Want to know the best way to connect with a Latvian? Just start singing. Burst into a recitative if you're a tourist lost in the city labyrinth. The Latvians will break into smiles and summon their friends and things will begin to happen. We have a rich supply of folk songs, dances and musical instruments, originally used in rituals to ensure fertility of the land and of ourselves. Singing as a musical genre does not mean entertainment to us. It is part of our survival.

Up to the mid-18th century no interaction between the Latvian peasants and German noblemen was even thinkable music-wise ― each lived in their own world. What they did share was church hymns and popular songs that spread through the church and schools. Foreign musicians of various genres were in great demand by art patrons and well-to-do music consumers. We were starved for musical entertainment, that's why we played host to famous European musicians: first in Jelgava (during the times of the Duchy of Courland) and later in the capital, Riga.

The beginnings of Latvian national music lie in the collection of Latvian folk songs, their harmonisation and arrangement for choir, started in 1869 by the German-educated Jānis Cimze, the long-term head of the Vidzeme Teachers' Seminary. The founding fathers of our classical music Andrejs Jurjāns and Jāzeps Vītols, who were educated at the St Petersburg Conservatory in the 1880s, faced a vast field of work ― people wanted to sing and to perform music written by the national composers. The previous turn of the century was the most favourable time for collecting Latvian folk songs, there were rich opportunities for research of musical folklore and writing original compositions. At the end of the 19th century, many Latvian musicians were ardent collectors of folklore; they arranged and harmonised the traditional songs for choirs and the symphonic orchestra ― which was yet to be formed. The first original choir songs, symphonic and vocal symphonic pieces were written at that time, the present national anthem among them. Compositions by Andrejs Jurjāns, Jāzeps Vītols (the first head of our Conservatory), Emīls Dārziņš, Alfrēds Kalniņš, Emilis Melngailis, the Mediņš brothers Jāzeps and Jānis are the musical treasures of our culture.

A turning point in the development of Latvian music was the establishment of the Latvian state. In 1919 the Latvian National Opera and Latvian State Conservatory (now – Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music) were opened; in 1926 the Radio Symphony, the forerunner to the present-day Latvian National Symphony, was founded. The first Latvian opera – Baņuta  by Alfrēds Kalniņš – was composed in 1920. There was considerable support from the government, particularly after 1937 when the Tēvzemes Balva (Fatherland Award) Foundation was formed on the initiative of the Culture Foundation. It supported musicians and provided financial incentive; financing for the radio and release of music recordings was drawn from a special tax.

In the post-war decades, the music scene was ruled by the political leaders. Works useful to the state, extolling the glory of the regime headed by the sole party, were commissioned: oratorios, cantatas, song cycles and symphonies. Soviet ideology favoured huge, monumental forms. For that reason – and also because they fetched more money -- most composers preferred to write big pieces.

In the 1960s, when the performing arts flourished, classical music was played in concert halls and the Great Hall of the University of Latvia, as well as the recreation centres of the provincial districts and largest factories. In 1967 the State Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra was founded; it was headed by conductor Tovi Lifshic. The Riga Dome Cathedral was transformed into a concert hall for organ music.

Pēteris Vasks was among the first of the new wave of Latvian composers who began experimenting with a variety of forms, including motifs from folklore and traditional music in their work. His compositions are epic interpretations of universal and timeless values. Review magazine has ranked the recordings of Vasks' music among the very top classical albums.

Latvian musicians are not afraid to venture out into the world and compete in the most prestigious of contests. In the late 1980s critics had this to say about Latvian music: "This is the beginning of a new era. It is the era of rediscovering the law of the world harmony when musica mundana (music of the Universe), musica humana (the inner music of the human spiritual and bodily harmony) and musica instrumentalis (the sonic music) strive to become one. Our historical memory, the memory of the spirituality of music, is being refreshened."

On the world music scene, Latvia has found splendid representation in the Kremerata Baltica Youth Orchestra led by world-famous violinist Gidon Kremer. The choirs Latvija and Kamēr…, both led by conductor Māris Sirmais, seem to have no difficulty singing even the impossible. Our choirs Ave Sol and Kamēr… command the respect of many a world-renowned choir, for our singers almost always return from international competitions with top awards.

Several festivals of national and international significance are held in Latvia annually: the Arēna International Festival of New Music, Early Music Festival, Riga and Sigulda Opera Festivals, International Festival of Sacral Music, International Festival of Piano Stars in Liepāja, Kremerata Baltica Festival, Saxophonia Festival, Rīgas Doms Festival of Organ Music, International Ballet Festival, and Rīgas Ritmi International Jazz Festival.