Jānis Ivanovs was a Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 Latvian

Latvians

Latvians or Letts are the indigenous Baltic people of Latvia.-History:Latvians occasionally refer to themselves by the ancient name of Latvji, which may have originated from the word Latve which is a name of the river that presumably flowed through what is now eastern Latvia...

 classical music 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...

.

In 1931, he graduated from the Latvian State Conservatory in Riga

Riga

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...

. In 1944, he joined the conservatory's faculty, becoming a full professor in 1955. He is regarded as being the most distinguished Latvian symphonist. His love of melody is evident in each of his compositions, and forms the essence of his works. He often drew inspiration from the native songs of the Latgale

Latgale

Latgale is one of the four historical and cultural regions of Latvia recognised in the Constitution of the Latvian Republic. It is the easternmost region north of the Daugava River...

 district in eastern Latvia. His grasp of orchestral color and musical texture were highly regarded by his colleagues. The Latvian composer and music critic, Margers Zarins, described Ivanovs' symphonies as "like ancient Greek tragedies, filled with ecstasy and purification." He is mostly remembered for his twenty-one symphonies

Symphony

A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...

. Nevertheless, he composed in many other fields, including five symphonic poems, one concerto apiece for piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

 and cello

Cello

The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...

, three string quartets, and numerous vocal, piano and various chamber works.

He became the People's Artist of the USSR

People's Artist of the USSR

People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...

 in 1965, was awarded the USSR State Prize

USSR State Prize

The USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....

 in 1950 and Latvian SSR

Latvian SSR

The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Latvian SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the Soviet Union. Established on 21 July 1940 as a puppet state during World War II in the territory of the previously independent Republic of Latvia after it had been occupied by...

State Prize in 1959 and 1970.

Symphonies

• No. 1 in B-flat minor Poema Sinfonia (1933)
• No. 2 in D minor (1937)
• No. 3 in F minor (1938)
• No. 4 Atlantis with female choir (1941)
• No. 5 in C major (1945)
• No. 6 Latgalian (1949)
• No. 7 in C minor (1953)
• No. 8 in B minor (1956)
• No. 9 (1960)
• No. 10 (1963)
• No. 11 in E-flat minor (1965)
• No. 12 in C major Sinfonia Energica (1967)
• No. 13 in D minor Sinfonia Humana (1969)
• No. 14 Sinfonia da Camera for string orchestra (1971)
• No. 15 Sinfonia Ipsa (1972)
• No. 16 (1974)
• No. 17 in C major (1976)
• No. 18 (1977)
• No. 19 (1979)
• No. 20 in E-flat major (1981)
• No. 21 in C major (1983, Unfinished)

Tone poems

• Rainbow (1939)
• Lacplesis (1957)
• Poema Luttuoso for String Orchestra (1966)
• Novella Brevis (1982)

Other Orchestral Works

• Violin Concerto in E minor (1951)
• Cello Concerto in B minor (1952)
• Piano Concerto in D minor (1959)

Chamber Music

• String Quartet no. 1 (1931/32)
• String Quartet no. 2 in C major (1946)
• String Quartet no. 3 (1961)
• Piano Trio (1976, published 1979)

External links

• Onno van Rijen's Soviet Composer Site