Arvo Pärt

Arvo Pärt grew up in Estonia and spent his early career in Tallinn, working as a sound engineer for Estonian Radio while composing in the modernist styles of the day. In the late 1960s he largely stopped, spent years studying medieval chant and early church music, and emerged in 1976 with something entirely different: slow, quiet music built from simple scales and bell-like chords. He named the style tintinnabuli, from the Latin word for little bells.

Soviet authorities made his life difficult, and in 1980 he emigrated with his family, eventually settling in Berlin. The spare style traveled well: his music is now performed and recorded worldwide, and filmmakers reach for it constantly.

Tabula rasa, written for two violins, string orchestra, and piano, is the classic entry point. Follow it with Fratres, a piece that exists in many arrangements and rewards all of them.