Kanteletar
Encyclopedia
Kanteletar is a collection of Finnish
folk poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot
. It is considered to be a sister collection to the Finnish national epic
Kalevala
. The poems of Kanteletar are based on the trochaic tetrameter
, generally referred to as "Kalevala metre".
The name consists of the base word kantele
(a Finnish zither
-like instrument) and the feminising
morpheme
-tar and can be roughly interpreted as "goddess of the kantele" or "zither-daughter", a kind of muse
.
. The poems sung by Kuivalatar were recorded in Lönnrot's notes.
Kanteletar consists of three books. The first book includes 238 lyrical poems which Lönnrot named Yhteisiä Lauluja or "Common Songs". These songs are divided into common themes for a wedding crowd, shepherd
s and children. The second book contains 354 lyrical poems which was called Erityisiä Lauluja or "Special Songs". These songs are divided as songs for girls, women, boys and men. There are 60 historic poems, romances
, legend
s, ballad
s and lyrical epic poems in the third book, which is called Virsi-Lauluja or "Hymns". There are 24 new poems in the preface
.
Lönnrot's third edition of Kanteletar in 1887 had the third book revised in full, as it contained 137 poems. Later editions adhered to the original printing with the exception of 10 poems which were taken from the third book as an appendix
.
The lyrical poetry of Kanteletar comes, for the most part, from Finnish Karelia
. In his forward, Lönnrot makes note of Lieksa
, Ilomantsi
, Kitee
, Tohmajärvi
, Sortavala
, Jaakkima and Kurkijoki as places where he traveled. The poems of the third book have generally been collected from Russia
and Karelia
.
. They have been used as a source of lyrics for Finnish folk music
in addition to archived Finnish folk poetry. The Kalevala-metred poems had originally been sung poetry.
For example, the lyrics in the Värttinä song Niin mie mieltynen (The Beloved, Music: P. Lehti – Words: S. Reiman, trad.)
are taken directly from the 31st poem of the second book. The name of the poem is Onpa tietty tietyssäni (I Am Thinking of a Particular One) and has been translated:
Viipurin Lauluveikot "Yhä kohoaa tuttu torni". Fuga-9234. ISRCFIVLV0700001-12. Viipurin Lauluveikot 2007.
Viipurin Lauluveikot "Te luulette meidän unohtaneen". Fuga-1981.
Culture of Finland
The culture of Finland combines indigenous heritage, as represented for example by the country's Uralic national language Finnish, and the sauna, with common Nordic and European culture. Because of its history and geographic location Finland has been influenced by the adjacent areas' various...
folk poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot was a Finnish philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for compiling the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled from national folklore.-Education and early life:...
. It is considered to be a sister collection to the Finnish national epic
National epic
A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation; not necessarily a nation-state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with aspirations to independence or autonomy...
Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
. The poems of Kanteletar are based on the trochaic tetrameter
Trochaic tetrameter
Trochaic tetrameter is a meter in poetry. It refers to a line of four trochaic feet. The word "tetrameter" simply means that the poem has four trochees...
, generally referred to as "Kalevala metre".
The name consists of the base word kantele
Kantele
A kantele or kannel is a traditional plucked string instrument of the zither family native to Finland, Estonia, and Karelia. It is related to the Russian gusli, the Latvian kokle and the Lithuanian kanklės. Together these instruments make up the family known as Baltic psalteries...
(a Finnish zither
Zither
The zither is a musical string instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary citera, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and East Asian cultures, including China...
-like instrument) and the feminising
Feminization
Feminization can refer to:*Feminization the hormonally induced development of female sexual characteristics*Feminization a sexual or lifestyle practice where a person assumes a female role...
morpheme
Morpheme
In linguistics, a morpheme is the smallest semantically meaningful unit in a language. The field of study dedicated to morphemes is called morphology. A morpheme is not identical to a word, and the principal difference between the two is that a morpheme may or may not stand alone, whereas a word,...
-tar and can be roughly interpreted as "goddess of the kantele" or "zither-daughter", a kind of muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
.
History
Kanteletar was published in 1840 under the name Kanteletar taikka Suomen Kansan Wanhoja Lauluja ja Wirsiä ("Kanteletar or Old Songs and Hymns of the Finnish People"). Lönnrot got the foundation for the collection on his journeys in 1838 after he met rune singer Mateli Kuivalatar on the banks of the KoitereKoitere
is a lake in Ilomantsi, North Karelia, Finland. The lake, which sports numerous islands and beaches, is located in the middle of wilderness. The river Koitajoki, which is a tributary of the river Pielisjoki in North Karelia, flows from the lake....
. The poems sung by Kuivalatar were recorded in Lönnrot's notes.
Kanteletar consists of three books. The first book includes 238 lyrical poems which Lönnrot named Yhteisiä Lauluja or "Common Songs". These songs are divided into common themes for a wedding crowd, shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
s and children. The second book contains 354 lyrical poems which was called Erityisiä Lauluja or "Special Songs". These songs are divided as songs for girls, women, boys and men. There are 60 historic poems, romances
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
, legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s, ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s and lyrical epic poems in the third book, which is called Virsi-Lauluja or "Hymns". There are 24 new poems in the preface
Preface
A preface is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a foreword and precedes an author's preface...
