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2 Early Christian music in Finland 3 Opera 4 Revival in the modern age 5 Saami music 6 Biggest radio stations 7 References |
Folk music
Common instruments include trumpets, clarinets, horns and whistles, performed by virtuoso's like Leena Joutsenlahti, Teppo Repo and Virpi Forsberg. More traditionally Finnish instruments include the kantele is a traditional Finnish musical instrument, a chordophone, and was used in the Kalevala by the hero Väinämöinen. The jouhikko is another instrument with a long Finnish history. Modernized bands composed of these instruments include Primo, Karelia and Tuulenkantajat, many of whom were inspired by early recordings of masters like Feodor Pratsu, a jouhikko player recorded by ethnomusicologist A. O. Väisänen in 1916.
Finnish folk song (laulu) is commonly understood to be runolaulu, a four-footed trochaic form using only the first five notes of a scale. Highly alliterative, runolaulu doesn't rhyme and frequently tells stories about heroes like Väinämöinen, Lemminkäinen and Kullervo. These were the songs compiled by Elias Lönnrot in making the Kalevala, which inspired a rise in Finnish nationalism after its second publication in 1848.
A form of rhyming sleigh song called rekilaulu became popular in the 17th century. Despite opposition from most of the churches in Finland, rekilaulu remained popular and is today a common element in pop songs. Since the 1920s, several popular Finnish performers have used rekilaulu is an integral part of their reportoire. Early pioneers in this field of pop rekilaulu included Arthur Kylander, while Erkki Rankaviita and Pinnin Pojat have kept the tradition alive.
By the beginning of the 19th century, foreign dances including polka, mazurka, schottische, minuet and polska were popular throughout Finland. These led to distinctively Finnish forms of these dance musics, including humppa and jenkka; these are collectively known as pellimanni music. Fiddles, harmoniums and accordions had arrived by then, and quickly spread through the country.
Early in the 20th century, the region of Kaustinen became a center of innovation for pellimanni music. Friiti Ojala and Antti Järvelä were influential fiddlers of the period. Konsta Jylhä and the other members of Purppuripelimannit formed in 1946 became perhaps the most influential group of this classical period.
Christian music appeared in Finland immediately after the christianization, i.e. as early as in the 12th century, with polyphony known at least from the 14th century. The royal court in Stockholm greatly influenced Finnish music during the 16th century, when Sweden after the dissolution of the Kalmar Union evolved into a centralized nation state. Hymnals were distributed during the 16th century, with an early collection of church songs (in Latin), Piae Cantiones, published in 1582. The songs date from 1350-1450.
In the 18th century, public concerts were established in Turku and Erik Tulindberg wrote six very famous string quartets. After Russia's 1809 annexation of Finland, the cities of Viipuri and Helsinki became cultural centers and opera became very popular. The first Finnish opera was written by the German composer Fredrik Pacius in 1852. Pacius also wrote [Maamme|Maamme/Vårt land (Our Land)]], Finland's national anthem.
In 1874 the Society for Culture and Education (Kansanvalistusseura) was founded in order to provide opportunities for artistic expression, beginning with the Jyväskylä festival in 1881. The festival, organized on Estonian roots, still exists today. In 1882, the Helsinki University Chorus (Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat) was founded as one of the few Finnish-language choirs in the mostly Finland-Swedish scene. The same year conductor Robert Kajanus founded what is known as the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Martin Wegelius founded what is now known as the Sibelius Academy.
In the 1890s Finnish nationalism based on the Kalevala spread, and Jean Sibelius became famous for his vocal symphony Kullervo. He soon received a grant to study runo singers in Karelia and continued his rise as the first prominent Finnish musician. He remains one of Finland's most popular national figures and is a symbol of the nation.
Aino Ackté and other prominent opera singers founded the Domestic Opera in 1911. Ackté also began a festival in Savonlinna the following year; this was the ancestor of the Savonlinna Opera Festival, which appeared in the 1960s, shortly before Finnish opera became world famous in the 1970s.
Leevi Madetoja's 1924 Pohjalaisia, an operatic allegory about Russian oppression during the previous few years, became extremely popular during the 1920s. At roughly the same time, Juha, an opera by Aarre Merikanto, was virtually ignored by critics and audiences; it is now known as one of the best works of Finnish opera. The 1930s saw composers like Uuno Klami and Yrjö Kilpinen rise to popularity with nationalist works. Swedish-speaking composers like Einar Englund and Erik Bergman also worked with a more continental attitude. In the 1940s, Joonas Kokkonen, Usko Meriläinen and Einojuhani Rautavaara gained popularity and added important technical innovations to Finnish music. The 1950s saw an increase in international attention on Finnish music and soon helped modernize Finnish composition.
Since the 1960s, Sinfonia Lahti's reputation as one of the most important Scandinavian orchestras was cemented by conductor Osmo Vänskä; this helped to cause a boom in opera's popularity during the 1980s, while the form was increasingly seen as archaic elsewhere. While a return to folk and socially active music was occurring in the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain, Hungary, Jamaica, Trinidad and elsewhere across the world, the Savonlinna Opera Festival reopened in 1967; this, with the Ilmajoki Music Festival and Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, quickly became musical centers for the country and helped revitalize traditional Finnish opera and folk music in a roots revival. Runosong was revitalized by a new generation of performers, including Reijo Kela, Kimmo Pohjonen and Heikki Laitinen, who created the Kelavala performance art piece. 1996's critically acclaimed Suden Aika by Tellu Virkkala saw a further return of runosong to the Finnish music scene. The International Folk Music Festival, established in 1968 in Kaustinen, was a major event in the popularization of Finnish folk. The 1970s saw further revival of Finnish folk music, including artists like Konsta Jylhä, JPP and Värttinä.
Martti Talvela and Jorma Hynninen have become international opera stars, while composers like Kalevi Aho, Olli Kortekangas, Paavo Heininen, Aulis Sallinen, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Atso Almila and Ilkka Kuusisto have written successful operas, with Rautavaara especially achieving international success.
In 1980s most notable artists were punkish Dingo and heavy-hearted Yö.
In 1990s Miljoonasade and Ultra Bra made some success. In the end of 1990s and beginning of 2000s Darude started his world wide success with hit song Sandstorm. The worldwide sales of Sandstorm reached about 1,5 - 2 million units and, in June 2000, Darude became the first Finnish artist ever to reach top 3 position on UK's single chart.
The beginning of 2000s teen hits were girl bands Gimmel and Tiktak. Also HIM and Bomfunk Mc's have made success in Central Europe, especially in Germany.
The Saami (Laplanders) of northern Finland, Sweden and Norway are known primarily for highly spiritual songs called joik. The same word sometimes refers to lavlu or vuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect. Some non-Saami artists, including Enigma and Jan Barbarek, have used joik and other Saami styles in their music, while Marie Boine of Norway is probably the most internationally famous Saami star.
Early Christian music in Finland
Opera
Revival in the modern age
Saami music
Main article: Saami musicBiggest radio stations
References