Helen Tobias-Duesberg (11 June 1919 – 4 February 2010) was an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

composer.

Life

Helen Tobias was born in

Suure-Jaani Suure-Jaani is a town in the northern part of the county of Viljandimaa in Põhja-Sakala rural municipality, 25 kilometres north of the town of Viljandi. Until 2017, Suure-Jaani was the administrative centre of Suure-Jaani rural municipality. ...

on 11 June 1919. Tobias was the youngest daughter of Estonian composer,

Rudolf Tobias Rudolf Tobias ( – 29 October 1918) was the first Estonian professional composer, as well as a professional organist. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. His compositions include among others piano works, string quartets and an ...

, born seven months after his death. She studied

music composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called c ...

at the Tallinn Conservatoire, which is now known as the

Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre The Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (''Eesti Muusika- ja Teatriakadeemia'') began as a mixed choir of the Estonia Society Musical Department (EMD) on the eve of World War I. The assembly of the Estonia Society created the Tallinn Higher Musi ...

, under

Artur Kapp Artur Kapp (28 February 1878 – 14 January 1952) was an Estonian composer. Born in Suure-Jaani, Estonia, then part of the Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire, he was the son of Joosep Kapp, who was also a classically trained musician. K ...

and

Heino Eller Heino Eller (7 March 1887 – 16 June 1970) was an Estonian composer and pedagogue, known as the founder of contemporary Estonian symphonic music. Life Eller was born in Tartu, where he took private lessons in violin and music theory, played i ...

. She graduated from the Conservatoire as an

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

in 1943. She later studied at the Berlin University of Music as well. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, she met her future husband, William Duesberg, a journalist who was repeatedly imprisoned for writing stories critical of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

. Shortly after the war, Duesberg died of a heart attack in a Stuttgart courtroom while preparing to testify against several

Nazi war criminals The following is a list of people who were formally indicted for committing war crimes on behalf of the Axis powers during World War II, including those who were acquitted or never received judgment. It does not include people who may have commi ...

. Tobias-Duesberg moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

from Estonia, which was then part of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, in 1951. She began composing music and performing at several churches in New York City. She composed chamber, vocal and symphonic pieces, the most famous of which may be ''Requiem'', which was composed for

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

mixed choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

and soloists. During the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

, she played the organ at Friendship Baptist Church in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

when the Rev.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

served as a guest preacher. Meanwhile, she composed violin and cello sonatas, string quartets, song cycles, concertos, and a wide range of choral works. Her compositions have been performed on major concert stages in the U.S., Canada, and Europe as well as the

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

, Ravinia and

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

festivals. During a cultural backlash against classical music in the 1960s and 1970s, American conductor Leonard Bernstein described Tobias-Duesberg as a female composer who "dares to be original and musical at the same time, while all the men run around writing intellectual cacophony." Helen Tobias-Duesberg died in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later t ...

, on 4 February 2010, aged 90.

Selected works

;Orchestral * ''Ballaade orkestrile'' (Ballade on Estonian and Carelian Folktunes) for orchestra ;Concertante * ''Concert Piece'' for cello and chamber orchestra ;Chamber music * ''Koraal-prelüüdid'' for violin, cello and piano * Sextet for brass * Sonata for violin and piano * ''Sonata in G'' for cello and piano * String Quartet No. 2 * Trio for violin, flute and piano * ''Trio in C'' for violin, viola (or cello) and piano ;Piano * ''Classical Suite'' * ''Parafraas eesti rahvalaulude viisidele'' (Prelude on Estonian Folksongs) * 4 Preludes ;Vocal * ''Sa tulid nagu päikene'' for voice and piano ;Choral * ''Missa brevis'' for mixed chorus and keyboard accompaniment * ''Psalm 102'' for mixed chorus and organ * ''Requiem'' for female chorus and keyboard accompaniment * ''Vaimulik õhtu-muusika'' (Sacred Evening Service) for mixed chorus, baritone, soprano and organ

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tobias-Duesberg, Helen 1919 births 2010 deaths People from Suure-Jaani American women classical composers American classical composers Estonian emigrants to the United States American organists 20th-century organists 20th-century classical composers 21st-century American composers 21st-century classical composers 20th-century Estonian composers Women organists 20th-century American women musicians 20th-century American composers Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni 21st-century American women musicians 20th-century women composers 21st-century women composers