The

recorded history Recorded history or written history describes the historical events that have been recorded in a written form or other documented communication which are subsequently evaluated by historians using the historical method. For broader world h ...

of music in

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

dates as far back as the 12th century.

History

The earliest mentioning of Estonian singing and dancing dates back to

Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus (), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author ...

' ''

Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essentia ...

'' (c. 1179). Saxo speaks of Estonian warriors who sang at night while waiting for an epic battle. The Estonian folk music tradition is broadly divided into 2 periods. The older

folksong Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has bee ...

s are also referred to as

runic songs Runic song, also referred to as ''Rune'' song, ''Runo'' song, or ''Kalevala'' song, is a form of oral poetry and national epic historically practiced among the Baltic Finnic peoples. It includes the Finnish epic poems ''Kalevala'' and ''Kanteleta ...

, traditional songs in the poetic metre ''regivärss'' that are shared by all Finnic peoples. Runic singing was widespread among Estonians until the 18th century, when it started to be replaced by rhythmic folksongs. Professional Estonian musicians emerged in the late 19th century at the time of

Estonian national awakening The Estonian Age of Awakening () is a period in history where Estonians came to acknowledge themselves as a nation deserving the right to govern themselves. This period is considered to begin in the 1850s with greater rights being granted to com ...

. The best known active Estonian composers is

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in p ...

Folk music

Estonian

epic poetry In poetry, an epic is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. With regard t ...

(Estonian: ''regilaul'') has been extensively recorded and studied, especially those sung by women. They can come in many forms, including

work song A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a form of work, either one sung while conducting a task (usually to coordinate timing) or one linked to a task that may be a connected narrative, description, or protest song. An example is " I ...

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

s and sung legends. Much of the early scholarly study of epic poetry was done in the 1860s by

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald ( – ) was an Estonians, Estonian writer and the author of the national epic ''Kalevipoeg''. Life Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's parents were born at the Jõepere, Jömper estate, Governorate of Estonia, Russia ...

, who used ''regilaul'' themes to compose the Estonian

national epic A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks to or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation—not necessarily a nation state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group wi ...

, ''

Kalevipoeg ''Kalevipoeg'' (, ''Kalev's Son'') is a 19th-century epic poem by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald which has since been considered the Estonian national epic. Origins In pre-Christian ancient Estonia there existed an oral tradition, known as ...

''. By the 20th century, though, ''regilaul'' singing had largely disappeared from Estonia, with vibrant traditions existing only in

Setumaa Setomaa (; , ) is a region south of Lake Peipus and traditionally inhabited by the Seto people. The Seto dialect is a variety of South Estonian. The historic range of Setomaa is located in the territories of present-day Estonia and Russia. Es ...

and

Kihnu Kihnu is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of , it is the largest island in the Gulf of Riga and the seventh largest island of Estonia. With a length of and width of , the island's highest point is above sea level. Kihnu belongs to P ...

. Traditional

wind instrument A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator (usually a tube) in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into (or over) a mouthpiece set at or near the end of the resonator. The pitch ...

s derived from those used by shepherds, such as the karjapasun and vilepill, were once widespread, but are now more rarely played. Other instruments, including the

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

zither Zither (; , from the Greek ''cithara'') is a class of stringed instruments. The modern instrument has many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a ...

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

and

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

are used to play

polka Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...

or other dance music. The '' kannel'' is a native instrument that is probably even more popular among the Estonian diaspora in North America than in its homeland, where well-known ''kannel'' musicians include

Igor Tõnurist Igor Tõnurist (11 February 1947 – 8 January 2021) was an Estonian ethnographer and folklorist. In 1969 he graduated from Moscow University in history and ethnography. Tõnurist was the leader of several folklore groups, including Leegajus and ...

and Tuule Kann. A notable example of an Estonian folk song is called "The herring lived on dry land", or simply "The

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

song". According to its lyrics, in the ancient times the herring used to have legs and live on dry land. It used to destroy vermin, like rats and it was kept like a cat. One time a two masted

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on Mast (sailing), masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing Square rig, square-rigged or Fore-an ...

was transporting a large load of

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

. Back then salt was expensive. Some unit of it called ''saam'' cost 100 of something in gold. There was a herring aboard the ship. The specific herring liked to eat salt, so it started to tunnel its way around the salt sacks. Eventually it accidentally chewed its way through the ships wooden

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

, causing it to sink. This angered Neptune (the god of sea), who said to the herring: "Hey herring, because you chewed a hole into the ship and sunk the new ship, you will now have to live in seawater as punishment." The salt from the ship was released into the sea, resulting in the seas now having a salt composition.The Tallinn University
keeps it on
list mostly consisting of old and culturally relevant songs

National awakening

After the

the first professional Estonian musicians emerged. The most significant were

Rudolf Tobias Rudolf Tobias ( – 29 October 1918) was the first Estonian professional composer, as well as a professional organist. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. His compositions include among others piano works, string quartets and an o ...

