Emīls Dārziņš (November 3, 1875 – August 31, 1910) was a Latvian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, conductor and music critic. Dārziņš' work bears a distinct romantic character, with a strong trend towards

national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

themes. His main musical authorities and influences were

Pyotr Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

and

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

. Dārziņš musical contribution is mainly to

vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but ...

( choral and

art song An art song is a Western world, Western vocal music Musical composition, composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical music, classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is ...

s), but he also composed

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

l music, though only one piece, "Melanholiskais valsis" (Melancholic waltz) has survived. His only

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

, "Rožainās dienas" (Rosy days), remained unfinished after his early death at the age of 34.

Biography

Dārziņš was born on November 3, 1875, in a rural teacher's family. Both his parents were very musical and facilitated Emīls's first musical education. His father, being an amateur musician and conductor of a local choir, taught his son to play the piano. Dārziņš's attachment to music became stronger after he almost lost his eyesight at the age of 3, as a result of overstraining it while reading. He was also diagnosed allergic to sunlight, so for 5 years he was living in a completely dark room. He could go back to normal life when he was eight. Since then, he also was going to school. Dārziņš spent his childhood in the country and attended various local schools. During those years he became familiar with the music of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

. At the age of 16 Dārziņš moved to Riga, where he continued his studies in music and composed his first choral piece "Jūs, kalni, jūs, lejas" ("You, mountains, you, lowlands"). This song received favourable mention from the well-known Latvian composer, Jāzeps Vītols, who had been a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov. Dārziņš's attendance at the 4th Latvian Song Festival in

Jelgava Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...

finally strengthened his determination to become a musician. In 1897, Dārziņš began study at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

, but was forced to leave because of an abrupt sickness. He finally entered St Petersburg Conservatory, in the organ class. Due to financial hardship Dārziņš was forced to give music lessons, yet that was not enough to cover his living expenses. In spring 1901, not having finished his studies, Dārziņš returned to Riga where he started to work as a music critic, teacher, choir conductor and pianist. "To work for my nation and its art - that will be my motto!" - he wrote in one letter at that time. In November 1903, Dārziņš married Marija Deidere, but the marriage was not a happy one, partially due to endless material difficulties, but also due to the composer's growing addiction to alcohol. The latter was apparently exacerbated by the especially hostile attitude that other Latvian musicians seemed to display towards him. In 1906 their son Volfgangs was born. In the beginning of 1908, two orchestral pieces by Dārziņš were performed in Riga, yet these met with fierce negative criticism from other Latvian composers. P. Jurjāns called him "a dilettante and a boasting critic" and even accused him of plagiarism. Dārziņš objected and asked for an independent opinion of an authoritative professor

Alexander Glazunov Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov ( – 21 March 1936) was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 and was instrumental i ...

, who found the criticisms unfounded. Yet Jurjāns had obtained a letter from

Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...

which apparently supported his biting criticism. Having received this strong moral blow, Dārziņš decided to destroy all his orchestral works. The well known "Melanholiskais valsis (Melancholy waltz)" was restored after his death. At the end of the same year, Dārziņš started work on opera "Rožainās dienas", which, however, was left unfinished. The composer died on August 31, 1910, in an accident the causes of which are still the subject of controversy. It is believed that he committed suicide by falling under a train. The Emīls Dārziņš Music School is named after him.

External links

Article in ''Latvian Education Informatization System''
(in Latvian)
Article in ''Jauniešu enciklopēdija "Baltija"''
(in Latvian) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Darzins, Emils 1875 births 1910 suicides People from Cēsis Municipality People from Cēsis county Latvian composers Latvian conductors (music) Latvian male conductors (music) Latvian music critics Suicides by train Suicides in the Russian Empire 1910 deaths Musicians from the Russian Empire Moscow Conservatory alumni