EMILIE MAYER - GERMANY
BORN 14 MAY
Emilie Luise Friderica Mayer was a German composer of Romantic music. Emilie Mayer began her serious compositional study relatively late in
life, yet she was a very prolific composer, producing some 8 symphonies
and at least 15 concert overtures, plus numerous chamber works and
lieder. She was the Associate Director of the Opera Academy in Berlin.
In 1847, after the premiere of her first two symphonies (C minor and E
minor) by the Stettin Instrumental Society, she moved to Berlin to
continue her compositional studies. Once in Berlin, she studied fugue
and double counterpoint with Adolph Bernhard Marx, and instrumentation with Wilhelm Wieprecht
.
She began publishing her works (e.g. lieder and chants, op. 5-7 in 1848) and performing in private concerts. Then on April 21, 1850, Wieprecht led his "Euterpe" orchestra in a concert at the Royal Theatre exclusively presenting compositions by Emilie Mayer. With critical and popular acclaim, she continued composing works for public performance. She traveled to attend performances of her works, including to Cologne, Munich, Lyon, Brussels and Vienna.
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She began publishing her works (e.g. lieder and chants, op. 5-7 in 1848) and performing in private concerts. Then on April 21, 1850, Wieprecht led his "Euterpe" orchestra in a concert at the Royal Theatre exclusively presenting compositions by Emilie Mayer. With critical and popular acclaim, she continued composing works for public performance. She traveled to attend performances of her works, including to Cologne, Munich, Lyon, Brussels and Vienna.
Emilie Mayer was initially influenced by the Vienna classic style, whilst her later works were more Romantic. Mayer's harmonies are characterised by sudden shifts in tonality
and the frequent use of seventh chords, with the diminished seventh
allowing Mayer to reach a variety of resolutions. One defining
characteristic of Mayer's music is a tendency to set up a tonal centre
with a dominant seventh, but not resolving to the tonic immediately;
sometimes, resolution is skipped altogether.
Her rhythms are often very complex, with several layers interacting at once.
Her rhythms are often very complex, with several layers interacting at once.
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LŪCIJA GARŪTA - LATVIA
BORN 14 MAY
Lūcija Garūta was a Latvian pianist, poet and composer. Lūcija was born in Riga. From in 1919 to 1925, she studied at the Latvian Conservatory with professor Jāzeps Vītols for piano and others including Jānis Mediņš, Jēkabs Mediņš and Jēkabs Kārkliņš. During her studies she was the pianist répétiteur at the Latvian National Opera.
After graduation, she worked at Riga Radio from 1925 to 1926. In 1926 she took a position teaching music theory and piano at the Jāzepa Mediņa School of Music. In 1926 she also continued her studies with Alfred Cortot, Isidor Philipp and Paul Le Flem, and in 1928 she studied composition with Paul Dukas at the Paris Ecole Normale de Musique. In 1926 she made her debut in Paris, and afterwards became active as a composer, holding concerts with singers Milda Brehmane-Štengele, Ādolfs Kaktiņs and Mariss Vētra, violinist Rūdolfs Miķelsons and cellist Atis Teihmanis. In 1939 she served on the Latvian music promotion association's board of directors. In the 1920s and 1930s, Lūcija Garūta was one of the most active pianists both as a soloist as well as accompanist, performing in Riga and in all of Latvia. Overall, Garūta performed with more than 100 musicians in chamber music concerts.
In 1940 Garūta took a position teaching composition and music theory at the Latvian Conservatory, where she was elected to professor in 1960. Illness ended her performing career, but she continued to teach.
♫ LISTEN
The Prayer by Lūcija Garūta
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