Finnish art song for the American singer

Abstract

Art song teachers are constantly seeking new repertoire for their students. Many countries outside those commonly represented in American vocal studios (for instance Spain and Russia) have rich art song traditions which merit inclusion in the vocal studio. In this era of increased cultural awareness, many other areas of music education are seeking to explore these repertoires. However, many art songs are unable to be utilized because of the lack of resources in this country concerning their acquisition, identification, history, pronunciation and performance. Finland has a vast art song repertoire that is largely unexplored by American singers and teachers for the reasons mentioned above. A relatively new nation, Finland has a rich past which has remained a mystery to the west because of its close connection to the former Soviet Union. In addition, prior to the twentieth century, Finland had been under the control of foreign governments including those of Russia and Sweden since the Middle Ages. This document seeks to identify and examine Finnish art songs while providing background information regarding their history, development, and relevance to Finnish culture. In addition, tools for acquiring and performing Finnish art song are included to facilitate the inclusion of these songs in American vocal studios. Various sections include the development of the art song genre in Finland, the connection of songs to the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, and a brief examination of the Finno-Ugrian language group. Biographical information is provided for seven selected composers arranged in chronological order. A total of ten songs are analyzed from the selected composers and an English translation is also provided for each. In addition, a collection of appendices providing complete lists of published songs for each composer, a Finnish IPA pronunciation chart, contact information for Finnish music publishers and musical resources and a selected discography are included.