Loituma
Encyclopedia
Loituma is a Finnish
quartet
whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the kantele
. Loituma were selected Ensemble of the Year at the 1997 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival
.
’s Folk music department. The original lineup included singers Sanna Kurki-Suonio
and Tellu Paulasto
, who later left for Sweden
to join Hedningarna
.
Over the years, the group has persistently followed its own musical path, applying different musical influences to its music. It has dived into musical streams of diverse origins. One of the cornerstones of Finnish folk music
is the art of singing: stories and feelings are best conveyed through this instrument. Loituma's songs convey the Finnish heritage, aided in the background by Martti Pokela and Toivo Alaspää. Another cornerstone of Loituma's art is a Finnish folk instrument called kantele
, which is featured in varied ways in their recordings.
Loituma members compose or arrange the tunes by themselves, often using improvisation
. Lyrics come from many sources, two main traditional sources are the Kalevala
, the national epic of Finland, and the Kanteletar
. The lyrics are in 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...
quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
whose members combine the Finnish vocal tradition with the sounds of the 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...
. Loituma were selected Ensemble of the Year at the 1997 Kaustinen Folk Music Festival
Kaustinen Folk Music Festival
Kaustinen Folk Music Festival , celebrated yearly in July in Kaustinen, Finland, is the biggest folk music and dance festival in the Nordic countries. It was first celebrated in 1968....
.
History
Loituma’s initial incarnation was in the autumn of 1989 as a septet called Jäykkä Leipä ("Stiff Bread"), born in the Sibelius AcademySibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
’s Folk music department. The original lineup included singers Sanna Kurki-Suonio
Sanna Kurki-Suonio
Sanna Kurki-Suonio is a Finnish singer, kantele player and composer in the contemporary folk / neo-folk music genre. She is probably most well-known for her work with the band Hedningarna, which extended over eight years between 1991 and 1999...
and Tellu Paulasto
Tellu Turkka
Tellu Turkka is a Finnish fiddler and singer in the contemporary folk / neo-folk music genre. She studied violin at the Jyväskylä Conservatory from 1978 to 1985, at the Savonlinna Art College from 1985 to 1988, and at the Folk Music Department of the Sibelius Academy from 1989 to 2001...
, who later left for Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to join Hedningarna
Hedningarna
Hedningarna is a Swedish and, for some years partly Finnish, folk music band that mixes electronics and rock with elements from old Scandinavian folk music. Their music features Yoik or juoiggus, a traditional Sami form of song.-History:...
.
Over the years, the group has persistently followed its own musical path, applying different musical influences to its music. It has dived into musical streams of diverse origins. One of the cornerstones of 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....
is the art of singing: stories and feelings are best conveyed through this instrument. Loituma's songs convey the Finnish heritage, aided in the background by Martti Pokela and Toivo Alaspää. Another cornerstone of Loituma's art is a Finnish folk instrument called 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...
, which is featured in varied ways in their recordings.
Loituma members compose or arrange the tunes by themselves, often using improvisation
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
. Lyrics come from many sources, two main traditional sources are the 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 national epic of Finland, and the Kanteletar
Kanteletar
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 lyrics are in Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
Band members
- Sari Kauranen — kanteles, vocals
- Anita Lehtola-Tollin — vocals, 5-string kantele
- Timo Väänänen, Home page — kanteles, vocals
- Hanni-Mari Autere, Etno.net, Solo music — vocals, fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, 5-string kantele, alto recorderRecorderThe recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...
, double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, Lapin drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
Discography
- Loituma (released in Finland in 1995) / Things of BeautyThings of BeautyThings of Beauty is the U.S. release of Loituma's first of two albums.-Track listing:#"Eriskummainen kantele / The peculiar kantele" – 3:42#"Kultaansa ikävöivä / Missing my beloved" – 4:24#"Viimesen kerran / The very last time" – 3:10...
(released in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1998) - Kuutamolla (released in Finland in 1998) / In the Moonlight (released in United States in 1999)
See also
- "Ievan PolkkaIevan Polkka"Ievan Polkka" or "Ievan Polokka" is a popular Finnish song with lyrics written in the early 1930s by Eino Kettunen to a traditional Finnish polka tune. The name is commonly misspelled Levan polkka, due to the similarity of lower-case L and upper-case i in sans-serif fonts...
", a song performed by Loituma that was used in the popular Loituma GirlLoituma GirlLoituma Girl is a Flash animation set to a scat singing section of the traditional Finnish folk song "Ievan Polkka," sung by the Finnish quartet Loituma on their 1996 debut album Things of Beauty. It appeared on the Internet in late April 2006 and quickly became popular...
internet memeInternet memeThe term Internet meme is used to describe a concept that spreads via the Internet. The term is a reference to the concept of memes, although the latter concept refers to a much broader category of cultural information.-Description:...
depicting Orihime InoueOrihime Inoueis a fictional character in the anime and manga series Bleach created by Tite Kubo. She is a classmate and friend of Ichigo Kurosaki, the main character of the series. Like many other friends of Ichigo, she quickly develops spiritual powers of her own after Ichigo becomes a Soul Reaper...
from BleachBleach (manga)is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki...
.
External links
- A live version of the song Ievan Polkka (video).
- A live video clip with Loituma singing the complete song (Flash format).
- A musical analysis of some of Loituma's songs
- Loituma's MySpace Profile