Erna Tauro facts for kids
Erna Tauro (born Pergament) was a talented Finnish-Swedish pianist and composer. She was born in Viipuri on August 16, 1916, and passed away in Stockholm on June 4, 1993. She is most famous for writing music for the beloved Moomin stories.
Her Life and Music
Erna Tauro was born in Viipuri. Her parents were Isak and Rifka Pergament. She also had two famous composer uncles, Moses Pergament and Simon Parmet. When she was young, her family moved to Berlin in 1921. Later, they moved to Helsinki, Finland.
Erna studied piano and music theory in Berlin. She also studied music in Finland at the Sibelius Academy. During World War II, she worked as a nurse. She was also an accompanist, which means she played the piano for singers or other musicians.
From 1955 to 1969, Erna was the main pianist at the Little Theater in Helsinki. She wrote music for many plays and musicals there.
Winning Songs
Erna Tauro was very good at writing songs. In 1965, her song "Höstvisa" (which means "Autumn Song") won third prize in a Finnish song contest. The famous writer Tove Jansson wrote the words for this song.
In the same year, Erna won second place with another song. This one was called "Den gamla brudkläderskan" ("The Old Bridal Wife"). Huldén Evert wrote the words for that song.
Moving to Stockholm
In 1969, Erna Tauro became the music director for the musical Fiddler on the Roof in Stockholm. She moved to Stockholm permanently in 1977. She was married to Risto Ilmari Tauro, and they had a daughter born in 1945. Erna Tauro passed away in Stockholm in 1993.
Music for Moomin
Erna Tauro is best known for her music for the Moomin stories. These are popular children's books written by Tove Jansson. The Moomin stories were turned into plays and animated shows. Erna wrote many songs for these Moomin plays.
After Tove Jansson and Erna Tauro passed away, another composer named Mika Pohjola finished the music for the last Moomin play, King Moomin Valley. This play first opened in August 2008.
Her Musical Works
Here are some of the musical works Erna Tauro created:
- Kahdeksikko, a musical
- Oli kevät, a musical
- Guldbröllop, a musical
- Moomin behind the scenes, songs for a play
- Höstvisa (Autumn Song)
- Den gamla brudkläderskan (The Old Bridal Wife)
- Troll i kulisserna
