Jānis Bētiņš
1830–1912
Conductor, educator, organist, arranger
Notable conductor, organist, master organ builder and music educator, one of the most important creators of the Latvian music scene in the Kurzeme Province in the second half of the 19th century.
Born on 29 April 1830 at the Bētiņi homestead in Bērzmuiža. Studied at the Bērzmuiža Parish School and Dobele Church School, then at the Irlava Teachers’ Seminary, was a teacher at this seminary (1848-1893), as well as the founder of the Irlava mixed choir (1868). A versatile musician, was also organist of the Sāti congregation (1860-1905).
In 1870, in collaboration with his contemporaries, he accomplished a courageous idea for those times – he organized a Kurzeme-region song festival in Dobele. Bētiņš contiued to organise and conduct at song festivals – he was a chief conductor of the Ist and IInd All-Latvian Song Festivals, Honorary chief conductor at the III-Vth All-Latvian Song Festivals, a member of the jury for five choir competitions, as well as a member of song-festival repertoire committees.
“It was a deeply moving moment when, at a wave of the conductor’s hand, the quiet, vast stage suddenly became a whole ocean of sound,” said Jānis Poruks, enthused about Janis Bētiņš conducting the massed choir at the IVth Song Festival. (Grauzdiņa, Ilma, Izredzētie (The Chosen Few), 2008. 21. p.)
