Evald Aav
Evald Aav was an Estonian composer and choral conductor, and one of the founders of Estonian national opera. He was born in Reval, now Tallinn, on March 6, 1900. His mother died when he was nine, and he began working at an early age while continuing his education.
Aav took private piano lessons from Helmi Vitol-Morfield and studied music theory and harmony with Anton Kasemets. He joined the opera chorus at the Estonia Theatre in 1916. Three years later, he entered Tallinn Higher Music School, later renamed the Tallinn Conservatory, where he studied piano and then composition with A. I. Kapp. He graduated in 1926. From 1924 to 1927, he led the choir and orchestra of the Tallinn Military School.
From 1929 to 1936, Aav directed a mixed choir affiliated with a national youth association in Tallinn. He founded and led the Estonian Singers society from 1934 to 1939, conducted other choirs, and directed a combined men's choir at the 1938 General Song Festival. He edited the music newspaper Muusikaleht from 1930 to 1939 and also worked as an author and editor for domestic and music journals.
His works include the opera The Vikings, staged in 1928; a Symphony in D minor (1938); the symphonic poem Life (1935); a concert waltz for orchestra; violin and piano pieces; and solo and choral songs. His choral songs Morning, The Singer, Vanished in the Night, and Hops remained popular for many years. Aav was married to singer Ida Loo from 1926 to 1937; they had a son, Juhan Loo. He died in Tallinn on March 21, 1939, after contracting typhus while preparing for the premiere of his symphony.