Arvo Pärt (born 11 September 1935 in Paide, Estonia) is an Estonian composer best known for creating the tintinnabuli style and for spare, meditative sacred music. He studied at the Tallinn Conservatory and rose to international prominence from the late 1970s onward.

Born 11 September 1935 in Paide, Estonia. Studied with Heino Eller at the Tallinn Conservatory. Early career included experiments with serial techniques and dodecaphony; later turned to Gregorian chant and Baroque influences. Developed the tintinnabuli style in the mid-to-late 1970s (first appearance in pieces such as Für Alina and Spiegel im Spiegel). Tabula Rasa was released on ECM (1984) and featured artists including Gidon Kremer and Keith Jarrett. Worked in sacred and choral genres and is widely praised for music characterized by simplicity, silence and depth. Had artistic contact with the Darmstadt school and connections with Luigi Nono (as reported in reviews).

Arvo Pärt (b. 1935, Paide, Estonia) is a celebrated Estonian composer who developed the tintinnabuli style in the late 1970s. His music is frequently described as spare, silent, and sacred. Key works discussed in the reviews include Tabula Rasa, Alina (Für Alina / Spiegel im Spiegel) and Miserere. Reviews praise the emotional depth achieved through simplicity.

For:Listeners of contemporary classical, choral and sacred music; fans of meditative, minimalist composition.

 Tintinnabuli is an area I sometimes wander into when I'm searching for answers about my life, my music, my work. In my darkest hours, I have the certain feeling that everything outside this one thing has no meaning. The complexity and multifaceted nature only confuse me, and I must search for unity. But what is this unique thing? And how can I find my way to it? Traces of this perfect thing appear in many forms – and everything unimportant slips away. Tintinnabuli is like that. Here I am, alone with silence. I have discovered that it is enough when even a single note is beautifully played. This single note, or a calm beat, or a moment of silence comforts me. I work with very few elements - one voice, two voices. I build with the most primitive materials - with the perfect chord, with a specific tonality. Three notes of a chord are like bells, and that's why I call this tintinnabuli

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 I could compare my music to a white light that contains all colors.

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 Have mercy on me, Lord, according to your mercy / in the multitude of your kindness, erase my sin.

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