Jānis Cimze
Encyclopedia
Jānis Cimze was a Latvian pedagogue, collector and harmoniser of folk songs, organist
, founder of Latvian choral music and initiator of professional Latvian music. He is buried at the Lugaži Cemetery.
and the theory of music. His music professor was Ludwig Christian Erk, a collector, harmoniser, publisher and researcher of German folk songs.
and Adolph Diesterweg
and all education was conducted in German.
During his forty-two years of work at the Teachers' Seminary Cimze educated more than four hundred students who subsequently became Latvian and Estonian teachers. Being a teacher in the 19th century meant being also an educator, a musician, a literary and public figure. In the second half of the 19th century teachers organised choirs and worked with them and cultural societies.
performance. His collection of songs for choirs "Dziesmu rota" (A Garland of Songs) was published in eight parts in 1872—84. This first ever professional collection of songs for choirs in Latvia formed the foundation of Latvian choir culture. Parts II (1872), III (1874), IV (1875) and VII (1884) of "Dziesmu rota", which go under the title of "Lauku puķes" (Wild Flowers), are the first collections of Latvian folk songs arrangements and represent a number of folk song genres: songs of seasons and family customs, work songs, farewell songs of recruits and conscripts, songs of orphans as well as songs for games and lullabies.
Jānis Cimze was the first prominent Latvian figure in music, whose example inspired extensive collection, publishing, arrangement and research of folk music. It fostered the development of the choir-singing movement and the creation of new original compositions.
Thanks to the activities of Cimze and his students , the first All-Estonian
(1869) and All-Latvian
(1873) Song Festivals were held. Cimze was among those who conceived the idea of the event, while his student and associate Indriķis Zīle was one of the chief conductors at the Song Festival. The programme of the Song Festival included several arrangements of folk songs by Cimze and his brother Dāvid. Cimze's German sentiments surfaced as he compared the three brothers making the dowry-chest for their sister in the song "Rīga dimd
" (Riga resounds) to the German nobility, the Lutheran Church and the German Riga. For this he was severely criticised by Atis Kronvalds
.
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, founder of Latvian choral music and initiator of professional Latvian music. He is buried at the Lugaži Cemetery.
Early life
Jānis Cimze was born at the Cimze Manor in the family of a manor overseer. His initial education came from Rauna Parish School where he also learned to play the organ. From the age of sixteen he worked as a private tutor; later he was a teacher at Valmiera Parish School and an organist.Education
In 1836 Cimze went to Germany to study at Weissenfels Teachers' Seminary which he finished in 1838. This was were he learned to play the violin and piano and improved his skills as an organist. In 1838—39 he was an external student at Berlin University where he attended lectures on mathematics, didacticsDidactics
A didactic method is a teaching method that follows a consistent scientific approach or educational style to engage the student’s mind.The didactic method of instruction is often contrasted with dialectics and the Socratic method; the term can also be used to refer to a specific didactic method,...
and the theory of music. His music professor was Ludwig Christian Erk, a collector, harmoniser, publisher and researcher of German folk songs.
Vidzeme Teachers' Seminary
Upon returning from Germany, from 1839 and to the end of his life, Cimze headed Vidzeme Teachers' Seminary where he taught future teachers the conducting of choirs and harmonisation of folk songs. Cimze followed the principles of Johann PestalozziJohann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi was a Swiss pedagogue and educational reformer who exemplified Romanticism in his approach....
and Adolph Diesterweg
Adolph Diesterweg
Friedrich Adolph Wilhelm Diesterweg was a German educator and thinker who, also a progressive liberal politician, campaigned for the secularization of schools, and is said to be precursory to the reform of pedagogy.-Biography:Educated at Herborn and Tübingen universities 1808-1811, he took to the...
and all education was conducted in German.
During his forty-two years of work at the Teachers' Seminary Cimze educated more than four hundred students who subsequently became Latvian and Estonian teachers. Being a teacher in the 19th century meant being also an educator, a musician, a literary and public figure. In the second half of the 19th century teachers organised choirs and worked with them and cultural societies.
Musical legacy
Jānis Cimze promoted the development of Latvian choral singing and the cultivation of a cappellaA cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
performance. His collection of songs for choirs "Dziesmu rota" (A Garland of Songs) was published in eight parts in 1872—84. This first ever professional collection of songs for choirs in Latvia formed the foundation of Latvian choir culture. Parts II (1872), III (1874), IV (1875) and VII (1884) of "Dziesmu rota", which go under the title of "Lauku puķes" (Wild Flowers), are the first collections of Latvian folk songs arrangements and represent a number of folk song genres: songs of seasons and family customs, work songs, farewell songs of recruits and conscripts, songs of orphans as well as songs for games and lullabies.
Jānis Cimze was the first prominent Latvian figure in music, whose example inspired extensive collection, publishing, arrangement and research of folk music. It fostered the development of the choir-singing movement and the creation of new original compositions.
Thanks to the activities of Cimze and his students , the first All-Estonian
Estonian Song Festival
The Estonian Song Festival is one of the largest amateur choral events in the world, a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity...
(1869) and All-Latvian
Latvian Song and Dance Festival
The Latvian Song and Dance Festival is an important event in Latvian culture and social life. The All-Latvian Song and Dance Festival has been held since 1873, normally every five years. During the festivals exhibitions of photography, art and folk craft, orchestra concerts, and a festive parade...
(1873) Song Festivals were held. Cimze was among those who conceived the idea of the event, while his student and associate Indriķis Zīle was one of the chief conductors at the Song Festival. The programme of the Song Festival included several arrangements of folk songs by Cimze and his brother Dāvid. Cimze's German sentiments surfaced as he compared the three brothers making the dowry-chest for their sister in the song "Rīga dimd
Rīga dimd
Rīga dimd is the title of a traditional Latvian folk song that is best known as a musical composition by Jānis Cimze. Cimze's first composition of the song is from 1872, and the composition was performed 1873 at the I All-Latvian Singing Festival by a male choir.- Lyrics :- External links :*...
" (Riga resounds) to the German nobility, the Lutheran Church and the German Riga. For this he was severely criticised by Atis Kronvalds
Atis Kronvalds
Atis Kronvalds or Kronvaldu Atis was Latvian writer, linguist and pedagogue.-Early life:Kronvalds was born to a tailor family, but was raised by priests of Durbe. After studies in Liepāja he became a private teacher. In 1860 he started to study medicine at the University of Berlin; however, he...
.