Ottniell Jürissaar (27 March 1924 – 7 September 2014) was an Estonian poet, composer, and conductor.

Early life and education

Ottniell Jürissaar was born in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

. His father, Johannes Jürissaar, was an inventor and small-scale industrialist. His mother Silvi (née Juhainen) was Finnish. He attended primary school in Elva, graduating in 1938. In 1943, he graduated from

Hugo Treffner Gymnasium Hugo Treffner Gymnasium (; abbreviated as HTG) is a secondary school in Tartu, Estonia with special emphasis on science education. Founded by Hugo Treffner, it was the only large secondary school in 19th-century Estonia with predominantly Estonia ...

. He briefly studied singing at the

Tallinn Conservatory 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 instruction of Ott Raukas and was a candidate for the composition class of

Heino Eller Heino Eller (7 March 188716 June 1970) was an Estonian composer and pedagogue, known as the founder of contemporary Estonian symphonic music. Life and career Eller was born in Tartu on 7 March 1887, where he took private lessons in violin and ...

before World War II interrupted his studies.

Career and imprisonment

In 1943, Jürissaar, along with some forty classmates volunteered as soldiers of the

Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 Infantry Regiment 200 (, ) or soomepoisid (''Finnish Boys'') was a unit in the Finnish army during World War II made up mostly of Estonian volunteers, who preferred to fight against the Soviet Union in the ranks of the Finnish army instead of th ...

. After the war, he became part of the

Forest Brothers The guerrilla war in the Baltic states was an insurgency waged by Baltic states, Baltic (Latvian partisans, Latvian, Lithuanian partisans, Lithuanian and Estonian partisans, Estonian) partisans against the Soviet Union from 1944 to 1956. Known ...

anti-Soviet partisan group. He was captured and sentenced to five to ten years forced labor at a prison camp in

Mordovia Mordovia ( ),; Moksha language, Moksha and officially the Republic of Mordovia,; ; is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, situated in Eastern Europe. Its capital city, capital is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of S ...

. He was released in 1954. Ottniell Jürissaar wrote about 300 songs and instrumental pieces during his imprisonment and exile, including two

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

s. From 1960 to 1971, Jürissaar worked as a teacher in Russian schools in

Kohtla-Järve Kohtla-Järve () is a city and Municipalities of Estonia, municipality in northeastern Estonia, founded in 1924 and incorporated as a town in 1946. The city is highly industrial, and is both a processor of oil shales and is a large producer of ...

. He conducted the mixed choir 'Heli' and the female choir 'Kaja'. Jürissaar then moved From Kohtla-Järve to

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

. In the early 1990s, he led the Tallinn Association ensemble 'Memento'. Jürissaar wrote a number of poetry collections and memoirs, including about the Forest Brother period and his experiences in the prison camps. His stories and poetry have also been translated into Finnish and English. He has also written several children's books.

Personal life and death

Ottniell Jürissaar was a member of the

Estonian Reform Party The Estonian Reform Party () is a liberal political party in Estonia. The party has been led by Kristen Michal since 2024. It is colloquially known as the "Squirrel Party" () or as "the Squirrels" (), referencing its logo. It was founded in ...

from 2013 until his death in 2014. He was buried at Tallinn's Forest Cemetery.

Awards

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star (; ) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state. Design Classes The Order of the White Star ...

, Medal Class (2000)

Books

* ''Alleaa-Kallermaa'', published 1990, Illustrated by Asta Vender * ''Kaduviku sillal: kirjutatud metsas, vanglas, laagris'' (''On the Bridge of Disappearance: Written in the Forest, Prison, and Camp''), published 1990, compiled and edited by Urve Hermann, designed by A. Ilo * ''Kevadetüdrukud'' (''Spring Girls''), published 1993, design and illustrations by Aarne Mesikäpp * ''Rännulugusid ja vemmalvärsse'' (''Travel Stories and Doggerel Verses''), published 1991, designed by Aarne Mesikäpp * ''Sada sonetti'' (''One Hundred Sonnets''), published 1992, designs and illustrations by Aarne Mesikäpp * ''Suupillilugu'' (''A Harmonica Story''), published 2000, illustrations by Heli Kase

Selected sheet music

* ''Laule trellide ja okastraadi tagant'' (''Songs Behind Bars and Barbed Wire''), 1989 * ''Metsavennalaulud'' (''Forest Brotherhood Songs''), 1990 * ''Noorusmälestusi Soomest: 20 akordionipala'' (''Youth Memories of Finland: 20 Accordion Pieces''), 1991

References

External links

Youtube Channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jurissaar, Ottniell 1924 births 2014 deaths Estonian male poets 20th-century Estonian poets 20th-century Estonian composers Estonian choral conductors Estonian male songwriters Estonian children's writers Hugo Treffner Gymnasium alumni Estonian volunteers in the Continuation War Soviet dissidents Estonian Gulag detainees Estonian prisoners and detainees Estonian people of Finnish descent Recipients of the Order of the White Star, Medal Class Burials at Metsakalmistu Musicians from Tartu Writers from Tartu