Neeme Laanepõld
January 11, 1913 Keelva village, Keila parish – February 27, 1991 TallinnBuried at Karjaküla cemetary in Lääne-Harju parish
Neeme Laanepõld – composer, organist and active figure in music life – has remained in the Estonian music fistory as a long-time researcher of the theatre and music museum and as the author of numerous choral, solo, folk and children's songs.
Neeme Laanepõld (Ferdinand Wellmann until 1936) started violin studies in 1920 at Käosalu elementary school under the guidance of Alfred Papmehl. He studied the organ at the Tallinn Conservatory in the class of August Topman (1937–1940) and in the class of Jaak Karis at the Tartu Higher Music School (1940–1941) and choir conducting at the Tallinn State Conservatory under the guidance of Tuudur Vettik (1944–1945).
Laanepõld was a sexton and organist of the EELC Põlva congregation (1940–1944), worked in the music department of the Estonian SSR Folk Creation House (1946–1963, head of the department 1954–1957) and as a researcher at the Theatre and Music Museum (1963–1988, head of the music department 1973–1977). He has compiled more than ten songbooks and the publications of the Theatre and Music Museum, including "Laulud nüüd lähevad" (about Estonian song celebrations; I 1965, II 1969), "Mart Saar. Photochronicle of life and work" (co-author Vardo Rumessen, 1983), "Cyrillus Kreek" (1974), "Composer Konstantin Türnpu" (1965) and "Mihkel Lüdig in word and image" (1968).
He collected folk tunes and folk instruments and led the psalmodikon ensemble of the Theatre and Music Museum (1973–1977). He published articles on music and cultural history and contributed to Estonian Radio.
Solo and choral songs form the main part of Neeme Laanepõld’s ouevre, he has also created chamber music, children's songs, music for folk instruments and the cantatas "Oleme laulvad laaned" ("We Are Singing Forests") and "Jääv armastus" ("Lasting Love"). A large part of his work is based on Estonian folk tunes. Laanepõld has also written and translated a large number of lyrics.
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