Kihnu Island Wedding Songs (mixed choir) 111

Tormis, Veljo
Product number: eres 3046

Mindesbestellmenge: 10

Ready for shipping

Kihnu Island Wedding Songs

for mixed choir

by Veljo Tormis

Kihnu is in the Gulf of Riga (Gulf of Livonia) near the Estonian coast. The inhabitants of Kihnu still sing alliterative wedding songs that have their origin in pre-Christian culture. The wedding songs now represent the last living remnant of the Runo or Kalevala song typical of the Finns of the East Baltic, to whom the Estonians belong. The trophaic metrical feet of the wedding songs are clothed in the peculiar syncopated cradle-song rhythm sung in the Bevaeend area. The Runo songs are characterized by a melody that is as long as one line verse and is repeated endlessly as the text continues. In the course of time the typical Kihnu melody has been written down in hundreds of  variants.

This choral suite combine some of the variants into a melody that moves towards a climax, whereby different motifs are used for various songs. All of the melody variations used here stem from genuine traditional folksongs, to which the composer has added transitional passages. The form of this compositions assigns in to the culture of Europe. Hence it is not an imitation of the music of the  earliest Kihnu culture.

Eres Estonia Edition
Estonian Music
Music from Estonia

ISMN 979-0-2024-3046-0


This pieces was sung at Suure-Jaani-Festivals.

This title is available on the CD

BRIDGE OF SONGS
Works from Veljo Tormis
ESTONIAN  RADIO  CHOIR
Conductor: Toomas Kapten
Finlandia 4509-96937-2

No review available for this product.