Folk Music of Finland

There are two main major traditions of the folk music in Finland; they are the music of the Nordic folk music and Kalevala form or pelimanni music (North Germanic spelman, player of music). The past is considered, the most significant form and is known as runonlaulanta (which means poem singing or chanting) that is traditionally performed in a trochaic tetrameter using only the first five notes on a scale. Making use of the alliteration, this type of singing was used to tell stories about heroes such as Vainamoinen, and Kullervo, the lyres were memorized, not written down and it is performed by a soloist or by a chorus in antiphony, the Vantaa chamber choir is an instance of a choir that sings such poems in the recent arrangements.

source of picture: www.discoveringfinland.com

Pelimanni music is the Finnish version of the Nordic folk dance music, and it is a tonal, this came to Finland from the Central Europe via Scandinavia starting in the 17^th century and in the 19^th century Pelimanni music was replaced by the Kalevalaic traditions, the Pelimanni music was generally played on the clarinets and fiddle, and later, the harmonium and the various kinds of accordions were also used, the common dances in the Pelimanni traditions such as minuet, waltz, polkska, polka, schottische and mazurka.

A way of rhyming sleigh singing is known as rekilaulu that also became famous on the 17^th century, in spite opposition from most of the churches in Finland, rekilaulu remained the most famous and it is common today as the elements in pop songs. Since the 1920s many famous Finnish musicians have used rekilaulu as an integral part of their collection. The early pioneers in this field of the pop rekilaulu included the Arthur Kylander, while Erkki Rankaviita and Pinnin Pojat have kept the tradition alive.

In the early 20^th century, the region of the Kaustinen became the center of innovation for Pelimanni music; Friiti Ojala and Antii Jarvela were fiddlers of the era. Konsta Jyiha and other members of Purpuripelimannit established in 1946 and became perhaps the most powerful orchestra of this classical era, the popular Finnish traditional music orchestras of today in the Kaustinen folk include  Frigg (although part Norwegian), Troka and JPP. A group that is more focused on the earlier Kalevala singing folks and Kantele is the Varttina. Another significant traditional musician of today is the accordionist Maria Kalaniemi.

The common instruments used in Finland include horns, trumpets and the whistle; the important musical virtuosos are Virpi Forsberg, Leena Joutsenlahti, Teppo Repo. Also another traditional Finnish instrument includes the kantele, which is the chordophone and it was used in the Kalevala by the hero Vainamoinen. More primitive instruments such as the jouhikko (a bowed lyre) and the sakkipilli (Finnish bagpige) had fallen into disuse, but are now finding new fame in the traditional revival. In the 20^th century, the influences from the recent music and dances like foxtrot and jazz led to distinctively Finnish forms of dance music such as jenkka and humppa.