Lūcija Garūta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lūcija Garūta
Born	(1902-05-14)14 May 1902 Riga, Russian Empire (now  Latvia)
Died	15 February 1977(1977-02-15) (aged 74) Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
Nationality	Latvian
Education	Latvian State Conservatory, Ecole Normale de musique
Known for	Music
Notable work	Dievs, Tava zeme deg! (God, your land is burning!)

Lūcija Garūta was a talented Latvian musician. She was a pianist, a poet, and a composer. Lūcija was born in Riga on May 14, 1902. She passed away in the same city on February 15, 1977. She is best known for her powerful musical work, a cantata called Dievs, Tava zeme deg! (which means God, your land is burning!). She wrote this important piece in 1943.

Early Life and Music Studies

Lūcija Garūta grew up in Riga, where her father worked as an accountant. She loved music from a young age. From 1919 to 1925, she studied at the Latvian State Conservatory. There, she learned piano from the famous professor Jāzeps Vītols. She also studied with other great teachers like Jānis Mediņš. While she was still a student, Lūcija worked as a pianist at the Latvian National Opera. This gave her valuable experience.

Becoming a Professional Musician

After finishing her studies, Lūcija worked at Riga Radio for a year. In 1926, she started teaching music theory and piano. She taught at the Jāzeps Mediņš School of Music [lv]. Lūcija also continued her own learning. She traveled to Paris, France, to study with famous musicians. She learned piano from Alfred Cortot and Isidor Philipp. She also studied composition with Paul Dukas at the École Normale de Musique.

In 1926, Lūcija Garūta performed for the first time in Paris. After that, she became a very active composer and performer. She gave many concerts with talented singers and instrumentalists. She was one of the busiest pianists in Latvia during the 1920s and 1930s. She performed as a solo artist and also played alongside more than 100 other musicians.

Teaching and Later Years

In 1940, Lūcija Garūta began teaching at the Latvian Conservatory. She became a professor there in 1960. Sadly, an illness in the late 1940s stopped her from performing concerts. However, she continued to teach music.

Lūcija Garūta passed away in 1977. She was buried in the 1st Riga Forest Cemetery. To honor her memory, a competition for young pianists is held in Latvia every two years. It is called the International Young Pianists Competition of Lūcija Garūta.

God, Your Land Is Burning!

Lūcija Garūta's most famous work is her 1943 cantata Dievs, Tava zeme deg! (which means God, your land is burning!). This powerful piece is a very important part of Latvian music history. It is even included in the Latvian Cultural Canon. The words for the cantata were written by Andrejs Eglītis [lv]. He wrote them for a special contest about "A Latvian prayer to God."

A Song of Hope During Wartime

Lūcija Garūta wrote this musical piece during World War II. At that time, Germany had occupied Latvia. The cantata was first performed on March 15, 1944. Lūcija herself played the organ during this premiere. It took place at the St. Gertrude Old Church in Riga. People say that a recording of this performance even captured the sounds of battle happening outside the Riga Dome Cathedral. Many choirs sang together, led by Teodors Reiters [lv]. The work was performed more than ten times before the Soviet Union took control of Latvia again in late 1944.

Bringing the Music Back

When the Soviet Union occupied Latvia, the cantata was banned. People thought all the recordings were destroyed. But in 1980, a Latvian composer named Longins Apkalns found parts of the original 1944 recording. He used these pieces from the German Radio Archives to restore the cantata.

Thanks to his efforts, Dievs, Tava zeme deg! was performed again. This happened on May 8, 1982, in Stockholm, Sweden. It was the first time the piece had been heard since World War II. After this, the work became well-known among Latvians living outside their home country.

During the Singing Revolution in the late 1980s, the ban on the cantata was lifted. In 1990, after 46 years of silence, it was performed publicly in Latvia again. This happened at the final concert of the 20th Latvian Song Festival. More than ten thousand singers took part! Since then, Lūcija Garūta's famous work has been performed in Latvia and in other countries like Japan and Germany.

Selected Works

Here are some of Lūcija Garūta's important musical pieces:

• Dievs, tava zeme deg! (1943) for solo singers, a choir, and organ
• Piano Concerto in F sharp minor (1952)
• Prelude for piano in C sharp minor
• Prelude for piano in E Major
• Andante Tranquillo, a piano trio in B

Her music has also been released on CDs:

• Latvian Patriotic Cantatas, Audio CD (May 18, 1999), Riga Recording, ASIN: B00000J8QK
• Dievs, Tava zeme deg! (January 1, 2003) Baltic Records Group, ASIN: B000QZX3VM

Images for kids

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  Lūcija Garūta