Composers You Should Know: Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt, Estonian Composer
BORN: September 11, 1935RAISED: Paide, estoniaArvo Pärt stands as one of the most influential and revered composers of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, renowned for his innovative "tintinnabuli" style, which marries profound simplicity with spiritual depth. His music, often rooted in sacred traditions, transcends temporal and cultural boundaries, resonating deeply with both performers and listeners alike. For classically trained musicians and composers, Pärt's work offers a masterclass in balancing technical precision with emotional resonance, redefining the possibilities of minimalism in classical music.
Youth & Early Adulthood
Arvo Pärt began learning the piano when he was a child. Due to his piano at home having a broken middle register, Pärt began to experiment with the low and high registers instead, and thus began his journey beyond traditional music. After completing his mandatory military service, where he played in an army band, he studied composition at the Tallinn Conservatory with Heino Eller, a hugely influential composer in contemporary Estonian symphony music.
Composers Veljo Tormis (left) and Arvo Pärt (right) in 1958 in Käsmu, Estonia. Photo by Lea Tormis.
Pärt with his Soviet-era composition instructor, Heino Eller (around 1960). Photo Credit: International Arvo Pärt Centre.
Music Career
Life in Estonia:Arvo Pärt’s career was filled with adversity. He was born in Estonia which, between 1940 and 1991, was a part of the Soviet Union. This presented challenges for his musical expression. Pärt’s desire to create his own unique musical identity lead to clashes between him and the Soviet Union authorities. Many of Pärt’s works were banned as it was believed that they went against the Soviet Union’s culture of socialist realism.
Pärt also faced issues due to his music’s openly religious nature, leading to works such as Credo being banned by the atheistic Soviet Union. On top of this, Soviet Union restrictions limited Pärt’s access to western music; however, through underground networks, he still managed to engage with it while living in Estonia until eventually he emigrated to Vienna in 1980, at which point he had the freedom to connect with the full international music community.
Arvo Pärt composed children’s songs between 1956 and 1970, while working for as a sound engineer in the Estonian Radio.
Arvo Pärt with a sculpture depicting him in his childhood in Rakvere.
Personal Influences:Arvo Pärt’s music was heavily influenced by many factors in his life, the most significant of which was his Christian faith, which inspired works such as Credo (1968) and Te Deum (1984). Another focus in Pärt’s music was minimalism. He experimented with serialism and the twelve tone technique in his music which ultimately led to his signature style. He spent a vast amount of time studying Medieval and Renaissance music, as well as the Gregorian chant, ideas from which he then incorporated into his own works. This led to the creation of his own musical technique, known as Tintinnabuli which he invented in the 1970’s, a technique which features in Für Alina, Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, Fratres, Spiegel Im Spiegel and many of his other works.
At a rehearsal for the 1977 world premiere of ‘‘Tabula Rasa,’’ in Tallinn, Estonia. Photo Credit: International Arvo Pärt Centre.
Pärt at a rehearsal in 1978. Photo Credit: International Arvo Pärt Centre.
Photo credit: Gareth McConnell for The New York Times.
Major Works
Most Famous Work
Spiegel Im Spiegel (1978)
Reminiscent of the ascending three-note arpeggios in the first movement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel (1978) has become one of his most famous works, heard often in film and television.
– LA Philharmonic via LAPhil.com
Most Important Album
Arvo Pärt: Tabula Rasa (1984)
A minimalist composition for two violins, prepared piano, and string orchestra. Premiered in 1977, it is known for its meditative, contemplative nature and the use of Pärt's "tintinnabuli" style.
Present-Day Influence
Over his life so far, Pärt has produced numerous choral, orchestral and chamber works, as well as music for films and plays. His music even features in modern film and tv such as The Place Beyond the Pines, There Will Be Blood and Ted Lasso. His influence is clear to see, as Pärt was the most performed living composer from 2011–2018, and again in 2022.
Photo Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Arvo Pärt, Tõnu Kaljuste and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir at the Carnegie Hall in New York in 2014. Photo Credit: Eleri Ever.
Arvo Pärt in 2024. Photo Credit: Birgit Püve.
Watch, Listen, Learn:
Arvo Pärt: Texts and Contexts 2021To celebrate the composer’s 85th birthday, the Arvo Pärt Centre and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre held an international research conference dedicated to Arvo Pärt’s work and the cultural context surrounding it.
PART 1: Arvo Pärt – texts and contexts. 15 October 2021.
PART 2: Arvo Pärt – texts and contexts. 16 October 2021.
Learn More:
Arvo Pärt: a visual retrospective via Estonian World
Arvo Pärt Biography via Arvo Pärt Centre
A Reflection on Arvo Pärt’s “Kanon Pokajanen” via Orthodox Arts Journal
Arvo Pärt, the Sound of Spirit by Arthur Lubow via The New York Times
Arvo Pärt on Spotify
