Music of Latvia
Encyclopedia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
is often set to traditional poetry called dainas, featuring pre-Christian themes and legends, drone
Drone (music)
In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...
vocal styles and Baltic zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
s.
Dainas
Dainas are very short, usually only one or two stanzas, unrhymed and in a four-footed trochaic metre. Lyrically, dainas concern themselves with native mythology but, in contrast to most similar forms, do not have any legendary heroHero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
es. Stories often revolve around pre-Christian deities like the sun goddess
Solar deity
A solar deity is a sky deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived power and strength. Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms...
Saule, the moon god
Lunar deity
In mythology, a lunar deity is a god or goddess associated with or symbolizing the moon. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related to or an enemy of the solar deity. Even though they may be related, they are distinct from the...
Meness and, most notably, the life of people, especially its three most important events - birth, wedding and death (including burial). The first collection of dainas was published between 1894 and 1915 as Latvju Dainas by Krišjānis Barons
Krišjanis Barons
Krišjānis Barons is known as the "father of the dainas" thanks largely to his systematization of the Latvian folk songs and his labour in preparing their texts for publication in Latvju dainas. His portrait appears on the 100-lat banknote, the only human face of a living person on modern Latvian...
.
Instrumentation
Accompaniment to the village songs is played on various traditional instruments, the most important of which is the kokle, a type of zitherZither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
related to the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
kantele
Kantele
A kantele or kannel is a traditional plucked string instrument of the zither family native to Finland, Estonia, and Karelia. It is related to the Russian gusli, the Latvian kokle and the Lithuanian kanklės. Together these instruments make up the family known as Baltic psalteries...
. In the 1970s, artists like Jānis Porikis and Valdis Muktupāvels led a revival in kokle music, which had only survived in the Courland
Courland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
/Kurzeme and Lettgallia/Latgale regions. The Latvian-exile community abroad, especially in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, has also kept kokle traditions alive. In the last hundred years a new kind of kokle was developed, with many more strings, halftones levelers and other improvements that expand the capacities of the instrument to play not only modal music but, in other point of view, displeased more traditional musicians. This kind of instrument its called "concert kokle". However, there is currently only one concert kokle maker left, though he is to begin training apprentices with the help of EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
grants.
Popular music
During the SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
occupation, rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
became extremely popular, because it, as well as folk songs, offered a chance to rebel against the local authorities. Imants Kalniņš
Imants Kalninš
Imants Kalniņš is one of the most important composers in the history of Latvian music. Having studied classical, as well as choral music, he has written six symphonies, several operas , oratorios, cantatas, choir songs, a lot of movie and theater music...
was the most important composer of the time, and his songs were extremely popular. He also wrote music for the movie originally called Četri balti krekli ('Four White Shirts'), later given the title Elpojiet Dziļi! ('Breathe Deep!'), which spoke about the need of freedom and was therefore banned. One of the most important social gatherings of the time was the annual Imantdiena ('The Day of Imants (Kalnins)'), forbidden on grounds of interfering with hay-gathering. The tradition continued informally at the composer's house.
The songs of Imants Kalniņš
Imants Kalninš
Imants Kalniņš is one of the most important composers in the history of Latvian music. Having studied classical, as well as choral music, he has written six symphonies, several operas , oratorios, cantatas, choir songs, a lot of movie and theater music...
were best known as performed by the Menuets group which only played songs by this composer. Most of the members of the group moved on to form another group, Pērkons
Perkons (band)
Pērkons was one of the most important and scandalous Latvian rock bands of the 1980s and is still performing in concerts. The group's lineup was Juris Kulakovs , Juris Sējāns , Leons Sējāns , Ieva Akurātere , Raimonds Bartaševics , Dainis Strazdiņš .At first, Pērkons played two completely...
('Thunder') later. Pērkons was a symbol of rebellion. They played rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music, using poems mostly written by Māris Melgalvs. Many of those were strongly disapproved by the Soviet authorities, as they implied the ridiculousness of the system. The most famous concert by Pērkons resulted in the destruction of a train compartment by the young people who had attended the concert. This, as well as other events, is portrayed in the movie Vai viegli būt jaunam?
Vai viegli but jaunam?
Vai viegli būt jaunam? is a Soviet-era Latvian documentary film directed by Juris Podnieks. It was filmed in 1986 with dialog in both Latvian and Russian, and is considered to be among the most controversial movies of its era...
('Is It Easy to Be Young?') by Juris Podnieks
Juris Podnieks
Juris Podnieks was a Latvian film director and producer.He graduated from the Soviet VGIK film school in 1975, after which he started working at the Riga Film Studio. He became a director in 1979....
. Acts such as Pērkons certainly played an important role in the lives of the youth of the time and were a serious challenge to the Soviet system.
Nowadays, the pop music sphere is dominated by pop music (e.g., Prāta vētra, also known as Brainstorm
Brainstorm (Latvian band)
Brainstorm is a Latvian pop/rock band. The band became popular internationally in 2000, when they finished third in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "My Star"....
) and alternative rock.
