Lūcija Garūta

Lūcija Garūta (born 14 May 1902, Riga, Russian Empire – died 15 February 1977, Riga, Latvian SSR)^[1] was a Latvian pianist, poet and composer who studied with Jāzeps Vītols and worked as a concert pianist. She turned to composing when illness ended her performing career.

A tape of the premiere of her cantata God, Your Earth Is Burning (1943) during World War II captured the sounds of battle outside of Riga Dom.^[2] The premiere featured massed choirs conducted by Teodors Reiters while the composer played the Doma ērģeles pipe organ. The cantata was banned under Soviet control of Latvia and was revived in 1990 at the 20th Latvian Song Festival with over ten thousand singers.^[3]

Works

Selected works include:

God, Your Earth Is Burning (1943) for soloists, chorus and organ
Piano Concerto (1952)
Prelude for piano in C sharp minor
Prelude for piano in E Major
Andante Tranquillo', piano trio in B

Her works have been recorded and issued on media, including:

Latvian Patriotic Cantatas, Audio CD (May 18, 1999), Riga Recording, ASIN: B00000J8QK
Dievs, tava zeme deg! (January 1, 2003) Baltic Records Group, ASIN: B000QZX3VM

References

^ Rožkalne, Anita; LU literatūras, folkloras un mākslas institūts (2003) (in Latvian). Latviešu rakstniecība biogrāfijās.. Riga: Zinātne. ISBN 9984-698-48-3. OCLC 54799673.
^ Strimple, Nick (2005). Choral Music in the Twentieth Century.
^ "Latvian Patriotic Cantatas". http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/mar02/latvian_Patriot.htm#ixzz180b67xua. Retrieved 13 December 2010.

Persondata
Name	Garuta, Lucija
Alternative names
Short description	Composer
Date of birth	14 May 1902
Place of birth	Riga, Latvia
Date of death	15 February 1977
Place of death	Riga, Latvia