Arvo Pärt is one of the
world's most distinctive musical figures. Born in 1935 in Paide,
Estonia, he studied composition at the Tallinn Conservatory with
Heino Eller and then worked as a sound engineer for estonian
Radio from 1958-1967. In 1980 he emigrated to Vienna and two
years later to West Berlin, where he lives as a free-lance
composer.
Two distinct phases divide Pärt's work. His early compositions consisted mainly of serial work.This first phase came to an end with his Credo (1968). The period from 1968 to 1976 was one of transition, during which he wrote the Third Symphony. His intense studies of medieval music opened a new phase in 1976. The compositions of this period are characterized by the combination of scales and triads with interchanging yet stable patterns, which Pärt calls tintinnabuli style.
Here I am alone with silence. I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comfort me. I work with very few elements - with one voice, with two voices. I build with the most primitive materials - with the triad, with one specific tonality. The three notes of the triad are like bells. And that is why I call it tintinnabuli.