Career
Uritamm was a student of Artur Kapp at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, graduating in 1937. He was asked by Artur Kapp, then director of the Conservatory, to reconsider his decision, and he returned to his alma mater in 1945, staying until 1946 and teaching music theory. During the latter period he also served as the director of the Estonian Music Foundation and as the music editor of the newspaper Hammer and Sickle.
He was ousted from his positions by the Soviets in 1946.
He was also expelled from the Composers" Union for refusing to write music in the approved manner. He was a vegetarian. Foreign political reasons, much of Uritamm"s work remained unheard for long stretches during his career.
Since Estonia gained independence in 1991, however, his work has begun to appear on concert programs. His music has been described as ironic and deriving some of its sonic character from folk music
Little of his work has been recorded, but the piano trio Three Faces of the Homo Sovieticus, written in 1948 (premiered in 2012) was released on compact disc in 2014, and two of his songs were recorded by the baritone Tiit Kuusik in 1976.