List of composers and bands in Latvia
| Composers of contemporary music (see http://www.music.lv/en/lmuza.asp?action=personalities) | Rock or (and) Pop | Other |
|---|---|---|
|
A-Eiropa A-Eiropa was a Russian pop-music band from Latvia. The name A-Eiropa originally stood for "Austrumeiropa" which means "Eastern Europe" in Latvian.... , Ainars Mielavs, Aisha Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva Aija Andrejeva (born 16 January 1986, Ogre, Latvia, better known by her stage name Aisha is a Latvian singer.-Eurovision Song Contest 2010:... Detlef -People with this name:Notable people with this name include:*Detlef Bothe , an East German sprint canoer*Detlef Bruckhoff , a retired German footballer*Detlef Enge , a former East German football player*Detlef Gerstenberg... , Device Device -Computing and electronics:* A component of personal computer hardware* Peripheral, any device attached to a computer that expands its functionality* Electronic component-Other uses:* Appliance, a device for a particular task* Device... , Dun Dun, Double Faced Eels Double Faced Eels is a four- member alternative pop – rock band from Riga, Latvia formed in 1999.-Biography:The band's debut single To Take Breath reached number one position in Radio SWH Top 40 which guaranteed them a place in one of the most competitive music shows in Latvia – Radio SWH Top of... , Eolika, Ella Ella Ella is a given name . Ella or ELLA may refer to:-People:* Ella Baker , African American civil rights and human rights activist* Ella Bully-Cummings , first female police chief of Detroit... , Dzeltenie Pastnieki Dzeltenie Pastnieki Dzeltenie Pastnieki are a Latvian band formed in 1981 in Riga, Latvia. Their name means "the yellow postmen" in Latvian, and is sometimes abbreviated to DzP. They were among the pioneers of new wave as well as reggae in the former Soviet Union... , F.L.Y. F.L.Y. was a Latvian band, created with purpose to participate in Eurovision Song Contest.At a party following the national finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, Mārtiņš Freimanis came up with an idea for the following year’s contest.... , Helēna Kozlova, Hospitāļu iela Hospitalu iela Hospitāļu iela is a Latvian band formed in 1997. The core member of the band is songwriter and singer Edgars Šubrovskis.-Albums:-Music videos:... , Imants Kalninš Imants Kalniņš is one of the most important composers in the history of Latvian music. Having studied classical, as well as choral music, he has written six symphonies, several operas , oratorios, cantatas, choir songs, a lot of movie and theater music... , Fomins & Kleins Fomins & Kleins The Latvian rock band Fomins & Kleins was founded at the end of 2002.Its members Ivo Fomins and Tomass Kleins were already accomplished and recognized rock musicians. Both are from the western Latvian port city of Liepāja, which is famous for its rock music traditions - many famous Latvian rock... , Igo Igo can refer to the following:*Igo, another name for Go *I-GO, a non-profit organization which operates a car sharing service in Chicago, Illinois... , Jauns Mēness, Lauris Reiniks Lauris Reiniks is Latvian pop music singer, songwriter, television host and actor. Lauris was educated at the Jelgava Music college in Latvia and the University of Latvia, but acting skills have been honed in Los Angeles, California. He has released 7 solo albums... , Labvēlīgais tips, Lādezers, Linda Leen, Livi Līvi is a Latvian hard rock band, that was influential in forming the Latvian rock music culture. Their signatures are poetic lyrics and guitar solos.... , Logo, Marana Maraña Maraña is a small village in Spain in the province of León, in the Picos de Europa, close to Asturias.The major festival is August 15, the Festival of Our Lady of Riosol-External links:*Location of Maraña... , Marija Naumova Marija Naumova Marija Naumova is a Latvian singer. Under the stage name Marie N, she sings a broad range of music ranging from pop to musical theatre and jazz, and has recorded several albums, with songs in Latvian, French, English, Russian and Portuguese... , MoFo Mofo or MoFo may stand for:* Motherfucker* Morning FormationIn music:* "Mofo" from the Irish band U2's rock/techno album, Pop* The MOFO Project/Object, an album box set by Frank Zappa... , Zigfrīds Muktupāvels Olive Mess Olive Mess is a progressive rock band from Latvia singing in English, one of the most famous Baltic progressive rock bands.-History:The band was formed in 1998 by Denis Arsenin , Edgar Kempish and Alexey Syomin .... , Pērkons, Pienvedēja Piedzīvojumi, Raimonds Pauls Raimonds Pauls is a Latvian and Soviet composer and piano player who is well-known and respected in Latvia and the former Soviet Union.-Music:... , Gunārs Rozenbergs, Prāta Vētra, Punch, R.A.P, RePublic Republic A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of... , Satellites LV Satellites LV, formerly known as The Satellites in their early Britpop period , is a Latvian musical group formed in 1996 in Riga, Latvia. The core members of The Satellites are brothers Janis and Edgars Zilde... , Skyforger Skyforger Skyforger is a heavy metal band from Latvia which was formed in 1995 out of the remains of doom metal band Grindmaster Dead. Most of their songs are about pagan gods and warfare; they also play traditional Latvian folk songs and metal covers. Although Skyforger is known for their folk metal, their... , SoundArcade Soundarcade Soundarcade is Latvian progressive rock, post-metal band from Riga, Latvia. The band was formed in 2002 in Riga.Soundarcade’s music features influences ranging from Latvian folk music, spaghetti westerns and structures of progressive rock music. Raw sound is provided by dark, swirling guitars,... , Z-Scars Z-Scars is a Latvian rock band.Z-Scars was founded in February, 2001. The band has become one of the most popular rock bands in Latvia in the short period of time... |
Soundarcade Soundarcade is Latvian progressive rock, post-metal band from Riga, Latvia. The band was formed in 2002 in Riga.Soundarcade’s music features influences ranging from Latvian folk music, spaghetti westerns and structures of progressive rock music. Raw sound is provided by dark, swirling guitars,... , Matīss Akuraters Matīss Akuraters is a Latvian musician- percussionist and producer. Considered as one of the best percussionists in Latvia.... |