Helena Tulve facts for kids
Helena Tulve (born on April 28, 1972) is a talented Estonian composer. She creates unique and interesting music that focuses on the sounds themselves.
About Helena Tulve
Helena Tulve was born in Tartu, Estonia. She started studying music composition at the Tallinn Secondary Music School. Later, from 1989 to 1992, she studied at the Estonian Academy of Music with a famous composer named Erkki-Sven Tüür. She was actually his only composition student! In 1994, she finished her studies at the Conservatoire Superieur de Paris in France, earning a top award.
Her Musical Style
Helena Tulve is part of a newer group of Estonian composers. Unlike some older styles that focused a lot on rhythm, her music often explores the richness and quality of sounds, which is called "sonority." Imagine how a single note can have many different tiny sounds inside it – that's what she explores!
Her music shows influences from many different places and styles. These include the French school of "spectral music," which looks at the hidden parts of sounds. She also takes inspiration from experimental music, and even ancient Gregorian chant and music from Eastern cultures. Because she focuses so much on sound, her music often has a "fluid" form. This means it flows and changes like a process, rather than having a very strict, blocky structure.
Selected Works
Helena Tulve has composed many different pieces of music. Here are some of them:
- Reyah hadas ´ala for male voices and ancient music instruments (2005)
- Lendajad for amplified flutes (2005)
- lumineux/opaque new version for clarinet, cello, piano and 3 wine glasses (2004)
- chamber-opera It Is Getting So Dark (2003/04)
- ...il neige for harpsichord and kannel (2004)
- nec ros, nec pluvia... for string quartet (2004)
- effleurements, éclatements... for guitar and percussion (2003)
- abysses for flute and ensemble (2003)
- lijnen for soprano and ensemble (2003)
- delta soundscape for tape (2003)
- Vie secrète for chamber choir (2002)
- Valvaja for oboe solo (2002)
- Cendres for ensemble (2001)
- Traces for ensemble (2001)
- Vertige for piano (2000)
- Ithaque for female voice, violin and piano (2000)
- Sula (Thawing) for orchestra (1999)
- Passage secret for two clarinets (1999)
- Sans titre for harpsichord (1999)
- Sinine (Blue) for chamber ensemble (1998)
- Öö (Night) for saxophone quartet (1997)
- Sõnajalad (Ferns) for voice and piano (1994)
- Saar (Island) for violin and clarinet (1993)
- Exodus for chamber choir (1992/93)
- Lethe for chamber ensemble (1991)
- Phainomenon for piano, percussions and tape (1989/90)
Discography
Helena Tulve's music has been released on several albums:
- Lijnen (ECM Records, 2008)
- Arboles lloran por lluvia (ECM, 2014)
- Sula (Eesti Raadio, 2005)
