Gustav Ernesaks was an Estonian composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and a choir conductor

Conducting

Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...

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He played an integral role in the Singing Revolution

Singing Revolution

The Singing Revolution is a commonly used name for events between 1987 and 1991 that led to the restoration of the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania...

 and was one of the father figures of the Estonian Song Festival tradition; one of his songs, set to Lydia Koidula

Lydia Koidula

Lydia Emilie Florentine Jannsen, , known after her pen name Lydia Koidula was an Estonian poet. Her sobriquet means ‘Lydia of the Dawn’ in Estonian. It was given her by the writer Carl Robert Jakobson...

's poem Mu isamaa on minu arm, became an unofficial national anthem during the years of Soviet occupation; ironically, he was also the composer of the Anthem of Estonian SSR

Anthem of Estonian SSR

The State Anthem of the Estonian SSR was the anthem of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, a republic of the Soviet Union. It was official from 1945 to 1990....

 used between 1945 and 1990.

A statue of him was erected in 2004 on the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds

Tallinn Song Festival Grounds

-History of Song Festivals:In 1869 Johann Voldemar Jannsen established the Estonian Song Festival while the nation was still a province of the Russian Empire. This festival was considered responsible for fostering an Estonian national awakening...

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