Estonia (Russia / USSR, Estonian SSR) Bronze Medal 1978 - In memory of Artur Kapp (1878-1952)

128.60g. 70mm. UNC/UNC.

Tallinn Artistic Products Combinate “ARS”, Metal Leafing Studio. 

The medal did not undergo the full technological cycle and was not patinated. 

Artur Kapp (1878-1952) was an Estonian composer, conductor, and pedagogue, regarded-together with Rudolf Tobia - as a founder of Estonian symphonic music. Born in Suure-Jaani, he received his first musical training from his father and later studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, graduating in organ performance and composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. 

From 1904 to 1920, Kapp lived in Astrakhan, where he played a leading role in the city’s musical life as chairman of the Russian Musical Society branch and director of the local music school. In 1920, he returned to Estonia and became a conductor at the Estonia Theatre and a professor at the Tallinn Conservatory, teaching composition and music theory until 1939. Among his students were several major Estonian composers, including Eugen Kapp, Gustav Ernesaks, and Evald Aav. 

Kapp’s output includes five symphonies, the oratorio Job (Hiiob), nearly one hundred choral works, organ music, chamber pieces, and songs. His style is marked by clear formal structure, rich polyphony, expressive power, and lyrical depth. He was also renowned as an accomplished organist and an outstanding improviser. 

Artur Kapp spent his final years in Suure-Jaani, where he died and was buried, leaving a lasting legacy in Estonian musical culture.