(1873–1918) and

Artur Kapp Artur Kapp (28 February 1878 – 14 January 1952) was an Estonians, Estonian composer. Born in Suure-Jaani, Estonia, then part of the Governorate of Livonia, Russian Empire, he was the son of Joosep Kapp, who was also a classically trained mu ...

(1878–1952). Other composers followed, such as

Mart Saar Mart Saar ( in Hüpassaare – 28 October 1963) was an Estonian composer, organist and collector of folk songs. Childhood Saar was born in the small borough of Hüpassaare (now in Karjasoo, Suure-Jaani Parish), Kreis Fellin in the Livonia ...

(1882–1963),

Artur Lemba Artur Lemba (24 September 1885 – 21 November 1963) was an Estonian composer and piano teacher, and one of the most important figures in Estonian classical music. Artur and his older brother Theodor (1876-1962) were the first professional piani ...

(1885–1963),

Heino Eller Heino Eller (7 March 188716 June 1970) was an Estonian composer and pedagogue, known as the founder of contemporary Estonian symphonic music. Life and career Eller was born in Tartu on 7 March 1887, where he took private lessons in violin and ...

(1887–1970) and

Cyrillus Kreek Cyrillus Kreek (born Karl Ustav Kreek; in Võnnu, Lääne county – 26 March 1962 in Haapsalu) was an Estonian composer.Strimple, Nick (2002''Choral music in the twentieth century'' p. 164. Hal Leonard Corporation. . Kreek studied trombone ...

(1889–1962).

20th century

In the 1960s, the

Soviet communist The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

authorities began encouraging forms of ethnic

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...

from various parts of the former USSR and Eastern Bloc. Local ethnographic bands were formed after Leiko, a

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

from

Värska Värska () is a small borough () in Setomaa Parish, Võru County in southeastern Estonia. At the 2021 Census, the settlement's population was 414. It is the most populous village of the Paris History Värska was first mentioned in written sources ...

, came together in 1964, while a less regionally distinct form of Estonian folk music was soon promoted, Estonian ring dance beginning with the formation of Leigarid in 1969. The 1950s and 60s also saw the publication of

Herbert Tampere Herbert Tampere (1 February 1909 Järveküla, Tartu County, Uniküla, Elva Parish – 19 January 1975 Rannu) was an Estonian folklorist and musicologist.Eesti muusika biograafiline leksikon (EMBL). Volume 2. Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus, 2007. Pa ...

's ''Eesti rahvalaule viisidega'' ("Estonian folk songs with melodies"), a collection of folk songs. The first LP of traditional music, ''Eesti rahvalaule ja pillilugusid'' ("Estonian folk songs and instrumental pieces") was released in 1967. In the 1980s, a series of musical festivals took place that helped stimulate the increasing popular demands for freedom of expression (these included the 1985 conference of CIOFF, the 1986

Viru säru Viru may refer to: * Virumaa, a region and ancient county in Northern Estonia, now divided between: ** Lääne-Viru County ** Ida-Viru County * Viru, Võru County, village in Rõuge Parish, Võru County, Estonia * Viru, Iran, a village in Golestan ...

and 1989's

Baltica Baltica is a paleocontinent that formed in the Paleoproterozoic and now constitutes northwestern Eurasia, or Europe north of the Trans-European Suture Zone and west of the Ural Mountains. The thick core of Baltica, the East European Craton, i ...

), leading to the nonviolent

Singing Revolution The Singing Revolution was a series of events from 1987 to 1991 that led to the restoration of independence of the three Soviet-occupied Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania at the end of the Cold War. The term was coined by a ...

of 1989, and Estonia's bloodless regaining of independence in 1991. In the 1950s, Estonian baritone

Georg Ots Georg Ots (21 March 1920 – 5 September 1975) was an Estonian baritone. He sang at the Estonian National Opera from 1951 to his death in 1975. Ots gained wider recognition with his roles at the Bolshoi Theatre, particularly with his lead role in ...

rose to worldwide prominence as an opera singer. Estonia also produced a number of classical composers of high repute during the twentieth century, including:

Miina Härma Miina Härma (born Miina Hermann; February 9, 1864 – November 16, 1941) was an Estonian composer. She was the second Estonian musician with higher education. Her greatest contribution is perhaps the fact that she took organ music to the coun ...

