Heino Eller (b Tartu, 7 March 1887; d Tallinn, 16 Jun 1970).
Composer and professor of composition. He spent his childhood in Tartu where he took private lessons in violin and music theory, played in several ensembles and orchestras, and performed as violin soloist. In 1907 he entered the St Petersburg Conservatory to study violin. From 1908 to 1911 he was a law student. In 1920 he graduated from Petrograd Conservatory where he studied composition with V. Kalafi, M. Steinberg and M. Chernoff.

From 1920 to 1940 Eller was a professor of music theory and composition at the Tartu Higher Music School. He formed so-called Tartu school of composition where such composers as Eduard Tubin, Eduard Oja, Olav Roots, Alfred Karindi, Johannes Bleive as well as a theorist Karl Leichter sprang from. Since 1940 he held a professorial chair in composition at Tallinn Conservatory where his students were Villem Kapp, Kaljo Raid, Boris Kõrver, Anatoli Garshnek, Leo Normet, Valter Ojakäär, Uno Naissoo, Arne Oit, Jaan Rääts, Heino Jürisalu, Arvo Pärt, Alo Põldmäe and Lepo Sumera. He teached there until his death.

Eller was a legendary composition teacher. The school he formed in Tartu counterbalanced to so-called Tallinn school headed by Artur Kapp. Eller’s pedagogical talent is versatile. The list of his pupils offers the best proof of it - each of them have created distinguished original style.

First of all Eller wrote instrumental music. His symphonic works, especially Koit [Dawn] and Videvik [Twilight] break new ground for Estonian symphonic music. His musical language contains a lot of national traits (key words to his music can be ‘northern’ and ‘fresh’), but his mind was opened for influences of impressionism, expressionism and other movements in 20th century European music. All of his works are finely elaborated. He also had acute perception of timbre.

At the end of the 20th century Eller is one of the most frequently played Estonian authors in the world. Especially his Kodumaine viis [Tune Of Homeland] for strings is often performed abroad, lately as a part of the longer cycle Viis pala keelpilliorkestrile [Five Pieces for String Orchestra]. In 1998 the cycle was performed in Japan and Australia. The great propagandist of Eller’s music has been conductor Neeme Järvi.

Thanks for that Leonald, good stuff. I will create the page when I have time.
It would be nice if you could record more of him (always a bit sad having a composer with only one recording )

Definitely I will record at least 2 more pieces composed by Heino Eller: one of those is "The Bells". Would it be good to send even the notes of these pieces in PDF-format? To be honest I do not know how the issue of the copyright has been regulated?

Just for Piano Society's safety I would put a disclaimer by the recording for US-based listeners. I believe that copyrights are in effect for a certain amount of years after the artist's death. Though I could be wrong.

A disclaimer like:

"By downloading and listening to this recording you are fully aware of your country's copyright laws and by downloading this recording you are fully entitled to obey the laws where present and by no means is the PianoSociety website or adminstrators liable for your acts. "


Something like that

Nice idea, and good that you are thinking along with us. However:

This assumes the improbable scenario that the law would descend on some poor downloading soder, that person pointing to us as the source of trouble, and then us blithely saying "Hey, we're not responsible, we warned him !" and walking away smelling like roses.

Should copyright become a legal issue at all, it is the hosting site who takes the blame, not the people who download it. Those are impossible to trace and can't anyway be expected to be aware of laws like this. Everything that can be downloaded, will be.

It depends on: a) When the work was composed b) When the sheet was published. Do you know? If it was before 1938, there is no problem as the server resides in Sweden.

The piece of Heino Eller " Tune of Homeland" ("Domestic Song") is composed in 1918, the note I am using is published in 70-ties. We could put up the recording of the piece, but no note , I assume. I will check, when his famous piano piece "The Bells " is dated.

Leonald

I am about to put up the recording but I am not sure if Domestic Song is a part of a set of compositions. Can you help out Leonald?