Raimonds Pauls facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raimonds Pauls
Raimonds Pauls in August 2010
Born	Ojārs Raimonds Pauls (1936-01-12) 12 January 1936 (age 89) Rīga, Latvia
Education	Secondary Musical School of E. Darziņš
Alma mater	Latvian State Conservatory
Occupation	Composer, pianist
Years active	1956-
Notable work	Million Roses (1982)
Title	People's Artist of the USSR (1985)
Awards	Order of the Three Stars (Latvia, Grand Officer, Commander) Order of the Polar Star (Sweden, Knight 1st Class) Order of Honour (Russia) Cross of Recognition (Latvia) Order of Honour (Armenia) Order of the Rising Sun (Japan)

Ojārs Raimonds Pauls (born January 12, 1936) is a famous Latvian composer and pianist. He is well-known in the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe. He also served as the Minister of Culture for Latvia from 1988 to 1993.

Many popular singers have performed his songs. These include Alla Pugacheva, Valery Leontyev, Laima Vaikule, and Jaak Joala.

Raimonds Pauls: His Life Story

Raimonds Pauls was the second child born to his parents. His father, Voldemārs Pauls, worked at a glass blowing factory. His mother, Alma Matilde Brodele, was a seamstress. Sadly, Raimonds' older brother, Gunārs Voldemārs, passed away when he was only four months old.

Raimonds' father played the drums, and his grandfather played the violin. Because of this, his father wanted Raimonds to learn an instrument too. Raimonds first tried the violin at a music kindergarten in Riga. However, his teachers thought his fingers were too small for the violin. So, he began taking piano lessons instead.

In 1943, Raimonds started school at Riga's 7th Elementary school. At the same time, he continued his piano lessons with different teachers. When he was 14, Raimonds started playing piano in restaurants and clubs. He played with a talented musician named Gunārs Kušķis. During this time, he also taught himself to play jazz music. He learned by listening to and copying jazz records.

Major Awards and Honors

Raimonds Pauls has received many important awards for his music.

• August 1967 – Honored as a "Celebrated Servant of Art."
• June 1976 – Named "Artist of the People's Theatre of LSSR."
• January 1985 – Became "Artist of the People's Theatre of USSR."
• November 1992 – Became an honorary member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.
• 1994 – Won the Big Musical Award for his work.
• April 1995 – Received the Order of the Three Stars (3rd class). This is a high honor for his service to Latvia.
• October 2008 – Awarded the Cross of Recognition.
• 2013 – Received the Order of Honour (Armenia).
• 2020 – Awarded the Order of the Rising Sun 3rd Class from Japan.

Raimonds Pauls' Musical Creations

Musicals

Raimonds Pauls has composed music for several musicals. These are like plays with songs.

• Pāri, kas dabonas (Lovers Who Get It) (1976)
• Māsa Kerija (Sister Carrie) (1978)
• Nāc pie puikām (Come to the Boys) (1982)
• Vella būšana (A Matter of the Devil) (1987)
• Meža gulbji (Forest Swans) (1995)
• Leģenda par Zaļo Jumpravu (The Legend of the Green Maiden) (2000)

Ballets

He has also written music for ballets, which are dance performances.

• Kubas melodijas (Melodies of Cuba) (1963)
• Ritmi, ritmi (Rhythms, Rhythms) (1979)
• Vitrāžas (Stained Glass Panels) (1979)

Theatre Music

Raimonds Pauls has created music for over 30 theatre plays.

• Īsa pamācība mīlēšanā (A Short Instruction in Love)
• Atjautīgā aukle (The Ingenious Nanny)
• Šerloks Holmss (Sherlock Holmes)
• Brands (Brand)
• Džons Neilands (John Neiland)
• Elizabete – Anglijas karaliene (Elizabeth – Queen of England)
• Grāfs Monte Kristo (The Count of Monte Cristo)
• Dāmu paradīze (Paradise of Ladies)
• Melanholiskais valsis (The Melancholic Waltz)

He also wrote music for puppet shows:

• Runčuks Punčuks (The Belly Tomcat)
• Velniņi (The Two Imps)
• Ceturtais skriemelis (The Fourth Vertebra)

Film Scores

Pauls has composed music for more than 30 movies.

• The Devil's Servants
• The Devil's Servants at the Devil's Mill (Vella kalpi Vella dzirnavās)
• Tauriņdeja (The Butterfly Dance)
• Melnā vēža spīlēs (In the Pincers of the Black Lobster)
• Double Trap (Dubultslazds)
• Dāvana vientuļai sievietei (A Present for a Lonely Woman)
• My Frivolous Friend (Mans draugs – nenopietns cilvēks)
• Theater (Teātris)
• A Limousine the Colour of Midsummer's Eve
• The Mills of Fate (Likteņdzirnas)
• the Long Road in the Dunes series.

Choir Music

He has written many pieces for choirs.

• Three songs for choir and piano (1972)
• Ten folk song arrangements for boys' choir (1980)
• Song cycle with lyrics by Aspazija for boys' choir (1980)
• Baltās dziesmas (The White Songs) for boys' choir (1981)
• Song cycle for choir and piano (1984)
• Vītola stabules dziesmas (Songs of a Willow Pipe) cycle for boys' choir (1984)
• Mazs, laimīgs zēns (A Small and Happy Boy) – ten songs for boys' choir (1985)
• Cycle Pērļu zvejnieks (Pearl Hunter) for boys’ choir and tenor (1986)

Light Music Songs

Raimonds Pauls has created many popular song cycles.

