Gustav Ernesaks was born on 12 December 1908 at Perila near Tallinn.
After graduating from the Tallinn Conservatoire in 1931 he worked for a
longer period as teacher of music and in 1944-72 as lecturer at the
Tallinn State Conservatoire (Professor since 1945). He conducted several
choirs and in 1944 called into existence the celebrated State Academic
Male Choir (RAM), serving as its chief conductor until 1975 and as its
artistic director up to the end of his days. Being one of the main
organizers and general conductor of all-Estonian choral music festivals
from 1947 to 1995, he made a significant contribution to the
preservation of the Estonian national spirit and identity in conditions
of Soviet ideological pressure. As a result he was often lovingly
referred to as Laulutaat, the Old Man of Song.
Gustav Ernesaks was also a prolific composer with nearly 300 choral
songs, solo pieces, songs for children, five operas and other works to
his credit. The choral song, My Fatherland you are my love, became the
unofficial anthem of the nation. Ernesaks's music is lyrical, melodious,
often with humorous turns, and relies largely on the Estonian musical
tradition.
Gustav Ernesaks was highly esteemed even in the Soviet period, as
confirmed by numerous prizes and honorary titles bestowed on him.
Gustav Ernesaks died on 24 January 1993 in Tallinn. Thank you for this cover, Heidi.
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