Viljo Vesterinen
Encyclopedia
Viljo "Vili" Vesterinen (born 26 March 1907 in Terijoki, died 18 May 1961 in Helsinki
) was a Finnish
accordion
ist and composer
.
Vesterinen studied piano
and cello
in Vyborg Music Institute, but as an accordionist he was self-taught. Vesterinen mainly played in different bands and theatres early in his career. Vesterinen made his first recordings in 1929. The most popular recording of Vesterinen is Säkkijärven polkka
in 1939. Even though it is not Vesterinen's own song, his version of the song is the most popular among people. Other popular songs are Metsäkukkia (1931), Hilpeä hanuri (1936) and Valssi menneiltä ajoilta (1939). Vesterinen made a total of 130 recordings during his career. Due to heavy use of alcohol
and cigarette
s his health went weak and lately in his career he could not play accordion in same frequence as before.
Vesterinen also starred some movies. The movie Säkkijärven polkka (1955) tells about Vesterinen's life.
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
) was a Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Vesterinen studied piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
in Vyborg Music Institute, but as an accordionist he was self-taught. Vesterinen mainly played in different bands and theatres early in his career. Vesterinen made his first recordings in 1929. The most popular recording of Vesterinen is Säkkijärven polkka
Säkkijärven polkka
Säkkijärven polkka is a well-known folk tune from Finland, popular with Finnish accordionists to the extent that it can be called their national anthem. It was especially popularized by Viljo "Vili" Vesterinen...
in 1939. Even though it is not Vesterinen's own song, his version of the song is the most popular among people. Other popular songs are Metsäkukkia (1931), Hilpeä hanuri (1936) and Valssi menneiltä ajoilta (1939). Vesterinen made a total of 130 recordings during his career. Due to heavy use of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s his health went weak and lately in his career he could not play accordion in same frequence as before.
Vesterinen also starred some movies. The movie Säkkijärven polkka (1955) tells about Vesterinen's life.