Arvo Pärt was born in Paide, Järva County, Estonia. His musical studies began in 1954 at the Tallinn Music Secondary School, interrupted less than a year later while he fulfilled his National Service obligation as oboist and side-drummer in an army band. He returned to Middle School for a year before joining the Tallinn Conservatory in 1957, where his composition teacher was Professor Heino Eller. Pärt started work as a recording engineer with Estonian Radio, wrote music for the stage and received numerous commissions for film scores so that, by the time he graduated from the Conservatory in 1963, he could already be considered a professional composer. A year before leaving, he won first prize in the All-Union Young Composers' Competition for a children's cantata, Our Garden, and an oratorio, Stride of the World.
Today Arvo Pärt is best known for his choral works, which he started to produce in the 1980s, after his emigration from the former Soviet Union to Germany, Berlin. Before that he had written his most recognised works from the 1970s, Fratres, Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten, and Tabula Rasa. In 1978 Pärt composed Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in Mirror).
Pärt's oeuvre is generally divided into two periods. His early works ranged from rather severe neo-classical styles influenced by Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Bartók. He then began to compose using Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique and serialism. This, however, not only earned the ire of the Soviet establishment, but also proved to be a creative dead-end. When early works were banned by Soviet censors, Pärt entered the first of several periods of contemplative silence, during which he studied choral music from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries.
The spirit of early European polyphony informed the composition of Pärt's transitional third symphony (1971); thereafter he immersed himself in early music, re-investigating the roots of western music. He studied plainsong, Gregorian chant, and the emergence of polyphony in the Renaissance. The music that began to emerge after this period was radically different. This period of new compositions included Fratres, Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten, and Tabula rasa.
Pärt describes it as tintinnabuli: like the ringing of bells. The music is characterised by simple harmonies, often single unadorned notes, or triad chords which form the basis of western harmony. These are reminiscent of ringing bells. Tintinnabuli works are rhythmically simple, and do not change tempo. The influence of early music is clear. Another characteristic of Pärt's later works is that they are frequently settings for sacred texts, although he mostly chooses Latin or the Church Slavonic language used in Orthodox liturgy instead of his native Estonian language. Large-scale works inspired by religious texts include St John Passion, Te Deum, and Litany. Choral works from this period include Magnificat and The Beatitudes.
A new composition, Für Lennart, written for the memory of the Estonian President Lennart Meri, was played at his funeral service on 2nd April 2006. In response to the murder of the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in Moscow on 7th October 2006, Pärt declared that all his works performed in 2006-2007 would be in commemoration of her death.
Pärt was honoured as the featured composer of the 2008 RTÉ Living Music Festival in Dublin, Ireland. He was also recently commissioned by Louth Contemporary Music Society to compose a new choral work based on St Patrick's Breastplate, to be premiered in 2008 in Louth, Ireland.
De profundis
Arvo Pärt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Domine exaudi vocem meam fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae
si iniquitates observabis Domine Domine quis sustinebit
quia apud te propitiatio est propter legem tuam sustinui te Domine sustinuit anima mea in verbum eius
speravit anima mea in Domino
a custodia matutina usque ad noctem speret Israhel in Domino
quia apud Dominum misericordia et copiosa apud eum redemptio
et ipse redimet Israhel ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius.
The lyrics of Arvo Pärt's song De Profundis are a biblical reference to Psalm 130, which speaks of the depths of despair and the need for redemption. The first line, "De profundis clamavi ad te Domine," translates to "Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord." The singer is crying out to God from the depths of their suffering and pain, hoping to be heard and saved.
The second line, "Domine exaudi vocem meam fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae," translates to "Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication." The singer is asking for God's attention and pleading for mercy in their time of need.
The third and fourth lines refer to the difficulty of facing sin and judgment, and the hope that God's mercy and forgiveness will prevail. The following lines express faith and hope in God's redemption and deliverance, and the closing line, "et ipse redimet Israhel ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius," means "He himself will redeem Israel from all its iniquities." The singer's plea is ultimately for salvation and deliverance from sin and suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
De profundis clamavi ad te Domine
Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord.
Domine exaudi vocem meam fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae
Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
si iniquitates observabis Domine Domine quis sustinebit
If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
quia apud te propitiatio est propter legem tuam sustinui te Domine sustinuit anima mea in verbum eius
But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope.
speravit anima mea in Domino
My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
a custodia matutina usque ad noctem speret Israhel in Domino
O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.
quia apud Dominum misericordia et copiosa apud eum redemptio
It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
et ipse redimet Israhel ex omnibus iniquitatibus eius.
For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.
Contributed by Christian R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@EduNauram
PSALM 130
From the depths, I have cried out to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplication.
If you, Lord, were to mark iniquities, who, O Lord, shall stand?
For with you is forgiveness; and because of your law, I stood by you, Lord.
My soul has stood by his word.
My soul has hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch, even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
For with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.
And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
@fabiorocha2397
De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuæ intendentes
in vocem deprecationis meæ.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus:
Speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israël in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israël ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.
@topiasyli-jokipii7844
When we had this in our choir, i was like "This is so good" Then i always prayed that we'd sing this in the reherseal
@brunocostapiano
Lord have mercy on us!
@oldearado8351
He died for us. sins paid in full. One Just need to believe it.
@anesuishemudavanhu9436
oh my tears!!!, i cant control the flow of the tears when listening to Arvo, even in public, earphones in, eyes closed, and i enter an entirely different dimension where i am free
@TheCazuzo
Angels upon you....seee me, feeel me. touch meee...
@harukatakahashi8822
Or dead?
@SoniaArnalBroto
“El más antiguo, el más verdadero y el más bello órgano de la música, el origen del cual nuestra música debe provenir, es la voz humana”. Richard Wagner.
@gavindajyajya
I spent a LOT of time searching for that tune in the film 'Dead Man's Shoes'.
...now I spend ALL my time searching Arvo Pärt.
Perfection.
@guszdanovich333
I'm just entering a life-long discovering of the sheer immensity of Pärt's world. His repossessing of Renaissance polyphony is genius in its purest form. Thanks for this upload!
@JohnWilliams-bp2so
Me too!