Online event discussion on the legacy of the ideas of Johann Gottfried Herder

On 28 November 2024, the National Library of Latvia, in collaboration with the Latvian-Baltic German Center “Domus Rigensis” and the University of Latvia, invited to an online event to discuss the legacy of the ideas of the German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder (1744–1803).

During the event, Mārtiņš Boiko, musicologist, Professor of Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, researcher at the University of Latvia and the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, Dr. phil., presented a lecture “Herder’s Interaction with Folk Songs during his Riga Period (1764–1769): a New Perspective”. He focused on Herder’s experience of folk songs gained during his four and a half years of stay in Riga by which he meant direct performance experience in its natural environment, rather than familiarization with song lyrics. The insight gained by previous researchers on this topic was analyzed and discussed, and new hypotheses were put forward.

In 2024, we celebrated the 280th anniversary of Herder’s birth and the 260th anniversary since his arrival in Riga in the autumn of 1764. Likewise, the Archives of Latvian Folklore of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia which is one of the most significant heirs of the folklore concepts developed by Herder in Latvia also celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.