Juhan Aavik or Johannes Aavik?

Two famous Estonian cultural figures, one was a composer, conductor and professor; the other a linguist, professor and translator who reformed the vocabulary and grammar of the Estonian language.

Juhan or Johannes Aavik, which one:

1. was born in Estonia, died in Stockholm, Sweden?

2. studied in the Russian Empire?

3. was commerorated on an Estonian postage stamp?

4. wrote the song we sing at many Estonian functions:
    "Vaikne kena kohakene, kõige kallim surmani,
     armas isamajakene, meeles minul alati"?
5. wrote the songs „Melanholia“ (Melancholy) and „Üksildus“ (Solitude)?

  

Answers:

1. Both.

JUHAN AAVIK: born January 29, 1884 in Holstre, Viljandimaa; died November 27, 1982 in Stockholm.

JOHANNES AAVIK: born December 8, 1880 in Randvere, Saaremaa; died March 18, 1973 in Stockholm.

2. Both.

JUHAN AAVIK  graduated from the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory with a degree in composition in 1911. He had also studied the trumpet and completed his coursework in 1907.

JOHANNES AAVIK studied at the Historical and Philological Institute in Nezin, Ukraine from 1903 - 1905. (He received his Doctorate in Philology in 1910 from the University of Helsinki.)

3. Neither, although Juhan Aavik's student Gustav Ernesaks appeared on the 100th anniversary of his birth in 2008.  December 8 , 2010 marked the 130th anniversary of Johannes Aavik's birth - maybe for the 150th anniversary, a stamp would be issued?

4. Juhan Aavik wrote the music for this folk song, which was published in the 1925 Children's Songbook collection.

Check Raamatukoi for interesting antique books.

5. These poems, written by Johannes Aavik, were set to music by Veiko Tubin and performed by the Tallinna Linnateater and Mari-Liis Lill at the conference celebrating the 130th anniversary of his birth. On the left you can see some of the words Johannes Aavik created.