Some Finnish Tune

[m3838]

http://fishki.net/comment.php?id=9540

 

But please, just listen to the tune, don't open any of the links. They have stupid offencive sexual content.

But the song is nice.

So I thought you'll like it too.

It has nice bass, harmony and peppy melody.

In the link it's looped, but may be someone from Finnland knows this tune and and point at

better recording, without the "animation" and those adds.

[Henk van Aalten]

http://fishki.net/comment.php?id=9540But please, just listen to the tune......

And those "smilies".. they really make you smile!!!

 

[Theodore Kloba]

http://fishki.net/comment.php?id=9540

 

But please, just listen to the tune,

I hunted through the source of the page to find that the background song is: http://wap.funs.ru/load/loituma_mob.mp3, and there's a link to the full song: Loituma - Leva's polka... Actually the title according to Amazon.com is "Ieva's polka"; it's on Loituma's album Things of Beauty from 1998.

 

There are several other links to the same song excerpt, plus one other song (from a different artist):

http://dona-dona.ru/mp3/site-shedevr/Sestr...im_Chivibom.mp3

Is that Yiddish? Yes it is! It's the Barry Sisters.

 

(Edited to answer my own question at the end).

Edited April 27, 2006 by Theodore Kloba

[JimLucas]

http://fishki.net/comment.php?id=9540

...just listen to the tune,...

I didn't hear anything on the web site, probably because I won't let ActiveX run when I'm viewing an unknown web site. (I could say "especially a Russian one", but I'm just as paranoid about American or Danish web sites).

 

BUT... I searched the page's source code for ".mp3" and found a series of links, so...

 

The name of the piece is "Ievan Polkka" ("Ieva's Polka"). Maybe "Ieva" is someone's name, but with my dictionary and limited Finnish grammar, I think it might be "Grinning Polka" ("Polka of the Grin"). I certainly think that would be appropriate. The group is LOITUMA. The tune is listed as traditional, with lyrics by Eino Kettunen, who is apparently not a member of LOITUMA. The arrangement is by the group. The recording is from their CD "Things of Beauty", but seems also to have been on their (first?) album "LOITUMA".

 

I had heard of them before, but I hadn't actually heard them. This is fantastic stuff! I'll want whatever they've recorded. And a quick Google didn't turn up any reference to any other group having recorded that tune/song.

 

Michael, how did you find this? Looking for music with harp or its relatives? On some numbers they use the kantele, a traditional Finnish relative of the zither or dulcimer, which comes in varieties ranging from the 5-string "original" (there's a folk tale about its origin) to the 36-string "concert" kantele. For some wonderful kantele music, I recommend Minna Raskinen. Timo Väänänen also does some interesting stuff on kantele, but I think it's more in the nature of soundscapes. I prefer Minna.

 

Another intriguing listing among the Sibelius Academy Recordings is Petri Ikkelä, "Accordions Bandoneon Concertina". I'm not sure what kind of "concertina" he plays on the small sound sample of "Pyöräilyä". And for you accordion fans they have Maria Kalaniemi on 5-row chromatic CBA.

 

But getting back to the web site/recording Michael told us about:

In the link it's looped,...

As I said, I didn't listen to what's on that web site, but I did find four links to MP3 recordings, and there seem to be two versions. The full version is 2'46", while the shorter version (intended as a "ring tone"?) is only a 26 second excerpt. (There's also a 22-second excerpt, which seems to be speeded up.) I suspect it's the shorter version that Michael said was looping. If you like that, then you definitely want to hear the full version! :)

 

Edited to correct the tune name from "Levan" (as it's listed all over the web) to "Ievan" (which I now notice is how it's spelled on the Sibelius Academy web site).

 

Edited again to correct the details about the number of strings on a kantele.

Edited April 28, 2006 by JimLucas

[JimLucas]

I hunted through the source of the page to find that the background song is...

Hmm. Looks like we had the same idea.

[m3838]

Thanks Theodore.

Awsome work.

I sent the links to my friends in Russia, who gave me the first link.

My friend plays balalajka and sings folk songs. It can be a very good source for him.

[JimLucas]

Just a little more about "Ievan Polkka":

... Now that I have it spelled correctly I find that there's at least one other recording, but I suspect only as a tune, played on PA by Viola Turpeinen.

... Also, here is a web page with the Finnish lyrics and an English translation.

[m3838]

"Michael, how did you find this? "

 

Well, a friend of mine sent me the link.

Glad you liked it and thanks for all the searching work.

I'll pay closest attention to the group and this polka is on my list to learn.

Thanks.

[Theodore Kloba]

On some numbers they use the kantele, a traditional Finnish relative of the zither or dulcimer, which comes in varieties ranging from 3 strings to "concert" (I forget how many strings; 30? 40?). For some wonderful kantele music, I recommend Minna Raskinen. Timo Väänänen also does some interesting stuff on kantele, but I think it's more in the nature of soundscapes. I prefer Minna.

