Estonian folk songs

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Estonian folk songs Taive Särg
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Folk song rahvalaul is folk vocal music.
Usually stands folk song for old ethnic /
national songs, e.g. Estonian, Russian folk song.
Contemporary folk songs are often songs of
(small) groups student songs, soldiers songs.

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Estonian folk song eesti rahvalaul stands mainly
for village folk songs (till the late 1800s),
transmitted orally. According to contemporary
folkloristics Estonian folk songs are all
wellknown songs that has become popular in
various groups of Estonians. Estonian folk songs
are in Estonian and their content is in
accordance with Estonian mentality.
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Estonian folk songs can be classified 1.
archaic vocal genres older folk songs 2.
regilaulud (runo songs) 3. end rhymed
strophic songs more modern folk songs
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Archaic vocal genres archaic songs and
song-like sounds. Solo songs (excl. wedding
laments), without instrumental accompaniment,
often very pragmatic. hüüded shouts for
communication, organizing rhytmical activity,
ritual shouts. helletused herding calls
imitations of nature and other sounds bird
songs, church bells, music instruments loits / ud
incantations, charms for forces of nature,
people, deceases lastelaulud children songs
lullabies, children rhymes, chain songs itkud
lamentations for funerals, weddings, soldiers,
everyday life
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Regilaul a very old and characteristic style of
Estonian folk music. Usually translated as runo
song, runic song, Kalevala-metric song. Belonged
to the joint tradition of the Baltic-Finnic
peoples and its age is approximately 2000
years. Estonian cultural identity has been
tightly connected with regilaul songs, because
they represent archaic musical and poetic
thinking, local dialects, folk religion, etc The
main criteria for a song to be classified as a
runo song are the poetic characteristics of its
text called regivärss. Term. Old German regge,
reie song, round game. Finnish term runolaul,
Finnish runo poem lt singer, wizard.
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Regilaul characteristics The poetic
characteristics of its text word initial
alliteration and assonance, parallelism, and a
specific textual metre. Text lines were not
organized into stanzas. Very poetic and old
language. Mul on / väike / velle/kene, põlve/pik
ku / poisi/kene. Ta teeb / toa / tuule /
peale, maja / marja/varre / peale, koja /
kobru/lehe / peale.
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Regilaulu värsimõõt
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Old poetic language. Estonian words shortened in
the 13.-17th century. laulemaie lt laulemahe
laulma (laulmasse) kiike-jääle lt kiikeelle lt
kiikekelle kiigele lastatanni lt lastadani meie
last
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The regilaul melodies usually have isochronic
syllabic rhythm, not very strict metre, narrow
ambitus, monophonic (polyphony in
Setomaa), stepwise melody movement, and short
descending melodic motives that reveal influences
from Estonian speech prosody.
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Rhythm.
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Regilaul classification   1) Songs at certain
activity works (harvesting, herding, women
house cores), calnedar traditions, weddings,
dance and game songs, children songs. Usually
very old, traditional, but include occasional
Improvisations.   2) Free songs in different
situations lyrics (about singing,
nature, everyday life, marriage etc...),
lyroepics (cosmologocal myths, legends, songs
about family dramas. works). Lyroepic songs
are is very archaic, lyric songs more modern.
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The more modern Estonian folk songs uuemad
rahvalaulud began to spread at the end of the
1800s and had become very popular by the end of
the 1900s. lõppriimilised salmilaulud end-rhymed
strophic songs Those songs were borrowed
directly from Indo-European neighbours or
shaped, following their folk music styles,
especially according to German folk music.
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The modern folk song characteristics The modern
folk song lyrics consisted of end-rhymed verses,
grouped into stanzas. Song melodies and
instrumental pieces also had a strict metre,
wider ambitus (beginning from fifth), and melodic
structure, based on the diatonic scale and
harmonic functions characteristic of Western
music. Songs could have instrumental
accompaniment.
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Elu elu miks mind vaevad 8 silpi
miks sa tood mul kurvas- tust 7 silpi
miks sa mulle hauda kaevad 8 silpi
kinni katad armas- tust 7 silpi
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• The classification  of more modern folk songs
• Dance, round game songs
• Sentimental love songs
• 3) Songs about village life (village
  chronicles)
• 4) War and prison songs
• 5) Spiritual songs (folk chorals, mainly basing
  on Lutherian chorals)
• 1-2) Womens repertoire
• 3-4) Mens repertoire

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• The living old Estonian folk song tradition
  persisted until
• the beginning of the 20th century, and in some
  peripheral
• localities (ethnographical areas Setu and Kihnu)
  it is alive
• even today.
• Contemporary Estonian folk song comprises
  different music styles, including authentic
  folk songs, i.e. imitation of traditional song
  styles, various arrangements and popular music as
  well.
• On the basis of context two main directions can
  be pointed out
• folklorism (perfromance on stage or festival),
  and
• spontaneous group-singing.