Aleksander Kunileid (born Aleksander Saebelmann; 22 November 1845 – 27 July 1875), was an
Estonia
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...
n composer. He is one of the founding figures of Estonian
choral music
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
.
Life and work
Aleksander Peeter Karl Saebelmann (or Säbelmann) was born in 1845 in
Audru in the district of
Pärnu, the son of a teacher. Like his brother,
Friedrich August Saebelmann, he displayed musical gifts from an early age. His first musical education was with his father, from whom he learned to play the
organ and the
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
. As a 16-year-old, Saebelmann attended the
Vidzeme
Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', ) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in north-centra ...
teacher's seminary in
Valka (the
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
n town of Valka lies alongside its Estonian twin,
Valga), where he studied with the choral master
Jānis Cimze.
Saebelmann graduated from the teacher's seminary in 1865 and took up a teaching post in the small village of
Paistu for three years. There he frequently played the organ in the local church. He befriended prominent figures from the
Estonian national awakening, including
Carl Robert Jakobson,
Johann Voldemar Jannsen, and the latter's daughter,
Lydia Koidula. He took the name "Kunileid", in preference to the Germanic-seeming "Saebelmann", from Jakobson's motto ''Otsi, kuni leiad'' ("Seek, until you find").
In 1868 he was employed as an assistant instructor by the Vidzeme seminary.
At Jakobson's instigation Kunileid played a significant role in the first
Estonian Song Festival in 1869. Alongside Jannsen, Kunileid was the chief organizer of the festival, as well as chairman of the jury for choral performances.
During this period, Kunileid composed numerous choral songs, including ''
Mu isamaa on minu arm'', ''Sind surmani'' and ''Mu isamaa nad olid matnud'', which today form part of the Estonian national canon. Jakobson included Kunileid's works in his famous collection of Estonian songs, ''Wanemuine Kandle Healed'' (first edition 1869, second 1871).
In 1871, Kunileid moved with this brother, Friedrich Saebelmann, who had also graduated from the teacher's seminary in Valka, to
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
. At first the pair had to live in very restricted circumstances. Kunileid was a teacher in the Estonian school in
Gatchina, near the Russian capital, and later at the teacher's seminary of
Kolpino. In 1873 Kunileid's health declined rapidly and he moved to
Poltava
Poltava (, ; , ) is a city located on the Vorskla, Vorskla River in Central Ukraine, Central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Poltava Oblast as well as Poltava Raion within the oblast. It also hosts the administration of Po ...
as a teacher and organist for its better climate. He died there in the summer of 1875. He was buried in Poltava's municipal cemetery, which was levelled after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Kunileid is a minor character in
Jaan Kross's historical novel, ''
Professor Martens' Departure''.
Selected compositions
* "Arg kosilane" (Text:
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald ( – ) was an Estonians, Estonian writer and the author of the national epic ''Kalevipoeg''.
Life
Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's parents were born at the Jõepere, Jömper estate, Governorate of Estonia, Russia ...
)
* "Kaste ja pisarad" (Carl Robert Jakobson)
* "Meil aiaäärne tänavas" (Lydia Koidula)
* "Miks sa nutad, lilleke?" (Lydia Koidula)
* "Mu mõttes on üks ainuke" (traditional)
* "Põua aastal 1868" (Carl Robert Jakobson)
* "Süda tuksub" (traditional)
* "Ema ja laps" (Carl Robert Jakobson)
* "
Mu isamaa on minu arm" (Lydia Koidula)
* "Mu isamaa, nad olid matnud" (Lydia Koidula)
* "Sind surmani" (Lydia Koidula)
* "Veel pole kadunud kõik" (Carl Robert Jakobson)
* "Õitse ja haljenda, eestlaste maa" (Lydia Koidula)
* "Süda tuksub" (traditional)
* "Mu mõttes on üksainuke" (traditional)
References
External links
Lebenslauf, Werke, Bilder(Estonian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kunileid, Aleksander
1845 births
1875 deaths
Musicians from Pärnu
People from Kreis Pernau
Composers from the Russian Empire
Romantic composers
19th-century Estonian composers
19th-century classical composers
Estonian male classical composers
19th-century male musicians