Zarin, Margeris

(in Latvian, Margeris Zariņš). Born May 11 (24), 1910, in Jaunpiebalga. Soviet com-poser. People’s Artist of the USSR (1970).

Zarin’ studied at the Latvian Conservatory in Riga from 1929 to 1933. From 1940 to 1950 he was musical director of the J. Rainis Art Theater in Riga. He wrote primarily vocal and vocal-instrumental works and music for plays. Zarin’ was one of the founders of Latvian oratorio and Soviet Latvian opera. Among his compositions have been the operas To a New Shore (1955, Riga), Green Mill (1958, Riga), and Beggars’ Opera (1965, Riga); the oratorios Valmiera Heroes (1950; State Prize of the USSR, 1951), Fighting Devil’s Swamp (1951), and Black Butterfly (1964); the cantata Trumpeter from Talava (1937); the vocal-instrumental suite Ode to Swings (1940); works for an acappella choir; and cycles for voice and piano. In 1951-52 and 1956-68, Zarin’ was chairman of the board of the Composers’ Union of the Latvian SSR. He received the Republic Prize of the Latvian SSR in 1957 and has been awarded the Order of Lenin and various medals.