Kantele Continuum: 12 small mysteries
MINIMALISTIC STRINGS
This music played with small kanteles has begun centuries, even thousands of years ago and will continue far into the future. The mysterious playing of the ancient geezers continues seamlessly and manifests itself in today's spirit. Enchanted music-making is part of this continuum, even though at some point we go as far as Tanzania and the playing can be quite experimental. These tunes give the listener the opportunity to sit back, relax, be wrapped in thought.
The record celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department, where the position of the small kanteles has always been strong. The celebration is distributed around Finland and the world in form of a supplement of the Kantele Magazine. We, the playing and singing musicians of this record, honour the memory of Professor Martti Pokela, who passed away a year ago. Without his inspirational influence in the field of kantele and folk music this record would never have come into being. We also thank Professor Heikki Laitinen for all his work on behalf of folk music and the department, and we welcome Ph.D. Hannu Saha as new professor of the Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department.
Inkoo, 23rd August 2008
Sinikka Kontio
Kantele Continuum
THE KANTELES OF VÄINÄMÖINEN can be heard on this recording. The Kalevala and its dozens of translations have made the player and his instrument world-famous. At the same time the mysterious might of playing, the inner power that makes rocks burst, the whole creation listen and weep for joy, has become known.
The Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department was founded a quarter of a century ago. From the beginning one of its most important tasks has been the revival and keeping alive of historical instruments and playing styles. In the case of the kantele all this has succeeded beyond expectations. At present the kantele in all its diversity is probably one of the most interesting musical instruments of the world.
Even more important, however, has been the recovery of the aesthetics of Väinämöinen's playing that has been thought lost, and the continuous appearance of new musicians for whom studying it is not a mere obligatory subject, but an essential part of becoming a musician.
Heikki Laitinen, Professor of Folk Music
Produced by Sinikka Kontio
Recorded by Matti Kontio
Mixed by Matti Kontio
Mastered by IMU-Inkoon musiikki, Matti Kontio
1. Kisavirsi
Comp. trad., arr. Heikki Laitinen, Rauno Nieminen, Hannu Saha.
Kisavirsi is a collective improvisation. Its starting point is a little motif from Jaakko Kulju's Kisavirsi. Here Primo plays kanteles built by Kaustisen soitinverstas.
PRIMO, in other words Primitive Music Orchestra, was born at the end of the 1970s when folk music students of Tampere University met instrument builder Rauno Nieminen. The direction was immidiately clear: to make Kalevala music known. Primo was the first ensemble to entirely concentrate on ancient traditional music. The tone, sound and character of the instruments, the original minimalistic world of sounds as well as improvisation was important. Primo continued their work in Kaustinen in the beginning of 1980s. At this point the ensemble was well known and among its members, in addition to Nieminen, were Heikki Laitinen and Hannu Saha. Primo recorded an album called Haltian opissa (OMLP 8), which was released 1984. Nowadays Primo performs occasionally on demand.
Rauno Nieminen: 5-string kantele
Hannu Saha: 10-string kantele
2. The Maiden
Comp. Aino Kurki, lyrics trad., arr. Maija Kauhanen, Topi Korhonen, Aino Kurki, Essi Olkanen.
'The Maiden' is a bride's lament that was part of an old traditional wedding ceremony. The bride is prepared for a new subordinate position in the groom's family. She has to part with her former easier life.
The piece grew out of tiny beginnings. Aino first had a comp and a little melody, which extended by playing the motifs again and again. The lyrics were found on a handout received during a singing lesson, as the trio felt they suited the mood of the composition. Aino Kurki sings and her instrument is a 19-string Kirjokansi-kantele built by Soitinrakentajat AmF, Maija Kauhanen sings and plays a Saarijärvi-kantele built by Kari Kauhanen, Essi Olkanen sings and plays a 15-string kantele built by Erkki Okkonen (AmF).
The Trio Aino, Essi and Maija was founded in 2006, when three kantele players began their studies at the Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department. They all play different kantele models and in their music they skilfully combine various sounds and tones. Most of their repertoire consists of their own compositions and arrangements.
Maija Kauhanen: vocals, Saarijärven kantele
Aino Kurki: vocals, 19-string kantele
Essi Olkanen: vocals, 15-string kantele
3. The Great Crested Grebe
Comp. Matti Kontio.
Silkkiuikku is a composition for two five string kanteles played in the spirit of Martti Pokela. It sounds most genuine when played on a lake on the thwart of a rowing boat on a summer night. The playing technique is the so called "carpenter's forefinger", which means no other fingers are needed. The kanteles were built by Oiva Heikkilä and Gerry Henkel.
