Heino Jürisalu

Composer and pedagogue Heino Jürisalu (Born in Tartu August 13, 1930; died in Tallinn April 18, 1991) started music studies with piano lessons with Amanda Jentson, and continued with composition in Heino Eller’s class at the Tallinn State Conservatoire, graduating in 1954. In years 1950–1969, he worked as sound engineer and music composer at the Estonian Radio and Estonian Television, he was the author of many radio program signatures ("Päevakaja", "Vikerkaja", 1959). In 1969–1991, he taught composition at the Tallinn State Conservatoire (Associate Professor since 1985), the most known of his students are Lepo Sumera and Kaupo Uibo. Between 1969–1970, Jürisalu worked as a consultant at the Estonian Composers' Union and since 1974, he was the chairman of the School Music Commission. Jürisalu was also one of the first supporters and initiators of Carl Orff's approach to music and dance education. He was the founder and lecturer at the Estonian Carl Orff Centre. Jürisalu oversaw the artistic direction of the Teeme Muusikat (Let's Make Music) music education series of recordings, most of which incorporated the Orff Schulwerk style of orchestration by either Jürisalu himself or other contemporary Estonian composers of the time period. The recordings include traditional and contemporary children's songs for voice, choir, percussion, Orff Schulwerk instruments, and recorders. Some recordings include selections and arrangements from early music classical composers. Heino Jürisalu was also an avid researcher and performer of early music. In years 1970–1988 he led early music ensemble Consortium. Jürisalu played many instruments, most of all recorders. For this instrument he wrote study books 132 finger exercises for soprano or tenor recorder (1973) and Studies on alto recorder (1986), and composed new repertoire.