Ester Mägi (10 January 1922 – 14 May 2021) was an Estonian composer, widely regarded as the First Lady of Estonian Music.

Biography

Her compositional output is substantial and represents all genres, from chamber and vocal music to choral and highly regarded symphonic works. She trained initially under

Mart Saar Mart Saar ( in Hüpassaare – 28 October 1963) was an Estonian composer, organist and collector of folk songs. Childhood Saar was born at the small borough of Hüpassaare (now in Karjasoo, Suure-Jaani Parish), Kreis Fellin in the Livonian ...

at the

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju '' ...

Conservatory, then from 1951 to 1954 at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

under

Vissarion Shebalin Vissarion Yakovlevich Shebalin (russian: Виссарио́н Я́ковлевич Шебали́н; 29 May 1963) was a Soviet composer. Biography Shebalin was born in Omsk, where his parents were school teachers. He studied in the musical colle ...

. Amongst her best-known works are her Piano Sonata (1949), Piano Trio in F minor (1950), Piano Concerto (1953), Violin Concerto (1958), Symphony (1968), Variations for Piano, Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra (1972), ''Bukoolika'' for orchestra (1983) and ''Vesper'' for violin and piano/organ (1990, arranged for strings in 1998). Much of her work has been inspired by

Estonian folk music The recorded history of music in Estonia dates back as far as the 12th century. History The earliest mentioning of Estonian singing and dancing dates back to Saxo Grammaticus' ''Gesta Danorum'' (c. 1179). Saxo speaks of Estonian warriors who s ...

. Mägi died in May 2021 at the age of 99.Suri helilooja Ester Mägi
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References

External links

Bio of Ester Mägi by Urve Lippus on the Toccata Classics website

CD release of Mägi's orchestral music

Ester Mägi at the Estonian Music Information Centre

Ester Mägi (1922) (Music Export Estonia)

* 1922 births 2021 deaths 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Soviet composers Women classical composers Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 5th Class Musicians from Tallinn Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni Moscow Conservatory alumni 20th-century Estonian musicians 20th-century Estonian composers 20th-century women composers 21st-century women composers {{estonia-composer-stub