.
Lönnrot's third edition of Kanteletar in 1887 had the third book revised in full, as it contained 137 poems. Later editions adhered to the original printing with the exception of 10 poems which were taken from the third book as an appendix
Addendum
An addendum, in general, is an addition required to be made to a document by its reader subsequent to its printing or publication. It comes from the Latin verbal phrase addendum est, being the gerundive form of the verb addo, addere, addidi, additum, "to give to, add to", meaning " must be added"...
.
The lyrical poetry of Kanteletar comes, for the most part, from Finnish Karelia
Finnish Karelia
Karelia is a historical province of Finland. It refers to the Western Karelia that during the second millennium has been under western dominance, religiously and politically. Western, i.e. Finnish Karelia is separate from Eastern, i.e...
. In his forward, Lönnrot makes note of Lieksa
Lieksa
Lieksa is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
, Ilomantsi
Ilomantsi
Ilomantsi is municipality and a village of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
, Kitee
Kitee
Kitee is a town and a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...
, Tohmajärvi
Tohmajärvi
Tohmajärvi is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...
, Sortavala
Sortavala
Sortavala is a town in the Republic of Karelia, Russia, located at the northern tip of Lake Ladoga. Population: It is an important station of the Vyborg-Joensuu railroad.-History:...
, Jaakkima and Kurkijoki as places where he traveled. The poems of the third book have generally been collected from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
.
Reception
Kanteletar and Kalevala has generally been used as a source of inspiration in the artsThe arts
The arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
. They have been used as a source of lyrics for Finnish folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
in addition to archived Finnish folk poetry. The Kalevala-metred poems had originally been sung poetry.
Music
- Mari Kaasinen has explained that Kanteletar and Kalevala have been used as a source of inspiration for the music of VärttinäVärttinäVärttinä is a Finnish folk music band which was started as a project by Sari and Mari Kaasinen back in 1983 in the village of Rääkkylä, in Karelia, the southeastern region of Finland. Many transformations have taken place in the band since then...
.
For example, the lyrics in the Värttinä song Niin mie mieltynen (The Beloved, Music: P. Lehti – Words: S. Reiman, trad.)
Ompa tietty tietyssäni,
mesimarja mielessäni.
Lempilintu liitossani,
soriainen suojassani.
are taken directly from the 31st poem of the second book. The name of the poem is Onpa tietty tietyssäni (I Am Thinking of a Particular One) and has been translated:
His image is fastened in my mind
My sweet one in my memory,
My little bird flies along with me
My dear one under my wing.
- Akseli Törnudd (1874–1923) had written about twenty songs based on Kanteletar poems, the most popular being perhaps the humorous story about a catCatThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
from Viipuri Tuomittu katti ("The Convicted Cat").
- The men's choirChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
Viipurin LauluveikotViipurin LauluveikotThe Finnish men's choir Viipurin Lauluveikot was founded in Vyborg in 1897. After the Second World War, the choir moved from Vyborg to Helsinki because Finland had lost the town. There have been many famous composers, leaders and soloists who have worked with Viipurin Lauluveikot...
, conducted by Urpo Rauhala, put out the song for the album Yhä kohoaa tuttu torni and other songs were recorded for their collection Te luulette meidän unohtaneen in 2005.
- A capella group RajatonRajatonRajaton is a Finnish a cappella ensemble, founded in Helsinki in 1997. The Finnish word rajaton means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near Europop...
has recorded several songs with lyrics taken from Kanteletar.
- Kanteletar has been a source of inspiration for the lyrics of the choral works by Toivo KuulaToivo KuulaToivo Timoteus Kuula was a Finnish conductor and composer. He was born in the city of Vaasa , when Finland still was a Grand Duchy under Russian rule. He is known as a colorful and passionate portrayer of Finnish nature and people...
, Jean SibeliusJean SibeliusJean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
and Selim PalmgrenSelim PalmgrenSelim Gustaf Adolf Palmgren , dubbed "The Finnish Chopin", was a Finnish composer, pianist, and conductor. Palmgren was born in Pori, Finland, February 16, 1878. He studied at the Conservatory in Helsinki from 1895 to 1899, then continued his piano studies in Berlin with Ansorge, Berger and Busoni...
.
Visual art
- In addition to his paintings inspired by Kalevala, Akseli Gallen-KallelaAkseli Gallen-KallelaAkseli Gallen-Kallela was a Finnish painter who is best known for his illustrations of the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic . His work was considered very important for the Finnish national identity...
produced paintings based on Kanteletar in the late 19th century.
Sources
- Kanteletar on the Project Gutenberg database
Viipurin Lauluveikot "Yhä kohoaa tuttu torni". Fuga-9234. ISRCFIVLV0700001-12. Viipurin Lauluveikot 2007.
Viipurin Lauluveikot "Te luulette meidän unohtaneen". Fuga-1981.
External links
- Kanteletar taikka Suomen Kansan Wanhoja Lauluja ja Wirsiä
- Kanteletar Project Gutenberg database
- Kanteletar sheet music
- Viipurin Lauluveikot homepage
- Kanteletar at thisisFINLAND