I have some albums by the Karelian Folk Music Ensemble that include nice Kantele pieces as well.

 

I play (to a fashion) the Lithuanian version of this instrument, called Kankles. (The photo there was actually me).

[JimLucas]

The name of the piece is "Ievan Polkka" ("Ieva's Polka"). Maybe "Ieva" is someone's name, but with my dictionary and limited Finnish grammar, I think it might be "Grinning Polka" ("Polka of the Grin"). I certainly think that would be appropriate.

Well, that was an interesting thought, but I now see from the lyrics that Ieva is "just" the name of the girl in the song.

[Theodore Kloba]

the background song is: http://wap.funs.ru/load/loituma_mob.mp3

That link seems to be dead now (or at least trying to load as Wireless protocol application). These work if you really want to use it as a ringtone:

 

http://music.kypexin.ru/ra-tsa-tsa.mp3

http://www.stalk.ru/gipnoz.mp3

 

And here's a live performance video: http://www.tvfolk.net/artistVideo.php?ID=420&resolution=high

Edited April 28, 2006 by Theodore Kloba

[JimLucas]

the background song is: ...

That link seems to be dead now (or at least trying to load as Wireless protocol application).

Thanks for the heads up. (Interesting that the URL is for a .mp3 file, but it appears that now that is not the file that gets downloaded.) I have now changed the link in my earlier post.

 

And here's a live performance video: http://www.tvfolk.net/artistVideo.php?ID=420&resolution=high

Sigh! I have two computers which seem unable to run that, each experiencing a different kind of error. Where can I find a third one... one that works? (Rhetorical complaint! )

[David Barnert]

And here's a live performance video: http://www.tvfolk.net/artistVideo.php?ID=420&resolution=high

Sigh! I have two computers which seem unable to run that, each experiencing a different kind of error. Where can I find a third one... one that works? (Rhetorical complaint! )

It loaded nicely as a QuickTime movie on my 3-year old Mac with a dial-up connection through AOL (although it took a long time). OSX 10.2.8, QuickTime 6.5.2.

[David Barnert]

Thank you, Misha.

 

I didn't get a chance to listen to this tune until some 26 hours after you started this thread, but since then I have listened to it many times over and over (but not continuously for the whole 8 hours). This is something that used to happen to me with some regularity, but it has been many years since a recording has so enchanted me that I cannot stop listening to it.

 

I have no idea what these people are singing about, but I feel like they are singing to me. I'm hesitant to look at the translation for fear of disappointment.

 

Edited to add: I'm talking about the long version that Jim pointed to. Thanks to Jim, too.

Edited April 29, 2006 by David Barnert

[JimLucas]

I have no idea what these people are singing about, but I feel like they are singing to me. I'm hesitant to look at the translation for fear of disappointment.

I won't spoil it for you, but I will comment on some of the "words". One of their effects is the use of different syllables on the backing "chords" in each verse, which I think works really well. In the one verse they use three-syllable words which sound suspiciously like ones I've heard (but not understood) in a old Danish ballad. An ethnomusicological joke? The main lyrics also seem to have interpolated a couple of additional "verses" of mouth music.

 

But whether you understand the story in the lyrics or not, it's wonderful music!

 

Edited to add: I'm talking about the long version that Jim pointed to. Thanks to Jim, too.

And to Theodore, who also pointed to the long version.

[David Barnert]

The main lyrics also seem to have interpolated a couple of additional "verses" of mouth music.

Yes, that's clear even without seeing the lyrics. Have you been able to view the video yet? There are two soloists. The woman 2nd from the right (stage left) sings the narrative verses (at the beginning and end). She is the one pictured in my earlier post. The woman at the left (stage right) sings the scat verses in the middle of the performance. It is her contribution that we hear looped on the Russian site Misha first pointed us to.

[m3838]

You're welcome.

And don't look at the lyrics. Nothing special. I was quite disappointed. But it doens't matter really, since I don't understand Finnish, don't know the culture and the nuances and this is clearly not a ballad or sacred song, but a voice shtick, a good one. They could as well be singing in gibbrish, same effect.

I'll wait untill you'll have enough of this song and post another one,a version of the song, written in the 50es, sang by two russians in "Italian". I don't know about you, but it decided to move into my head perminently. Again, russian I.net is stuck with it, but this time from my pass.

 

P.S.

I really liked the way they looked on the Video. Simple, no special "stage" attire, nothing. Just plain folks in plain clothes, but just wait till they start singing. One of those cases, that make my life better. Another one is that guy, who plays classical mandoline. Totally looked like a dork, and then - wham!!! - let him live 100 years.

[JimLucas]

Have you been able to view the video yet?

Finally got the video working. Strange "solution". I removed the bit in the URL that says "&resolution=high", and it worked just fine. But having played that way once, now the original URL also works.

 

Looks great! Those guys are really having fun!