Instrumental Opus "The Melancholic Waltz", 1904, for Symphony Orchestra by Composer Emīls Dārziņš (1875−1910)

Composed by Dārziņš in 1904 while visiting the country home of poet Jānis Poruks, the seven-minute symphonic waltz’s dreamy meandering has been compared to the flowing lines of the Art Nouveau architecture of the age. Written at a time when a Latvian intelligentsia was emerging from feudal oppression, it became a foundation stone for Latvian symphonic music.

The work premiered in autumn of 1905 at the seaside resort Jūrmala, and has been dear to the hearts of Latvian music lovers ever since. Originally an orchestral piece, it has since been arranged for solo instruments and voices, with respectable results.

The music’s mood certainly evokes melancholy, and parallels with the composer’s own troubled life abound. Born into a teacher’s family in Jaunpiebalga in Vidzeme region, from childhood Dārziņš suffered from bad eyesight. Through tremendous willpower he went to St Petersburg to study music, but was forced to return home after his tyrannical father withdrew financial support.

Back in Rīga, Dārziņš was driven by a passion to raise the musical culture of Latvians, who were forging a national identity after centuries of feudal oppression. But although his works drew critical and popular acclaim, Dārziņš was dogged throughout his life by poverty. He eked out a living as a music teacher and a music critic, and is regarded as a talented pioneer of the latter profession in Latvia.

In 1910, after being accused by fellow composer Pāvuls Jurjāns (1866−1948) of plagiarism, Dārziņš destroyed all of his symphonic works, and “The Melancholic Waltz” score later had been restored from orchestral parts. On the night of 31 August 1910, he fell under a train near Zasulauks Station in Rīga. It has never been established whether this was an accident or suicide. Emīls Dārziņš was just 34 years old and is buried in the cemetery of St Martin’s Church in Rīga’s Pārdaugava district.

In the century since his death, choral works by Dārziņš such as “Forever Blue” (Mūžam zili) and “Broken Pines” (Lauztās priedes) have been performed at many Latvian Song Celebrations. The Bank of Latvia has issued a commemorative 5-euro coin dedicated to “The Melancholic Waltz” in 2015.

Filips Birzulis