren for alto, violin and viola (1984)
- Wallfahrtslied for tenor or baritone and string quartet or string orchestra (1984/
- Stabat Mater for 3 voices and string trio (1985)
- Miserere for soli, choir and ensemble (1989)
- Magnificat for chorus (1989)
- Te Deum for chorus, string orchestra and tape (1984-5, rev 1992)
- Berlin Mass for chorus and organ or string orchestra (1992)
- Litany for soloists, chorus and orchestra (1994)
- Kanon Pokajanen (1996)
- Triodion for chorus (1998)
- Como cierva sedienta for soprano, chorus and orchestra (1998)
- Cantiques des degrés for chorus and orchestra (1999/2002)
- Cecilia, vergine romana for chorus and orchestra (1999/2002)
- Which Was the Son of... (2000)
- Nunc Dimittis for chorus (2001)
- Zwei Wiegenlieder for two women’s voices and piano (2002)
- In Principio for chorus and orchestra (2003)
- L'Abbé Agathon for soprano, four violas and four celli (2004/2005)
Instrumental Works
- Nekrolog for orchestra op.5 (1960)
- Symphony No.1 for orchestra op.9 (1963)
- Perpetuum mobile for orchestra op.10 (1963)
- Pro et Contra, Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1966, for Mstislav Rostropovich)
- Symphony No.2 for orchestra (1966)
- Symphony No.3 for orchestra (1971)
- Für Alina for piano (1976)
- Wenn Bach Bienen gezüchtet hätte ... for piano, wind quintet, string orchestra and percussion (1976)
- Fratres (1976 and on, many versions)
- Variationen zur Gesundung von Arinuschka for piano (1977)
- Arbos for brass and percussion (1977/1986)
- Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten for string orchestra and bell (1977)
- Tabula Rasa, Double Concerto for two violins, string orchestra and prepared piano (1977)
- Spiegel Im Spiegel for violin or cello and piano (1978)
- Psalom for string orchestra (1985/1995/1997)
- Festina Lente for string orchestra and harp (1988)
- Summa for violin, two violas and cello (or string orchestra (1990/1991)
- Silouans Song for string orchestra (1991)
- Trisagion for string orchestra (1992)
- Mozart-Adagio for violin, cello and piano (1992/1997, from Mozart's Piano Sonata in F major (K 280))
- Concerto piccolo über B-A-C-H for trumpet, string orchestra, harpsichord and piano (1994)
- Darf ich ... for violin, bells and string orchestra (1995/1999)
- Mein Weg for 14 string players and percussion (1999)
- Orient & Occident for string orchestra (2000)
- Lamentate for piano and orchestra (2002)
- Passacaglia for violin and piano (2003)
Printed Sources
- Hillier, Paul. Arvo Pärt. (Oxford : University Press, 1997). ISBN 0198166168
External links
- Arvo Pärt — extensive site
- arvopart.info — another comprehensive site with current news
- David Pinkerton's Arvo Pärt archive — yet another extensive site, with some good analytical writing.
- Biography in MUSICMATCH Guide - Small biography and list of works.
- Arvo Pärt and the New Simplicity — text of a radio interview from October 11, 1998
- Pärt's page at Universal Editions — purchase scores and find out about performances of Part's music worldwide, plus detailed work list
- "Allclassical"-entry, including a list of his opuses
- Steve Reich about Arvo Pärt, in an interview with Richard Williams, The Guardian, January 2, 2004
- Spike Magazine Interview