Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

Discussions on the Winter War and Continuation War, the wars between Finland and the USSR.
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Mangrove
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#136

Post by Mangrove » 12 Apr 2017, 05:13

CanKiwi2 wrote:If anyone's interested, the full length movie "Sissit" is back up on youtube. If you want to watch a classic old WW2 Finnish war movie, grab the chance to watch before it gets taken down again.
As YLE (a public service broadcasting company) owns the rights for all films made by Fennada-Filmi, you may watch the film legally through YLE's site in better quality: YLE Areena - Sissit.

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CanKiwi2
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#137

Post by CanKiwi2 » 12 Apr 2017, 15:00

Mangrove wrote:
CanKiwi2 wrote:If anyone's interested, the full length movie "Sissit" is back up on youtube. If you want to watch a classic old WW2 Finnish war movie, grab the chance to watch before it gets taken down again.
As YLE (a public service broadcasting company) owns the rights for all films made by Fennada-Filmi, you may watch the film legally through YLE's site in better quality: YLE Areena - Sissit.
Yoweeee! Now that's what I call public service! Wish I'd known before. Thanks a million Mangrove, waaaaay better quality :D
ex Ngāti Tumatauenga ("Tribe of the Maori War God") aka the New Zealand Army


james_henshall
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#138

Post by james_henshall » 31 Aug 2017, 21:21

I'd be most grateful if anyone might be able to shed light on the disappointing end to Artturi Rope's career after about 1950, please? He played such a prominent part in the (military) musical life of the nation prior to that, his sidelining cannot have been an accident. Thank you!
JH

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JTV
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#139

Post by JTV » 01 Sep 2017, 06:53

james_henshall wrote:I'd be most grateful if anyone might be able to shed light on the disappointing end to Artturi Rope's career after about 1950, please? He played such a prominent part in the (military) musical life of the nation prior to that, his sidelining cannot have been an accident. Thank you!
JH
According Wikipedia:
Arthur "Artturi" Rope (surname Robertsson until year 1935). Born 28th of May 1903 in Ruokolahti, died 23rd of March 1976 in Helsinki.

Rope studied in Helsinki Music Academy (Helsingin Musiikkiopisto) in 1922 - 1930 and conducted examination for military conductor in year 1934. He acted as conductor of orchestra of Finnish White Guard Band (Suomen Valkoisen Kaartin soittokunta), later named as orchestra of Helsinki Garrison (Helsingin Varuskuntasoittokunta) (now known as: Guard's Orchestra / Kaartin Soittokunta) in 1934 - 1953.

Rope composed and adapted about 500 musical arts of work, grand majority of which are adaptations made for brass band, including symphonies by Jean Sibelius and Pjotr Tsaikovski. During World War 2 he adapted practically all march and light music used by military orchestras. During the war he also became known as conductor of Asemiesilta events (wartime radio broadcasted entertainment events inspired by German Militarische Radio-Abend, total 125 were produced in Finland). The best art of work that he composed is Sotamarsalkan hopeatorvet ("War Marshal's Silver Horns").

A new head conductor was being selected for Finnish Armed Forces in early 1950's. Martti Parantainen who got chosen for the job replaced Rope. The two men did not get along and soon had a total breach, which resulted Parantainen getting Rope transferred from Helsinki to town of Hämeenlinna. Rope left from the military in year 1953, after which he worked as teacher of Sibelius-Akatemia (Sibelius Academy) and as a private music teacher. As a private music teacher he among other things gave piano and singing lessons in his home. He also worked as teacher of Sibelius-academy from year 1944 until his death.

Rope received the honorary title of Director musices in year 1958. He was buried to Guard's cemetary (Kaartin hautausmaa) in Helsinki.