(1864–1941),

(1873–1918),

(1887–1970),

(1878–1952),

(1885–1963),

(1882–1963),

Lepo Sumera Lepo Sumera (8 May 1950 – 2 June 2000) was an Estonian composer and teacher. Life and career He was born in Tallinn and studied with Veljo Tormis in his teens, and from 1968, with Heino Eller at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (then ...

(1950–2000),

Eduard Tubin Eduard Tubin ( – 17 November 1982) was an Estonian composer, conductor, and choreographer. Life Tubin was born in Torila, Tartu County, Governorate of Livonia, then part of the Russian Empire. Both his parents were music lovers, and his fath ...

(1905–1982),

Veljo Tormis Veljo Tormis (7 August 1930 – 21 January 2017) was an Estonian composer, regarded as one of the great contemporary choral composers and one of the most important composers of the 20th century in Estonia.Daitz, Mimi. Ancient Song Recovered: The ...

(1930–2017) and the living composers mentioned below.

Today

There are several yearly music festivals of Estonia. These celebrations of traditional life have inspired multiple later composers who modernized traditional music, including Olev Muska and Coralie Joyce, Kirile Loo,

and the Estonian-Australian choir Kiri-uu. Other modern Estonian musicians include the influential composers

René Eespere René Eespere (born 14 December 1953 in Tallinn) is an Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea ...

(1953–),

Ester Mägi Ester Mägi (10 January 1922 – 14 May 2021) was an Estonian composer. Biography Her compositional output is substantial and represents all genres, from chamber and vocal music to choral and highly regarded symphonic works. She trained initial ...

(1922– 2021),

(1935–),

Jaan Rääts Jaan Rääts (15 October 1932 – 25 December 2020) was a Soviet Union, Soviet and Estonian composer who worked extensively on Estonian Cinema of Estonia, film scores of the 1960s and 1970s. He was born in Tartu and became a member of the Estonian ...

(1932–2020),

Urmas Sisask Urmas Sisask (9 September 1960 – 17 December 2022) was an Estonian composer. Biography Sisask was born in Rapla on 9 September 1960. One of the major inspirations for his music was astronomy. Based on the trajectories of the planets in the So ...

(1960–2022), and

Erkki-Sven Tüür Erkki-Sven Tüür (; born 16 October 1959) is an Estonian composer. Life and career Tüür was born in Kärdla on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa. He studied flute and percussion at the Tallinn Music School from 1976 to 1980 and composition wi ...

(1959–). Conductor

Neeme Järvi Neeme Järvi (; born 7 June 1937) is an Estonian Americans, Estonian American conductor. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn. He initially studied music there, and later in Saint Petersburg, Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevge ...

has had a long and distinguished international career. His sons

Paavo Järvi Paavo Järvi (; born 30 December 1962) is an Estonian conductor. He has been chief conductor of Zurich's Tonhalle since 2020. Early life Järvi was born in Tallinn, Estonia (then occupied by the Soviet Union), to Liilia Järvi and the Estoni ...

and

Kristjan Järvi Kristjan Järvi (, alternate (U.S.) spelling: Kristian Järvi) (born 13 June 1972) is an Estonian conductor, composer and producer. Born in Tallinn, Estonia, he is the younger son of the conductor Neeme Järvi and brother of conductor Paavo Jär ...

are both also conductors, and his daughter Maarika Järvi is a flutist. The indie folk rock band

Ewert and The Two Dragons Ewert and The Two Dragons is an Estonian indie-rock band. The line-up consists of vocalist Ewert Sundja, guitarist Erki Pärnoja, drummer Kristjan Kallas, and bassist Ivo Etti. Their debut album ''The Hills Behind The Hills'' was released in 2009 ...

are among the best known Estonian bands, having had success in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and signing with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

and winning the

European Border Breakers Award The Music Moves Europe Award, also known as the MME Award, is an annual prize recognizing the success of ten emerging artists or groups who reached audiences outside their own countries with their first internationally released album in the pas ...

in 2012. The girl band

Vanilla Ninja Vanilla Ninja is an Estonian all-female rock music, rock band which enjoyed chart success in a number of countries across Europe, especially in Estonia, Germany and Austria. The group formed in 2002 and released their self-titled debut album ' ...

were also one of the best-known Estonian bands before their hiatus. In addition, artists such as

Hortus Musicus Hortus Musicus is an Estonian ensemble that was established in 1972 by Andres Mustonen, a violin student of the Tallinn State Conservatory. Hortus Musicus specialises in performing early music, including 8th–15th-century European forms such ...