• Vecās Rīgas vitrāžas (The Stained Glass Panels of the Old Rīga) (1971)
• Five songs with lyrics by D. Avotiņa (1972)
• Oriental motifs (1982)
• City romance (1983)
• Melnais kliedziens (The Black Cry) (1985)
• Cycle with lyrics by Rainis (1985)

Jazz Music

He is also known for his jazz compositions.

• Portreti (Portraits) suite (1962)
• A Rhapsody for piano and light music orchestra (1964)
• Iespaidi (Impressions) suite (1965)
• Dienvidu akvareļi suite (The Water-Colours of the South) (1965)
• Kalnu skices (Mountain Sketches) (1966)
• Five improvisations based on Latvian folk songs (1967)
• Melnās krāsas (Black Colours) suite (1967)
• Jazz expressions (1970) and other works

Instrumental Music

Pauls has composed around 300 instrumental pieces. These include versions of songs, folk song arrangements, and classical music adaptations. He has released over 90 albums of his music.

He has also written about 70 songs specifically for children.

Popular Songs by Raimonds Pauls

Many of Raimonds Pauls' songs became very popular.

• "Dāvāja Māriņa" by Aija Kukule (known in Russian as "Million Roses" by Alla Pugacheva)
• "Starinnie chasi" by Alla Pugacheva
• "Maestro" by Alla Pugacheva
• "Bez menya" by Alla Pugacheva
• "Pesnya na bis" by Alla Pugacheva
• "Vozvrashenie" by Alla Pugacheva
• "Delu vremya" by Alla Pugacheva
• "Zeleni svet" by Valery Leontiev
• "Ischezli Solnechnie Dni" by Valery Leontiev
• "Kabare" by Valery Leontiev
• "Verooko" by Valery Leontiev
• "Zatmenie serdca" by Valery Leontiev
• "Muse" by Valery Leontiev
• "Gody Stranstviy" by Valery Leontiev
• "Posle Prazdnika" by Valery Leontiev
• "Polybite Pianista" by Valery Leontiev or Andrei Mironov
• "Dazhe Esli Ti Uydesh'" by Valery Leontiev
• "Tri minuti" by Valery Leontiev
• "Vernisazh" by Valery Leontiev and Laima Vaikule
• "Yescho ne vecher" by Laima Vaikule
• "Listja zholtyje" by Laima Vaikule
• "Scripach na krishe" by Laima Vaikule
• "Charli" by Laima Vaikule
• "O chem igraet pianist" by Laima Vaikule
• "Podberu muziku" by Jaak Joala
• "Ya tebya risuyu" by Jaak Joala
• "Zilie lini" by Margarita Vilcāne and Ojārs Grīnbergs (known in Russian as "Siniy len" by Larisa Mondrus)
• "Lubov Nastala" by Roza Rymbayeva
• "Tanez na barabane" by Nikolai Gnatyk
• "The Dog Rose" ("Mežrozīte") by Ojārs Grīnbergs
• "Say, where is this Land" ("Teic, kur zeme tā") by Margarita Vilcāne, Nora Bumbiere, Ojārs Grīnbergs and Viktors Lapčenoks
• "In the Lantern Hour" ("Laternu stundā") by Nora Bumbiere
• "To my Fatherland" ("Manai dzimtenei") by Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks

Albums Released

Here are some of Raimonds Pauls' albums:

• "To You, My Good One" ("Tev, mana labā") (1969)
• "Only the Amber" ("Tik dzintars vien") (1970)
• "Say, where is this Land" ("Teic, kur zeme tā") (1971)
• "Courland" ("Kurzeme") (1972)
• "Voice of the Sea" ("Jūras balss") (1974)
• "Don't forge Me in the Ring" ("Nekal mani gredzenā") (1975)
• "In the Lantern Hour" ("Laternu stundā") (1976)
• Dialogue, with Valery Leontiev (1984)
• Velvet season, with Valery Leontiev (1986).

Raimonds Pauls in Politics

Raimonds Pauls was also involved in politics. He was a member of the Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR. He served as the Minister of Culture in the Latvian government from 1988 to 1993. After that, in 1993, he became an advisor to the President of Latvia.

In 1998, he was elected as a Member of the Saeima, which is the Latvian parliament. He first led a group called the New Party. Later, he joined the People's Party and was elected again in 2002 and 2006. In 1999, he ran for president and received many votes, but not enough to win. He decided not to take the position.

After Latvia became independent again, Pauls continued his music career. He worked with Dzeguzīte, a very popular children's music group in Latvia. In 1996, he went on a concert tour with singer Laima Vaikule. They performed in cities like Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and New York City.

His Musical Legacy

As of 2004, Raimonds Pauls had composed music for six musical films and theaters. He also created music for three ballets and over 50 movies and theater performances. His music has been released on CDs in many countries, including Russia, Finland, and Japan. In 2006, he released a double album of jazz music. This album, called My Favourite Melodies/So Many Stars, was a long-awaited return to jazz for the pianist.

See Also

In Spanish: Raimonds Pauls para niños