And I heard a voice ...

The a cappella choir piece And I heard a voice… / Ja ma kuulsin hääle… was composed in memory of Konrad Veem (1914–1996), the Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Stockholm from 1971 until 1990. Veem was one of the first exiled Estonians the composer met in Vienna at the beginning of 1980.

The composition is based on lines from the Book of Revelation (14:13) taken from the 1938 Bible translation into Estonian by Harald Põld.

Arvo Pärt: “This text struck me 20 years ago, when I received a notification of the death of my good friend and supporter Konrad Veem, the Estonian Archbishop who served in Sweden. The letter from his wife quoted these lines from an Estonian translation of the Holy Bible, which deeply touched me. Usually, th…

The a cappella choir piece And I heard a voice… / Ja ma kuulsin hääle… was composed in memory of Konrad Veem (1914–1996), the Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church in Stockholm from 1971 until 1990. Veem was one of the first exiled Estonians the composer met in Vienna at the beginning of 1980.

The composition is based on lines from the Book of Revelation (14:13) taken from the 1938 Bible translation into Estonian by Harald Põld.

Arvo Pärt: “This text struck me 20 years ago, when I received a notification of the death of my good friend and supporter Konrad Veem, the Estonian Archbishop who served in Sweden. The letter from his wife quoted these lines from an Estonian translation of the Holy Bible, which deeply touched me. Usually, the phrase ‘they may rest from their labours’ is translated into Estonian literally. However, there is one version that uses the words that translates as ‘they may breathe from their labours’. They have passed away, they are catching their breath, but at the same time they are still with us. It is like eternal life. This Estonian version of the text offers a rare interpretation of the biggest of all secrets.”

What makes the choice of text even more special is the fact that rarely has Pärt’s native language found an artistic expression in his work.

And I heard a voice… / Ja ma kuulsin hääle… was commissioned by the University of Salamanca and the Spanish National Center of Musical Diffusion (Centro Nacional de Difusión Musical) for the 800th anniversary of the University of Salamanca. It premiered on 18 February 2018 in the chapel of Salamanca’s historic Fonseca College, by the vocal ensemble Ars Nova Copenhagen conducted by Paul Hillier. The next day the piece was also performed in the A400 auditorium at the Queen Sofia Arts Center in Madrid.