Ādolfs Ābele

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Ādolfs Ābele (born January 24, 1889 in Blome, Smiltene, today Latvia; † August 2, 1967 in Kalamazoo , Kalamazoo County , Michigan , USA ) was a Latvian organist, pianist, conductor, composer and music teacher.

Live and act

Ādolfs Ābele grew up in a family of teachers. His parents were Ata or Otto Ābele and Anna Ābele. He received his basic musical education from his father and attended school in Cēsis . In 1907 he went to Riga and took private piano and music lessons from Emīls Dārziņš . From 1909 he studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory , initially organ with Louis Homilius and Jacques Handschin . He graduated in 1914. He completed his composition studies with Jāzeps Vītols and graduated from it in 1915.

During the First World War , Ābele was Kapellmeister in the 4th Latvian Rifle Regiment. He was in German captivity for nine months. In 1918 and 1919 he worked as a répétiteur at the Latvian National Opera in Riga . In 1919 he served in the Latvian Army in the so-called Balodis Brigade .

From 1920 he was organist, conductor and first director of the National People's Conservatory in Liepāja . From 1924 to 1944 he taught at the Latvian Conservatory in Riga, where he was dean of the composition and organ department and became professor from 1937. One of his students was Talivaldis Kenins . He also taught the military band masters at the Conservatory. From 1927 to 1944 he led the mixed choir of the Dziesmuvara Student Union at the Latvian University . Under Ābeles direction, the choir became one of the leading Latvian choirs of its time. Ābele went on concert tours with the choir to Estonia , Lithuania , Finland , Denmark , Norway and Sweden . At VII. VIII. And IX. Latvian Choir Festival he was elected chief conductor. His compositions were performed by the Riga Radio Orchestra.

In 1944 Ābele first emigrated to Germany. Esslingen was the location of the largest refugee shelter for Latvians in Germany . Six thousand to seven thousand Latvians lived here. There were Latvian schools, choirs and also a theater group. Ādolfs Ābele worked as a choir director and was involved in the organization of what was then the largest Latvian singing festival outside Latvia in 1947, where he also served as chief conductor. 25 choirs with around 1000 singers took part. In 1948 he was also chief conductor at a song festival in Fischbach.

In 1949 Ābele went to the USA. He initially worked as an organist in Allegan, Allegan County , Michigan. In 1951 he moved to Kalamazoo, where he directed a Latvian choir in addition to his organist activities. In 1953 he was conductor at the first Latvian song festival in the USA in Chicago . His composition Ak tad [Oh so] was performed here. At the second Latvian Choir Festival in 1958 he was chief conductor.

Ābele lived in Kalamazoo until his death in 1967 and was buried there in Riverside Cemetery .

Works (selection)

Works for orchestra

  • Lāčplēša kaps [The grave of Lāčplēsis ]: Instrumentation: two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, a tube, timpani, percussion and strings. The four-minute play was published in 1936 by Universal Edition in Vienna.
  • Latvijas kalnājos, Latvijas lejās , Rhapsody
  • Leģenda [legend]
  • Meditācija [meditation]
  • Vīzija [vision], symphonic poem
  • Stāsts [story] for violin and symphony orchestra

Works for organ

  • Saulīt 'Tecēj' Tecēdama . Recorded by Aivars Kalējs in Riga Cathedral on: Selected Latvian Organ Works, Remix, 1994.
  • Fugue
  • Lūgšana [prayer]

Abele wrote about twenty little organ pieces and chorales.

Works for choir

  • Himna Latvijai [Hymn to Latvia]. Text: Aspazija
  • Kristus Dzimšanas Dienā [On the day of the birth of Christ]. Text: Artūrs Kaugars. Recorded by the Youth Choir Balsis under the direction of Ints Teterovskis in the Riga Music School. Pusnakti Voices At Midnight , Sony DADC Austria, AIIT002A, 2000
  • Lai Jāj Tautas Šorudien. Text: Arvīds Norītis
  • Lūgšana [prayer] Text: Visvaldis Sanders. Recorded by the Youth Choir Balsis under the direction of Ints Teterovskis in St. John's Church (Riga) . Red | SARKANS, Sony DADC Austria AIIT 003, 2010
  • 11 tautas dziesmas jauktam korim [eleven folk songs for mixed choir]. Published by the Latvian Student Union Dziesmuvara, USA , 1963
  • Kora dziesmas [choral music] a cappella. Published by Dziesmuvara , Riga, 1999

Songs

  • Tur zilā, dzidrā tālē , 1914

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Ābele, Ādolfs. Latvijas Mūzikas Informācijas Centrs, accessed July 13, 2017 (Latvian).
  2. ↑ a b c Imants Sakss: ĀDOLFS ĀBELE . In: Jaunā Gaita . No. 39 , 1962 (Latvian, jaunagaita.net ).
  3. ↑ a b Pirms 125 gadiem dzimis diriģents un komponists Ādolfs Ābele :: irLiepāja. January 24, 2014, accessed October 10, 2017 (Latvian).
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Ābele, Ādolfs. Musica baltica Ltd., accessed October 10, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Letonika.lv. Enciklopēdijas - Mūzikas literatūras tēmas. Vītols Jāzeps. Retrieved October 11, 2017 .
  6. ↑ Talivaldis Kenins: Profilic composer exiled from Latvia in the Second . In: The Independent . February 11, 2008 ( independent.co.uk [accessed October 11, 2017]).
  7. ↑ The Latvians are coming - the Latvian Singing Festival in Esslingen | Germany representation of the Latvia Investment and Economic Development Agency / LIAA . In: Germany representation of the Investment and Economic Development Agency Latvia / LIAA . June 2, 2017 ( lettinvest.de [accessed October 10, 2017]).
  8. ↑ Esslingen 2017, history. LATVIEŠU KULTŪRAS BIEDRĪBA SAIME, accessed October 10, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Udo Bongartz: Latvian Singing Festival 70 in Esslingen. Retrieved October 10, 2017 .
  10. ^ First Latvian Song Festival in America. Center for Baltic Heritage, accessed October 10, 2017 .
  11. ^ Adolfs Abele (1889-1967) - Find A Grave Memorial. Retrieved August 19, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Lāčplēša Kaps = The grave of the hero Lahtschplehsis = Le tombeau du héros Lahtschplehsis. 1936, Retrieved October 10, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Latviešu Ērgelmūzikas Izlase = Selected Latvian organ works. 1994, accessed October 11, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Andrei Streliaev: Latvian Organ Music: A Performer's Guide and Bibliography . Ed .: Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. Toronto 2012, p. 117 (English, utoronto.ca [PDF]).
  15. ↑ Imants Sakss: Ādolfs Ābele (1889-1967). In: Jaunā Gaita No. 172 April 1989, accessed October 10, 2017 (Latvian).
personal data
SURNAME Ābele, Ādolfs
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Latvian organist, pianist, conductor, composer and music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH January 24, 1889
PLACE OF BIRTH Blome, Smiltene, today Latvia
DATE OF DEATH 2nd August 1967
Place of death Kalamazoo , Kalamazoo County , Michigan , USA