	Home Megi Ester 1922 - 2021 (99) QUOTES
	Ester Mägi (1922 - 2021) was an Estonian composer, considered by many as the First Lady of Estonian Music. She is known for composing chamber music and choral works - which have been part of the Estonian song repertoire for years. She was born on January 10, 1922 in Tallinn and had a brother and a sister. Her father was a craftsman who did well enough to buy a piano for her older sister who started piano lessons. Ester played the piano alone for years, following her sister's repertoire. At the age of 16 she acquired a piano teacher and in 1938, enrolled at the Tallinn Conservatory (now called the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater). She managed to continue her studies during the Second World War,. however in 1945, she began to have problems with her hands and after a recommendation from her teacher she turned to composition studies. She was admitted to the composition department of the Tallinn Conservatory and continued her postgraduate studies at the Moscow Conservatory until 1954. When she started as a young composer in the 1950s, her works followed the rules of national romanticism. During the 1960s, her music was more influenced by folk songs, her works began to be based on short themes, borrowed or inspired by Estonian folk melodies. Since the late 1960s, her compositions have been enriched with modernist features - polytonicity, colorful harmony and enthusiastic rhythm. Outside Estonia, her works were first presented in the 1960s in Latvia, Lithuania and Russia. Since Estonia gained its independence in 1991, her works have been performed in many ohter countries. She died on May 14, 2021

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Megi Ester 1922 - 2021 (99)

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Ester Mägi (1922 - 2021) was an Estonian composer, considered by many as the First Lady of Estonian Music. She is known for composing chamber music and choral works - which have been part of the Estonian song repertoire for years.

She was born on January 10, 1922 in Tallinn and had a brother and a sister. Her father was a craftsman who did well enough to buy a piano for her older sister who started piano lessons. Ester played the piano alone for years, following her sister's repertoire. At the age of 16 she acquired a piano teacher and in 1938, enrolled at the Tallinn Conservatory (now called the Estonian Academy of Music and Theater). She managed to continue her studies during the Second World War,. however in 1945, she began to have problems with her hands and after a recommendation from her teacher she turned to composition studies. She was admitted to the composition department of the Tallinn Conservatory and continued her postgraduate studies at the Moscow Conservatory until 1954.

When she started as a young composer in the 1950s, her works followed the rules of national romanticism. During the 1960s, her music was more influenced by folk songs, her works began to be based on short themes, borrowed or inspired by Estonian folk melodies. Since the late 1960s, her compositions have been enriched with modernist features - polytonicity, colorful harmony and enthusiastic rhythm.

Outside Estonia, her works were first presented in the 1960s in Latvia, Lithuania and Russia. Since Estonia gained its independence in 1991, her works have been performed in many ohter countries.

She died on May 14, 2021