Sinikka Kontio: 5-string kantele
Matti Kontio: 5-string kantele
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4. Pambazuko / The Sun Is Rising
Comp. Arnold Chiwalala, lyrics Arnold Chiwalala, arr. Arnold Chiwalala.
Arnold Chiwalala originally composed this song for and presented it in the performance called BanduBandu – one of his doctoral concerts. It is a song for giving positive energy. It is infuenced by the Tanzanian traditional way of playing music, where polyrhythm and singing are in unity. By voice effects Chiwalala adds expression, feelings and colour to the song. He has innovated a new style of music and calls it Chizentele. Pambazuko is sung in Swahili language.
The Polepole ensemble was founded in 1998 to perform compositions by Arnold Chiwalala from Tanzania. In the basic formation of the duo Arnold's 10-string kantele is joined by Topi Korhonen's guitar, which has been replaced by a trumpet in the song chosen for this record,
Arnold Chiwalala: 10-string kantele, leading vocals
Topi Korhonen: trumpet, vocals
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5. Zion's First Lyre-Plucker
Comp. Valtteri Lehto.
Zion's First Lyre-Plucker is a composition by Valtteri Lehto, which has particularly been influenced by the archaic tradition. The final result, though, contains some more recent views as well. The name of the piece arose from a multiphase series of insider jokes. Valtteri plays the composition on a 15-stringed Koistinen kantele.
Valtteri Lehto: 15-string kantele
6. Vanapagana torupillilugu Reigi
Comp. trad., arr. Elo Kalda.
Vanapagana torupillilugu is a traditional Estonian piece of music, which was transcribed in Reigi played by Hindrek Jalaja. Elo's instrument in this piece of music is the 8-string kannel built by Raivo Sildoja and she plays it using the so called mixed style. 'Vanapagan' in Estonian means the devil.
Elo Kalda: 8-string kannel
7. Eesti torupilli valss Vigala
Comp. trad., arr. Elo Kalda.
Eesti torupilli valss is an Estonian walz tune from Vigala that was played on violin by Madis Sume in 1929. Elo plays it on a 6-string kannel built in Tallinn.
Elo Kalda: 6-string kannel
8. Sediment of a 100 Years
Comp. trad., arr. Vilma Timonen.
Little kantele tunes inspire many kinds of music arising from the moment. The sounds flow and lead you to the cosy, the tiny, the great, the sensitive, the fierce The 15-string kantele was built by Koistinen and the piccolo-kantele by Soitinrakentajat AmF.
Vilma Timonen: 15-string kantele, 10-string piccolo kantele
9. Tatjana's Joy
Comp. Timo Väänänen, arr. Timo Väänänen.
Tatjana's Joy was composed for the YLE Radioateljee radio feature "Kanteleen Kielin – a Journey into the World of the Instrument". The composition is based on an interview with Tatjana Fjodorova from Udmurtia, in which she says 'krez wipes the tears from my eyes'. This piece of music played on the 10-string is founded on the melody of Tatjana's speech in Udmurt language. The kantele sounds as a duo with itself, by means of overdubbing.
Tatjana Fjodorova: speech
Timo Väänänen: 10-string kantele
10. Prisonkka by Pesa Padrone
Comp. trad., arr. Aino Kurki.
Aino Kurki improvises on the 19-string Kirjokansi-kantele built by Soitinrakentajat AmF. The playing is based on the piece "Prisonkka" by Pesa Padrone.
Aino Kurki: 19-string kantele
11. Vaskitsa
Comp. Arja Kastinen.
The five string kantele of the famous Russian Karelian rune-singer Ontrei Malinen built in 1833 was localized at the National Museum of Finland in 2005 through the expense-book of Borenius-Lähteenkorva. Instrument builder and researcher Rauno Nieminen has built copies of this bronze-stringed kantele carved from pine wood. The sound of the instrument is soft and quiet and rich in partial tones. Kastinen improvises on her instrument with a lyre bow and an old plucking technique.
Arja Kastinen: 5-string kantele
12. Jähmy
Comp. Eero Grundström.
Jähmy can be described as self-examination by means of sounds and tones, the tired mind's flight and stagnation. All sounds are kantele-based. The rhythms draw on the Karelian tradition, the symmetric scale on Olivier Messiaen. In this piece of music Eero plays a 15-string kantele built by Keijo Säteri.
Eero Grundström: 15-string kantele and sampling
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