Lūcija Garūta (14 May 1902 – 15 February 1977) was a Latvian pianist, poet and composer. She is mostly known for composing the

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...

''Dievs, Tava zeme deg!'' in 1943.

Life and career

Lūcija Garūta was born in

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

(at the time

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

) in the family of an accountant. From 1919 to 1925, she studied at the Latvian Conservatory with professor

Jāzeps Vītols Jāzeps Vītols (; 26 July 1863 – 24 April 1948) was a Latvian composer, pedagogue and music critic. He is considered one of the fathers of Latvian classical music. Biography Vītols, born in Valmiera the son of a schoolteacher, began hi ...

for piano and others including

Jānis Mediņš Jānis Mediņš (October 9, 1890 – March 4, 1966) was a Latvian composer. Life He was born in Riga. He was a vital force in musical life during the short-lived first independent Latvian republic (1918—40). He almost singlehandly established ...

, and . During her studies she was the pianist répétiteur at the

Latvian National Opera The Latvian National Opera and Ballet (LNOB) is an opera house and opera company at Aspazijas boulevard 3 in Riga. Its repertoire includes performances of opera and ballet presented during the season which lasts from mid-September to the end of ...

. After graduation, she worked at Riga Radio from 1925 to 1926. In 1926 she took a position teaching music theory and piano at the . In 1926 she also continued her studies with

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot ( , ; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his po ...

Isidor Philipp Isidor Edmond Philipp (first name sometimes spelled Isidore) (2 September 1863 – 20 February 1958) was a French pianist, composer, and pedagogue of Jewish Hungarian descent. He was born in Budapest and died in Paris. Biography Isidor Philipp ...

and

Paul Le Flem Marie-Paul Achille Auguste Le Flem (18 March 1881 – 31 July 1984) was a French composer and music critic. Biography Born in Radon, Orne, of Breton parentage, son of Célestin Louis Joseph Marie Le Flem and wife Gabrielle Marie Dorenlo, and liv ...

, and in 1928 she studied composition with

Paul Dukas Paul Abraham Dukas ( 1 October 1865 – 17 May 1935) was a French composer, critic, scholar and teacher. A studious man of retiring personality, he was intensely self-critical, having abandoned and destroyed many of his compositions. His best-k ...

at the Paris

École Normale de Musique École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

. In 1926 she made her debut in

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, and afterwards became active as a composer, holding concerts with singers , and Mariss Vētra, violinist Rūdolfs Miķelsons and cellist Atis Teihmanis. In 1939 she served on the Latvian music promotion association's board of directors. In the 1920s and 1930s, Lūcija Garūta was one of the most active pianists both as a soloist as well as accompanist, performing in Riga and in all of Latvia. Overall, Garūta performed with more than 100 musicians in chamber music concerts. In 1940, shortly before the Soviet occupation of Latvia took place, Garūta took a position teaching composition and music theory at the

Latvian Conservatory Latvian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Latvia **Latvians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to what is modern-day Latvia and the immediate geographical region **Latvian language, also referred to as Lettish **Latvian cuisine **Latvi ...

, where she was elected to professor in 1960. Illness ended her performing career in the late 1940s, but she continued to teach. Lūcija Garūta died in 1977 in Riga (at the time

Latvian SSR The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Also known as the Latvian SSR, or Latvia) was a Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1941, and then from 1944 until 1990. The Soviet occupation of the Bal ...

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) and was buried at the 1st Riga Forest Cemetery. Since 2002, the bi-annual International Young Pianists Competition of Lūcija Garūta has been held in Latvia in her memory.

''God, your land is burning!''

Garūta's 1943 cantata ''Dievs, Tava zeme deg!'' (''God, your land is burning!'') is a part of the musical category of the Latvian Cultural Canon, recognized as one of the most important Latvian musical pieces of all time. The lyrics were written by for a contest themed "A Latvian prayer to God". The musical piece was written during the German occupation of Latvia during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A tape of its premiere on 15 March 1944 with Garūta playing the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, although recorded at the St. Gertrude Old Church in Riga, is said to have captured the sounds of battle that were heard outside of the Riga Dome Cathedral. The premiere featured massed choirs conducted by while the composer played the

Riga Cathedral pipe organ Dome Pipe Organ (), the second largest pipe organ in Latvia, is located in Riga Cathedral. The largest mechanical pipe organ in Latvia is located in Liepāja Holy Trinity Cathedral. History The first known Riga Cathedral organ was the larges ...

. Until the return of Soviet rule in late 1944, the work was performed more than ten times at the St. Gertrude Old Church and the of

Liepāja Liepāja () (formerly: Libau) is a Administrative divisions of Latvia, state city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest city in the Courland region and the third-largest in the country after Riga and Daugavpils. It is an ...

. The cantata was banned under the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

occupation of Latvia and the recordings were considered destroyed. Despite this, in 1980, Latvian exile composer Longins Apkalns restored the original recording of 1944 by using fragments from the German Radio Archives and thus ''Dievs, Tava zeme deg!'' was once again played on May 8, 1982 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

for the first time since WWII, after which the work became well known among the Latvian exile diaspora. During the

Singing Revolution The Singing Revolution was a series of events from 1987 to 1991 that led to the restoration of independence of the three Soviet-occupied Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania at the end of the Cold War. The term was coined by a ...

the piece was rehabilitated and in 1990, after a 46-year-long silence, it was once again performed publicly in Latvia at the final concert of the 20th

Latvian Song Festival The Latvian Song and Dance Festival () is one of the largest amateur choral and dancing events in the world, and an important event in Latvian culture and social life. As one of the Baltic song festivals, it is also a part of the UNESCO Mast ...

with over ten thousand singers. Since then, Garūta's work has been performed both domestically and abroad in Japan, Germany and other countries.

Works

Selected works include: *''Dievs, tava zeme deg!'' (1943) for soloists, chorus and organ *''Piano Concerto in F sharp minor'' (1952) *''Prelude for piano in C sharp minor'' *''Prelude for piano in E Major'' *''Andante Tranquillo', piano trio in B

Recordings

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 *''Lucija Garuta: Sacred Love'' songs Julija Vasilljeva, Maris Skuja Skani 2023

References

External links

* ms://ier-w.latvijasradio.lv/pppy?20090823C150000160000 Recording of ''Dievs, Tava zeme deg!'' premiere and short commentary {{DEFAULTSORT:Garuta, Lucija 1902 births 1977 deaths People from Riga People from Riga county 20th-century Latvian classical composers 20th-century women composers 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century organists Latvian classical pianists Latvian women classical pianists Latvian organists Latvian women classical composers Latvian music educators Latvian women music educators Latvian women organists École Normale de Musique de Paris alumni Academic staff of Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music Burials at Forest Cemetery, Riga Soviet pianists Soviet women pianists Soviet composers Soviet organists Latvian women composers