Irma Jaunzem, also Jaunzeme (1897–1975) was a Latvian-Belarusian mezzo-soprano singer and educator. Initially performing with small ensembles, she soon began to specialize in Belarusian folk songs which she collected from her travels to villages throughout the country. She subsequently extended her research to the four corners 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, ...

. From the late 1920s until 1967, she performed as a soloist with the Moscow Philharmonic Society.

Biography

Born on 27 September 1897 in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, Irma Petrovna Jaunzem was the daughter of Pēteris Jaunzems (also Pyotr Jaunsem) and Evelina Martynovna who were both Latvians. After matriculating from high school, she studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory under the soprano Xenia Dorliak. She was also assisted by the Lavian composer Jāzeps Vītols when he became aware of her Latvian origins. He introduced her to the Latvian community's choral association which inspired her interest in Latvian folk music. She apparently did not complete her studies at the Conservatory. In 1917, she returned to Minsk for the summer holidays but as a result of the commotion caused by the Russian revolution, she was forced to earn a living by working with small musical groups performing in provincial theatres. After the hostilities ceased, she performed with two budding young musicians, the pianist

Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz; yi, וולאַדימיר סאַמוילאָוויטש האָראָוויץ, group=n (November 5, 1989)Schonberg, 1992 was a Russian-born American classical pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of al ...

and the violinist

Nathan Milstein Nathan Mironovich Milstein ( – December 21, 1992) was a Russian-born American virtuoso violinist. Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and ...

. It was then she embarked on visits to Belarusian villages where she discovered a wealth of folk songs, one of which was the popular ''Песня пастуха'' (The Song of the Shepherd). Thanks to her discoveries, she included Belaruian folk songs in her performances in the country's most prominent theatres, gaining the support of the Belarusian authorities and becoming a soloist with the Moscow Philharmonic Society in 1925. From the mid-1920s, Jaunzem toured more widely, performing in China, Korea and Japan as well as in the 1927 World Music Exhibition in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

. In the 1930s, encouraged by the Academy of Sciences work in Leningrad in support of folklore research, she undertook tours of Central Asia, documenting the local folk songs. Her repertoire ultimately included several thousand folk songs. During the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

, she performed for troops on the front. In the 1950s, she began work as an educator in the All Russian Variety Workshop and the Ippolitov-Ivanov School. Irma Jaunzem died on 17 April 1975 and is buried in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

Awards

In 1957, Jaunzem was awarded the

People’s Artist of the RSFSR People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchest ...

and in 1967 the

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaunzem, Irma 1897 births 1975 deaths Musicians from Minsk Soviet women singers Soviet sopranos 20th-century Belarusian women singers Soviet music educators Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Latvian women singers Mezzo-sopranos