Heinrich Schultz
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Schultz is an Estonian cultural functionary, organizer of international jazz
festivals in Tallinn
, Estonia
, then part of the Soviet Union
.
He was born in Valga, Estonia
, son of a Baltic German
father and a Russian
mother.
During World War II
Heinrich Schultz served in the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps
of the Red Army
as a company clerk. He was awarded Order of Glory
, 3rd class (1947), Order of the Patriotic War
, 2nd class (1985) and several medals for his war efforts.
From 1961 to 1967, as head of the Cultural Department at the Tallinn Executive Committee of the Council of Workers’ Deputies (now Cultural Heritage Department at the Tallinn City Government), he also organized international jazz festivals, dance competitions and other cultural events. The largest and most acclaimed of them, Tallinn International Jazz Festival "Tallinn '67" took place in May 1967, featuring the renowned Charles Lloyd Quartet from the USA. In addition, jazz groups from Estonia, Latvia
, Lithuania
, Russia
, Ukraine
, Azerbaijan
, Georgia
, Sweden
(Arne Domnérus
' Sextet with Jan Johansson at the piano), Finland
and Poland
participated.
The event received considerable international and domestic media attention and frightened the then Soviet authorities to the extent that jazz festivals were prohibited as a perceived threat to the existing communist ideology. The ruling Communist Party
officials selected Heinrich Schultz as a scapegoat
for organising the festival and he was subsequently dismissed from his position as head of the Cultural Department.
In the decades to follow, Heinrich Schultz lived in anonymity, banned to take positions of authority. Since the time of perestroika
and Estonia's regained independence 1991, many media references have been made about his contribution to jazz festivals as unique cultural encounters between Soviet Union/Estonia and West
during the Cold War
period.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
festivals in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, then part of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
He was born in Valga, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, son of a Baltic German
Baltic German
The Baltic Germans were mostly ethnically German inhabitants of the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which today form the countries of Estonia and Latvia. The Baltic German population never made up more than 10% of the total. They formed the social, commercial, political and cultural élite in...
father and a Russian
History of Russians in Estonia
The population of Russians in Estonia is estimated at 345,000. Most Russians live in Estonia's capital city Tallinn and the major northeastern cities of Narva and Kohtla-Järve...
mother.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Heinrich Schultz served in the 8th Estonian Rifle Corps
8th Estonian Rifle Corps
The 8th 'Estonian' Rifle Corps was a formation in the Soviet Army, created on 6 November 1942, during World War II. The 8th 'Estonian' Rifle Corps 1st...
of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
as a company clerk. He was awarded Order of Glory
Order of Glory
Established on 8 November 1943, the Order of Glory was an Order of the Soviet Union. It was awarded to non-commissioned officers and rank-and-file of the armed forces, as well as junior lieutenants of the air force, for bravery in the face of the enemy.The Order of Glory, which was modelled...
, 3rd class (1947), Order of the Patriotic War
Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
, 2nd class (1985) and several medals for his war efforts.
From 1961 to 1967, as head of the Cultural Department at the Tallinn Executive Committee of the Council of Workers’ Deputies (now Cultural Heritage Department at the Tallinn City Government), he also organized international jazz festivals, dance competitions and other cultural events. The largest and most acclaimed of them, Tallinn International Jazz Festival "Tallinn '67" took place in May 1967, featuring the renowned Charles Lloyd Quartet from the USA. In addition, jazz groups from Estonia, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(Arne Domnérus
Arne Domnérus
Sven Arne Domnérus was a Swedish jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist, popularly nicknamed Dompan....
' Sextet with Jan Johansson at the piano), Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
participated.
The event received considerable international and domestic media attention and frightened the then Soviet authorities to the extent that jazz festivals were prohibited as a perceived threat to the existing communist ideology. The ruling Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
officials selected Heinrich Schultz as a scapegoat
Scapegoat
Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any party for unmerited negative treatment or blame. Scapegoating may be conducted by individuals against individuals , individuals against groups , groups against individuals , and groups against groups Scapegoating is the practice of singling out any...
for organising the festival and he was subsequently dismissed from his position as head of the Cultural Department.
In the decades to follow, Heinrich Schultz lived in anonymity, banned to take positions of authority. Since the time of perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
and Estonia's regained independence 1991, many media references have been made about his contribution to jazz festivals as unique cultural encounters between Soviet Union/Estonia and West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
period.
LP album
- Charles Lloyd in the Soviet UnionCharles Lloyd in the Soviet Union-Track listing:*Recorded on May 14, 1967 at Kalevi Sport Hall, Tallinn, Estonia, USSR-Personnel:*Charles Lloyd - tenor saxophone, flute*Keith Jarrett - piano*Ron McClure - bass*Jack DeJohnette - drums...
: Recorded at the Tallinn Jazz Festival. New York: Atlantic, 1970 (George AvakianGeorge AvakianGeorge Avakian is an American record producer and executive known particularly for his work with Columbia Records, and his production of albums by Miles Davis and other notable jazz musicians....
in his cover text refers to Henry Schults (=Heinrich Schultz) as festival chairman).
Documentary
- Eesti Kroonika [=Estonian Chronicle] No. 21, 1990 (a TallinnfilmTallinnfilmTallinnfilm is the oldest still functional film studio in Estonia. Originally founded as Estonian Culture Film in 1931, the studio was nationalized in 1940 after Estonia was forced into Soviet Union. During the first year of Soviet Occupation Eesti Kultuurfilm was taken over by the Communist Party...
movie studioMovie studioA movie studio is a term used to describe a major entertainment company or production company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to film movies...
newsreel where Heinrich Schultz recollects the international jazz festival in Tallinn, 1967). (In Estonian)
External links
- Ira Gitler. Charles Lloyd in Russia: Ovations and Frustrations, Down Beat, July 13, 1967, p. 15
- "Pühapäev: Lloyd vaimustas taaskord Eesti publikut" (In Estonian)
- Юрий Верменич. "Мои друзья - джазфэны" (In RussianRussian languageRussian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
)