Mārtiņš Brauns

Mārtiņš Brauns (born 17 September 1951, in Riga, died 24 November 2021) was a Latvian composer and musician. He composed multiple pieces, most notable of which is Saule, Pērkons, Daugava, a choir song regularly performed at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival. From 1975 to 1986, he was the front person in the rock band Sīpoli.

Career

Brauns studied at the Emīls Dārziņš Music School from 1958 to 1970, studying piano and choir, before moving on to study conducting and music theory after his voice started changing. Following his primary education, he studied at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music between 1970 and 1976.

From 1978 to 1986, he was the frontperson in the rock group Sīpoli.

From 1986 and until his death, Brauns was a member of the Latvian Filmmakers Union and has composed music for various films.

In addition to movies, Brauns wrote and composed multiple pieces for multiple theatre plays. His most famous piece, written in the late 1980's for the Valmiera Drama Theatre, titled Saule, Pērkons, Daugava, whose lyrics are based on the poem Daugava by Latvian poet Rainis, has been performed regularly at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival since 1990, and is even considered the unofficial anthem of the festival. 

In 2014, an adapted version of the song with lyrics of Catalan poet Miquel Martí i Pol became the official anthem of the Catalan independence movement.

Brauns died on 24 November 2021.

Awards

In 2001, Brauns received an award from the Ministry of Culture of Latvia for his "bright creative contribution to the enrichment of Latvian culture" in his work with his album Sapnis par Rīgu. The album also won a Grawemeyer Award in a world music competition for works composed between 2001 and 2004.

On May 3, 2018, Brauns was made Officer of the Order of the Three Stars, the highest civilian order in Latvia.

In 2019, Brauns was awarded the Golden Microphone Lifetime Contribution Award for his work to Latvian enhance culture.