Kapp, Artur (EN)

Kapp Artur, *28 February 1878 Suure-Jaani, †14 January 1952 Suure-Jaani, Estonian composer, organist, conductor, and teacher. He graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory (1898 – organ with L. Homilius, 1900 – composition with N. Rimsky-Korsakov and A. Lyadov). From 1898, he was an organist in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Finland and Estonia. In 1904–20, he was a director and teacher at the music school in Astrakhan, organiser of symphony and chamber concerts and conductor. In 1920–24 he was the conductor of the orchestra of the “Estonia” theatre in Tallinn, where in 1920-43, he taught composition (from 1925 as a professor) at the conservatory. He organised professional musical life in Estonia. He educated an entire generation of Estonian composers; contributed mainly to the development of Estonian symphonic and chamber music; and introduced Estonian folklore to concert stages (Suite No. 1 and No. 2). Artur Kapp’s works, of an epic nature, mostly inspired by folklore, show the influence of Tchaikovsky. Artur Kapp’s outstanding work is the oratorio Job.

Literatura: P. Anton Artur Kapp, Tallinn 1968.