This (Finnish language) webpage has some material from Asemiesilta events:
https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2011/05/2 ... -siviileja

"Artturi" Rope at work, Finnish Armed Forces cinematic journal number 54 from year 1942:


Finnish Armed Forces Conscript Band plays "War Marshal's Silver Horns":


Jarkko

james_henshall
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#140

Post by james_henshall » 01 Sep 2017, 08:02

Thank you very much for filling in the gap! I'd understood Rope didn't get the Directorship. I'd just wondered if there was more to it than a personality clash? Thank you for replying so quickly.
JH

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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#141

Post by james_henshall » 01 Sep 2017, 08:18

As one gets more familiar with the materials, the gaps in the available, or publicised material in English become ever more interesting, and a pattern seems to be developing, to wit, composers and musicians who subscribed to the very necessary collective imperative of the 1930s and early 40s have suffered (posthumous) proscription. For instance, another composer that suffers from this lack of attention in the "accepted" music histories is Sam Sihvo! And for much the same reason, I guess. I am not thinking here, so much, in terms of absolute merit but mainly with regard to significance of the work. Sihvo's Jääkärin morsian, for instance, is a good example. Hugely significant even if not, measured in absolute terms, of enormous merit.
Would you say there was an element of political correctness in the (re-)invention of Finnish music?

Seppo Koivisto
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#142

Post by Seppo Koivisto » 01 Sep 2017, 11:03

As far as I understand Artturi Rope was in 1934–1953 the conductor of the Finnish White Guard regiment orchestra. A very prominent position as they perform in state visits etc. Which maybe made him the most eligible candidate as the Chief conductor of the Finnish Armed Forces. However Martti Parantainen was chosen. It was maybe a Mozart and Salieri situation, where Rope was finaly sent to a less prominent position in Hämeenlinna.

https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotilaskapellimestari

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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#143

Post by james_henshall » 01 Sep 2017, 11:44

Thank you very much for your reply. The comparison is pertinent and interesting! I'll have to find out some more about Martti Parantainen. Interesting link too!
I'd been wondering whether Rope's "fall from grace" (althoughthat is, possibly, too strong an expression) was directly related to the aesthetic mores that prevailed at that time? I'm analyzing and contrasting the two versions of Klami's Second Symphony with the same notion in mind: in my opinion the first version is, by far, the better.
JH

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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#144

Post by Seppo Koivisto » 02 Sep 2017, 11:00

I hope the new book on the history of Finnish military music to be published in 2019 will fill any gaps.
https://sotilasmusiikki.wordpress.com/

According to this article Artturi Rope introduced the mace for the Finnish marching band in 1951.
https://sotilasmusiikki.wordpress.com/2 ... -suomessa/

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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#145

Post by Jussi-P » 04 Apr 2018, 21:35

Hello! Unfortunately, I have not seen this discussion earlier: It is very likely that the envy of his colleagues contributed to Artturi Rope’s fall from graze – although it was the nomination of Heikki Parantainen to the head conductor that gave the final blow to Rope's career. Parantainen was a problematic personality in the history of the Finnish military music, though he was a fine musician too.

During the war years, Artturi Rope and his Guard Band were located in Helsinki and parading with their shiny boots at the aseveli-ilta events. At the same time, the other military bands were constantly switching between the harsh front conditions and the Finnish provincial cities, in the shadow of the famous Guard Band. So after the war, the front conductors wanted themselves better positions and recompensation of their war inconvenience.

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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#146

Post by Simo =) » 30 Jun 2019, 08:59

Here's a line-by-line (metaphorical) translation of Vapaussoturin Valloitslaulu:

Kauan on kärsitty ryssien valtaa (Long have we suffered from Russian rule)
Suomen kansan vapautta suojellessa (Protecting the Finnish people's freedom)
Ylös pojat Pohjanmaan! (Rise up Ostrobothnian boys)
Urhot kalliin Karjalan (The Karelian men are inexpensible)
Jäämit ja Savon miehet rintamahan (Men and ice on the Savonian front)

Sotahan nyt marssimme kotikulta jääköön (I will march home over the ice floes)
Jääkäriveri tässä velvoittaa (The hunters are obliged to spill blood)
Ylös veljet valkoiset (Rise up, White brethren)
Alas ryssät punaiset! (Shake off the Red shackles)
Ei auta vihamiestä armahtaa (Show no mercy to our enemies)

Voittoja väkeviä saatu jo monta (Many of our men have emerged victorious)
Meillä on Valkoisessa Suomessa (From our homes in White Finland)
Oulu olkoon omamme (Oulu is under our control)
Vaasa varsin varmamme (Vaasa is still holding strong)
Viipuria vastahan nyt vierimme (Now they march through Viipuri)

