Mārtiņš Brauns (17 September 1951 – 24 November 2021) was a Latvian composer and musician. He composed multiple pieces, most notable of which is '' Saule, Pērkons, Daugava'', a choir song regularly performed at the

Latvian Song and Dance Festival The Latvian Song and Dance Festival () is one of the largest amateur choral and dancing events in the world, and an important event in Latvians, Latvian culture and social life. As one of the Baltic song festivals, it is also a part of the UNES ...

Career

Brauns studied at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School from 1958 to 1970, studying piano and

choir 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 ...

, before moving on to study conducting and

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

after his voice started changing. He then studied at the

Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music (), formerly the Riga Conservatory, is a higher music conservatory in Riga, Latvia. The junior institute is the Emīls Dārziņš Music School. History The Latvian Conservatory of Music was founded in ...

between 1970 and 1976. From 1975 to 1986, he led the rock band . From 1986 and until his death, Brauns was a member of the Latvian Filmmakers Union and has composed music for various films. In addition to film scores, Brauns wrote and composed multiple pieces for various theatre plays. His most famous piece, written in the late 1980's for the Valmiera Drama Theatre, titled '' Saule, Pērkons, Daugava'', of which the lyrics are based on the poem ''Daugava'' by Latvian poet

Rainis Jānis Pliekšāns (11 September 1865 – 11 September 1929), known by his pseudonym Rainis, was a Latvian Poetry, poet, playwright, Translation, translator, and politics, politician. Rainis' works include the classic plays ''Uguns un nakts'' ('' ...

; this song has been performed regularly at the

since 1990, and is even considered the unofficial anthem of the festival. In 2014, an adapted version of the song with lyrics by Catalan poet

Miquel Martí i Pol Miquel Martí i Pol (; 19 March 1929 – 11 November 2003) was one of the most popular and widely-read Catalan language, Catalan poets of the twentieth century, publishing more than 1,500 poems. Biography At the age of 14, Martí i Pol starte ...

became the official anthem of the

Catalan independence movement The Catalan independence movement (; ; ) is a Social movement, social and political movement with roots in Catalan nationalism that seeks the independence of Catalonia from Spain. While proposals, organizations and individuals advocating for Ca ...

Death

Brauns was recovering from a heart attack at a hospital when he contracted

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. He died on 24 November 2021, at the age of 70.

Awards

In 2001, Brauns received an award from the for his "bright creative contribution to the enrichment of Latvian culture" in his work with his album ''Sapnis par Rīgu''. The album also won a

Grawemeyer Award The Grawemeyer Awards () are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology. The religion awa ...

in a world music competition for works composed between 2001 and 2004. On 3 May 2018, Brauns was made Officer of the

Order of the Three Stars Order of the Three Stars () is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to Latvia. It was established in 1924 in remembrance of the founding of Latvia. Its motto is ''Per aspera ad astra'', meaning "Through hardships towards the ...

, the highest civilian order in Latvia. In 2019, Brauns received the ''

Golden Microphone The Golden Microphone () was a music contest annually held between 1965 and 1968 in Turkey. It was organized by the newspaper ''Hürriyet ''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is a major List of newspapers in Turkey, Turkish newspaper, founded in 1948. ...

Lifetime Contribution Award'' for his work to enhance Latvian culture.

References

External links

Biography
at the Latvian Music Information Centre (in English) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brauns, Martins 1951 births 2021 deaths Latvian composers Latvian Academy of Music alumni Musicians from Riga Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia