LL-L "Musica" 2003.10.29 (08) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 29.OCT.2003 (08) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: Szelog, Mike <Mike.Szelog at citizensbank.com>
Subject: Lowlands Influence on Baltic Music

Hello all,

I was fortunate enough to get copies of some Estonian folk tunes from a
colleague of mine at work and in listening to them, I was quite amazed to
hear that they sounded like something you'd hear from a typical Lowlands
folk group! If you didn't know the language was Estonian, you'd think you
were listening to something from Hamburg or Kiel!

The tunes were all done in what I can best describe as "sea-shanty" style,
three part harmony, with typical folk instruments (guitar, mandolin, fiddle,
etc.), almost sort of your typical "coastal" type folk tunes.

It's not so much the instruments as the melodies themselves that intrigued
me. I know Estonia has had a colorful history and was one home to the
Teutonic Knights, but I wonder about the possible influence of the Hanseatic
League?

Is it possible, or would anyone know if, the music of Estonia was influenced
by the folk music of this Lowland tradition? I have to think that it's
possible with being occupied by Lowlands speaking Germans, some of the folk
traditions may have "rubbed off" - I have a lot of Finnish folk music and it
in almost no way compares (i.e. the Estonian stuff is not very "Finnic"
sounding).

Other tapes my colleague let me copy are more in the line of what you'd
think of as the "Finnic" tradition, but perhaps it was just that particular
group - I don't know where in Estonia they're from.

Any ideas about this cultural influence from the Lowlands in the Baltic??

Thanks and Happy Samhain!

Mike S
Manchester, NH - USA

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Musica

Tere, Mike, Lowlanders!

Obviously, Balto-Finnic and Baltic (and I make a difference between "Finnic"
and "Baltic") languages and cultures have undergone great changes due to
Lowands Saxon ("Low German"), Scandinavian, German, Polish and Russian
influences.  The vocabulary of Estonian, a Finnic, thus Uralic,
non-Indo-European, language, is particularly strongly LS-influenced.  I
agree that much of the supposed "folk music" of the region sounds very "Low
German" and "Scandinavian" to outsiders.  However, I have a feeling that
this is more so in "popular folk" genres, the Estonian equivalent of German
_Stimmungsmusik_ (i.e., the humpt-tata party stuff).  As far as I can tell,
older Finnic and Baltic musical traditions *are* still being preserved in
some quarters.

I understand that, at least traditionally, Estonians distinguish between
_laul_ 'song' (traditional song or tune, cf. Finnish _laulu_) and _viis_
'tune', 'song' (popular song or tune < LS _wys'_, _Wies'_ [viːˑz] 'tune').

Perhaps our Estonian friends can enlighten us further.

The following may be of interest to you:
http://haldjas.folklore.ee/folklore/vol6/ruutel.htm
http://www.musicfinland.com/fmq/articles/estonia.html

Also ...

Popular folk (clearly influenced by "Low German" and Scandinavian) :
http://depts.washington.edu/baltic/music/ESTI05.mp3 (from a Seattle concert)
http://www.einst.ee/historic/music/GrandMarino.MP3 (Group: Grand Marino)

Traditional folk:
http://depts.washington.edu/baltic/music/
http://www.einst.ee/historic/music/Peenid.MP3 (Group: Peenid Sörmed,
medieval-sounding)
http://www.einst.ee/historic/music/WIRBEL.mp3 (Group: Wirbel,
"Uralic"-sounding)

Modern folk:
http://www.cdroots.com/arm-pohja.html
http://www.cd-shop-online.org/world_music/kirile_loo_1.html

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron

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