Kerli Kerli Kõiv (; born 7 February 1987), better known mononymously as Kerli, is an Estonian singer and songwriter. Born in Elva, Estonia, Elva, Kerli entered multiple singing competitions before being signed to Island Records in 2006 by LA Reid. In ...

, Vaiko Eplik & Eliit,

Iiris Iiris Vesik (born 16 July 1991), better known as simply Iiris, is an Estonian singer, songwriter, and stage actress. Her debut album ''The Magic Gift Box'' was released in March 2012 under EMI Music Finland. She is also a member and the main sing ...

, NOËP, Miljardid and

Trad.Attack! Trad.Attack! is an Estonian band which consists of (torupill, vocals), (guitar, vocals), and Tõnu Tubli (drums, vocals). They sing in Estonian or Estonian dialects. History Before starting the new band project in 2013, all three band members ...

have gained popularity outside Estonia.

Metsatöll Metsatöll (from – 'forest' and ''töll'' – 'four-legged being', used in Western Estonia as a euphemism for "wolf" or "werewolf") is an Estonian heavy metal band formed in 1999. The band has been influenced by many musical groups along wi ...

is a folk-metal band combining runo-song and traditional folk instruments with metal. Another Estonian folk metal group was Raud-ants. Contemporary artists include

Jüri Pootsmann Jüri Pootsmann (born 1 July 1994), is an Estonian singer. He won the sixth season of ''Eesti otsib superstaari'', and represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "Play". He is signed to Universal Music Baltics. Car ...

Tanel Padar Tanel Padar (born 27 October 1980) is an Estonian singer and songwriter. He is best known internationally for winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. Padar became famous by winning the '' Kaks takti ette'', a biennial televised competition fo ...

and

Ott Lepland Ott Lepland (born 17 May 1987) is an Estonian people, Estonian singer. He first received national mainstream attention in 2009, after winning the Eesti otsib superstaari (season 3), third season of ''Eesti otsib superstaari''. Lepland represente ...

. Today, many music festivals are held, such as

Eesti Laul Eesti Laul () is an annual music competition organised by Estonian public broadcaster (ERR). It determines for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged every year since Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, 2009. Eesti Laul was ...

. Sandra Nurmsalu (Urban Symphony).jpg,

Sandra Nurmsalu Sandra Nurmsalu (born 6 December 1988) is an Estonian singer, songwriter, and violinist. Recognized within Estonia for her genre-bending style, Nurmsalu has garnered success as both the lead singer of Urban Symphony and as a solo artist. Nurmsa ...

Urban Symphony Urban Symphony was an Estonian music group. It represented Estonia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song " Rändajad", finishing in 6th place with 129 points. In doing this, they achieved Estonia's 6th best placement of all time, and ...

Markus Teeäär - Rakuuna Rock 2014.jpg,

Composer Arvo Pärt (5326739069).jpg,

Ewert and the Two Dragons in Austin, TX 2013 49.jpg,

Ewert and the Two Dragons Ewert and The Two Dragons is an Estonian indie-rock band. The line-up consists of vocalist Ewert Sundja, guitarist Erki Pärnoja, drummer Kristjan Kallas, and bassist Ivo Etti. Their debut album ''The Hills Behind The Hills'' was released in 2009 ...

Kerli, Kanrocksas Music Festival, 2011 (tone).jpg,

References

*Cronshaw, Andrew. "Singing Revolutions". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East'', pp 16–24. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books.

External links

*
Audio clips: Traditional music of Estonia.

Musée d'ethnographie de Genève The ' ("Geneva Ethnography Museum") is one of the most important ethnographic museums in Switzerland. History The MEG, or Geneva Museum of Ethnography, was founded on 25 September 1901, on the initiative of Professor Eugène Pittard (1867-1962), ...

. Accessed November 25, 2010.
Estmusic.com Overview of Estonian musicEstonianmetal.com Overview of Estonian metal bands, releases, news and other events
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