Veriset on taistelut takanamme käyty (All the bloody battles are now behind us)
Kuka heitä kaikkia muistaakaan (No one knows how many there were)
Vaskivesi, Varkaus (Lake Vaskivesi has been siezed)
Mäntyharjun harppaus (A leap from Mäntyharju)
Karjalan kaikkivoipa varjelemus (Karelia's omnipotent guards)

Hannilan harjuilla pommit ne paukkuu (Shells are raining down on Hannila's ridges)
Raudussa shrapnellit räiskähtelee (Shrapnel raining down strikes fear in our men)
Ahvola se ankarin (Ahvola is the most besieged)
Suninmäki sankarin (Heroes of Suninmäki)
Pullilankin punikit viel' rangaistaan (The enemy troops will face punishment)

Tulkohon ryssiä tuhannen tuhatta (Thousands and thousands of those Russian pigs)
Karjalan armeija kestää sen (For the Karelian army to endure)
Aika on jo ahdistaa (Time is demoralizing our southern men)
Punakaartit puhdistaa (The Red Guards will be swept away)
Venäläisen verikoiran karkoittaa! (We will expel the Red bloodhounds)

Kuolema korkea - sankarin palkka (A hero's payment is a true hero's death)
Urhojen haudoilla hurratahan (Cheers for all of our fallen brethren)
Ruumis saakoon haavan vaan (A bullet is only a wound)
Kuulat käykööt kulkuaan (We'll run straight into them)
Sielu jääpi perinnöksi syntymämaan (Each soldier's death is for the motherland)

Viaporin linnahan leijonalippu (We salute the lion's flag of Viipuri)
Jukoliste, poijat, me nostetahan (In it's name we will fight to the death)
Keinot karskit käytetään! (Using each and every means)
Jääkäriveri tässä velvoittaa (The hunters are obliged to spill their blood)


NOTICE: This song uses many metaphors, so it was difficult to translate into English. The translations above are based off of Finnish history and metaphorical statements, not literal.

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alpinoinMT
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#147

Post by alpinoinMT » 02 Apr 2020, 03:04

I hope this isn't too horrible,
but I've heard of these songs in several histories & personal war stories from the Finnish Army [no doubt Navy] in WW2
one is "Daughters of Korhola" Korholan tyttäret & the other is Mustanmeren tytöt "Black Sea Girls"

I am an old paratrooper, infantry & a lot of the running songs we once sang are forbidden...
Heard these Finnish songs were to make the guys laugh in not so good times.
A couple times in Iraq, when one of our guys got a "Dear John" letter, we sang "Ho" by Ludacris...
poor bastards laughing & crying at the same time

Also... ! this topic just introduced me to Hiski Salomaa... never knew about him
also learnt about
Some Finglish words:
lokari = logger
Piutti = Butte, Montana <<< Copper mines, largest on the planet
Retulaatsi (Ratulaati) = Red Lodge, Montana (mining towns) <<< Coal for coke for the copper smelters
I am sending this to a lot of other Montana History teachers, as the Finns are a great facet of this state's history
including myself - my mother's family Palonen
Now I need to research "FINGLISH" !!!
a reporter once asked me, after an awards ceremony
"are purple hearts for soldiers & bronze stars for officers?'

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alpinoinMT
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#148

Post by alpinoinMT » 02 Apr 2020, 03:18

a little bit more from Hiski Salomaa
all the Finns in my family were lokari/loggers, including my brother
first Finnish word I learned was perkele, then isa, ide, kitsu
https://youtu.be/P59U0jFMxxo
I wonder if this song would get me in trouble with my [now on-line] students?
despite what they listen to
a reporter once asked me, after an awards ceremony
"are purple hearts for soldiers & bronze stars for officers?'

Seppo Koivisto
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#149

Post by Seppo Koivisto » 02 Apr 2020, 23:00

Arthur Kylander is less well known in Finland than Hiski Salomaa, because he recorded for Victor that didn't sell in Europe.
https://youtu.be/3n4a6FanKj4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Kylander

Slawen
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Re: Winter War and Continuation War Music from Finland

#150

Post by Slawen » 04 Jun 2020, 20:24

Valvari is an other Word for a shot gun, used in northern Sweden. we call it ”meänkieli.

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