Eduard Tubin

Eduard Tubin (June 18, 1905 - November 17, 1982) was an Estonian composer and conductor.


Life
Born in Torila near Kallaste, Estonia. Both his parents were music lovers, and his father played trumpet and trombone in the village band. His first taste of music came at school where he learned flute and balalaika. Later, his father swapped a cow for a piano, and the young Eduard soon became known in the village for his playing. Tubin was also somewhat accomplished as a violinist, and wrote two concerti and numerous chamber works for the instrument.

Tubin entered the Tartu Teacher's College in the newly independent Estonia in 1920. It was here he began to take an interest in composition. He married a fellow student, Linda Pern, in 1930 and their Rein was born in 1932. He took up work conducting in the 'Vanemuine' theatre. During this time he conducted and made several trips abroad, on one occasion meeting Zoltán Kodály, who encouraged his interest in folk songs.

After the Soviet Union invaded Estonia in 1944, Tubin fled to Stockholm, where he remained for the rest of his life, although he did return to Estonia on occasions. He was forced to take up whatever work came his way, although due to the large numbers of Estonian emigrants in Sweden this often meant conducting choirs made up of Estonians. After a while Tubin moved to a suburb of Stockholm where he could devote himself entirely to composition. Here he wrote some of his greatest works, including much music for the choirs and symphonies 6-10. Towards the end of his life, Tubin slowly began to gain recognition, particularly after the conductor Neeme Järvi, also an Estonian, moved to the USA in 1980. In the last year of his life his Tenth Symphony was performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra ([1]), and he received several awards from Swedish music organisations. He became ill in 1982 and remained in hospital until his death on November 17.


Style
Tubin was influenced by Estonian folk music in his earlier works, including a Sinfonietta on Estonian motifs. In 1938 Tubin had visited the Estonian island of Hiiumaa to collect folk songs. Tubin was also a very good orchestrator, and this can be heard particularly in the Third and Fourth symphonies.

A change took place in Tubin's style around the time of the sixth symphony; the music became harmonically more astringent. The finale of the seventh symphony makes much use of a theme with all twelve notes, though it is tonal. The shift to a less nationalistic and more international and angst-filled style came after Tubin had fled Estonia to Sweden when the country was occupied by the Soviet Union.

Tubin is perhaps not better known because of his displacement. Although Estonia claims him as one of their greatest composers, during his lifetime most of his composing was done in Sweden, which never gave him the attention he was due. Nowerdays, Tubin is gaining recognition, and the Fourth and Eighth Symphonies, and the Second Piano Sonata, are recognised as masterpieces. Many of his works have been recorded (there are two complete recorded sets of his symphonies, conducted by Neeme Järvi and Arvo Volmer) and in June 2005 the city of Tallinn observed the centennial of his birth with a festival where all of his symphonies and much of his piano and chamber music was performed.


Important Works

Symphonies
Symphony No. 1 in C minor 1931-34
Symphony No. 2 in B minor 'Legendary' 1937
Symphony No. 3 in D minor 'Heroic' 1940-42 (rev. 1968)
Symphony No. 4 in A 'Lyrical' 1943 (rev. 1978)
Symphony No. 5 in B minor 1946
Symphony No. 6 1953-54 (rev. 1956)
Symphony No. 7 1955-58
Symphony No. 8 1965-66
Symphony No. 9 'Sinfonia semplice' 1969
Symphony No. 10 1973
Symphony No. 11 (incomplete)

Concerti
Violin concerto No. 1 in D major 1941-42
Violin concerto No. 2 in G minor 1945
Double bass concerto 1948
Balalaika concerto 1963-64
Concertino for piano 1944-45

Orchestral
Music for Strings 1962-63
Sinfonietta on Estonian Motifs 1930-31
Toccata 1937
Prelude Solennel 1940

Choral and opera
Requiem for Fallen Soldiers
Inauguration Cantata for baritone, reciter, chorus and orchestra 1958
The Parson of Reigi
Barbara von Tisenhusen

Chamber
Piano Sonata No.1 1928
Piano Sonata No. 2 'Northern Lights' 1950
Violin Sonata No.1 1934-36 (rev. 1968-69)
Capriccio No.1 for Violin and Piano 1937 (rev.1971)
Viola Sonata 1964-65
Alto Saxophone Sonata 1951