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Finding Aids to Collections Organized by Topic in the Archive of Folk Culture
FINNISH AND FINNISH AMERICAN COLLECTIONS IN THE ARCHIVE
OF FOLK CULTURE
Acquired through 1995
Compiled by: Maris Jaagosild and Leena Rintala Series
Editors: Judith Gray and Ann Hoog
Publication Date: August 2000 Series Number: LCFAFA
No. 24
ISSN 0736-4903
For additional information about Archive
of Folk Culture collections, contact the Folklife
Reading Room. To request copies, see our webpages regarding audio
materials and photographic materials.
Please refer to the AFC and/or AFS numbers when requesting information.
All indications of time duration listed in this finding aid are estimates.
Sound Recordings and Multiformat Collections
AFS 2238-2486: Two hundred forty-nine 12-inch discs of instrumentals,
songs, and stories recorded in Michigan and Wisconsin by Alan Lomax,
August 10-November 1, 1938. The collection includes one-half linear inch
of cards, correspondence, lists, and notes.
AFS 2334A-2337B1: Four discs containing six songs sung by Kalle
Kallio and Emil Mäki, and one instrumental played on concertina
by Charles Ketvertis. Recorded in Newberry, Michigan, September 1938.
(Eighteen minutes; LWO 4872 reels 150B-151A)
AFS 2340A1: One disc containing "Kun aina olen valmis lähtemään" (When
I am Leaving) sung by Andrew Jackson. Recorded in Newberry, Michigan,
September 1938. (Two minutes; LWO 4872 reel 151A)
AFS 2346A1: One disc containing "Kolmekymmentä vuotis
sodan marssi" (March of the Thirty-Year War) sung by Andrew Jackson.
Recorded in Amasa, Michigan, September 1938. (Two minutes; LWO 4872 reel
151B)
AFS 2361A: One disc containing a Finnish schottische played
on concertina by Henry Mahoski. Recorded in Amasa, Michigan, September
1938. (Two minutes; LWO 4872 reel 152B)
AFS 2362-2367: Six discs containing fifteen songs sung by Frank
Mäki, Vernon Rautanen, Frank Viita, and Mrs. Marttila. Recorded
in Amasa and Calumet, Michigan, September 1938. (Thirty-nine minutes;
LWO 4872 reel 152B)
AFS 2376-2380: Five discs containing twelve songs sung by John
Fredrickson, Mrs. Marttila, and Aina Pohjala. Recorded in Calumet, Michigan,
September 1938. (Thirty-four minutes; LWO 4872 reel 153A-B)
AFS 2381-2384: Four discs containing "Loitsu ihottuman
parantamiseksi" (Words of Healing) spoken by Aapo Juhani and sixteen
tunes performed by Hjelmar Forster on harmonica and Aapo Juhani on accordion.
Recorded in Calumet, Michigan, September 1938. (Thirty-nine minutes;
LWO 4872 reel 153B)
AFS 2386-2389: Four discs containing eleven songs and tunes
performed by Aapo Juhani, singing and on accordion, Lillian Aho, Peter
Aho on kantele, and Hjelmar Forster on harmonica. Recorded in Calumet,
Michigan, September 27, 1938. (Thirty minutes; LWO 4872 reel 154A)
AFS 2391-2392A1: Two discs containing a song sung by Aapo Juhani
and a Finnish polka performed by Hjelmar Forster on harmonica. Recorded
in Calumet, Michigan, September 28, 1938. (Nine minutes; LWO 4872 reel
154A)
AFS 2392A2-2394B: Three discs containing twelve songs sung by
Amanda Heikkinen (Härkönen) and Kusti Similä. Recorded
in Fulton, Michigan, September 1938. (Twenty-four minutes; LWO 4872 reel
154A-B)
AFS 2395-2397: Three discs containing six songs and one story
sung and spoken by John Hyvönen. Recorded in Hancock, Michigan,
September 1938. (Twenty-nine minutes; LWO 4872 reel 154B)
AFS 2398-2399: Two discs containing ten songs sung by Ilona
Hallinen. Recorded in Allouez, Michigan, September 1938. (Thirteen minutes;
LWO 4872 reel 154B)
AFS 2401A1: One disc containing "Löysin minä lankakerän" (I
found a Ball of Wool) sung by Lillian Forester and Vilma Salmi. Recorded
in Laurium, Michigan, October 1, 1938. (Two minutes; LWO 4872 reel 154B)
AFS 2467-2468: Two discs containing five songs sung and played
on kantele by Wäinö Hirvelä. Recorded in Ironwood, Michigan,
October 15, 1938. (Sixteen minutes; LWO 4872 reel 157B)
AFS 2471-2473: Three discs containing nine songs and kantele
and mandolin instrumentals performed by Mrs. Wallen (?) and Mr. Kuran
(?). Recorded in Ironwood, Michigan, October 15, 1938. (Seventeen minutes;
LWO 4872 reel 158A)
AFS 3155-3313: One hundred fifty-nine 12-inch discs of instrumentals
and songs recorded in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota,
Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington,
D.C., West Virginia, and Wisconsin by Sidney Robertson (Cowell), Charles
Seeger, and Margaret Valiant, September 1936 - September 1937, for the
Resettlement Administration. The collection includes one linear inch of
lists and a copy of the program book for the 1937 National Folk Festival.
AFS 3247A4-5: One disc containing two Finnish songs sung by
Marjorie Edgar of Marin on St. Croix, Minnesota. Recorded at the National
Folk Festival, Chicago, by Sidney Robertson (Cowell), May 1937. (One
minute; LWO 4872 reel 215B)
AFS 3268-3273: Six discs containing two narratives, two kantele
instrumentals, three violin instrumentals, and twenty-one Finnish songs
(six played with kantele and four with violin). Performed by Mrs. Herman
Heino, Cecilia Kuitunen, Anna Leino Maija Särkipato, Mary Särkipato,
Otto Särkipato, Matt Simi, Olga Simi, and Sue Simi. Recorded in
Cloquet, Ely, Virginia, and Winton, Minnesota, by Sidney Robertson (Cowell),
August 16-17, 1937. (Fifty minutes; LWO 5111 reel 440A)
AFS 3274-3275; 3298B: Three discs containing two kantele instrumentals
and seven Finnish songs, performed by Marie Moilanen, Elsa Perälä,
Matti Perälä, and Ulrika Vainionpää. Recorded in
Mountain Iron, Minnesota, by Sidney Robertson (Cowell), September 19,
1937. (Twenty-four minutes; LWO 5111 reels 440A, 441A)
AFS 4159-4193: Thirty-five 12-inch discs of instrumentals and
songs recorded in Wisconsin by Robert F. Draves and Helene Stratman-Thomas
(Blotz), August 19-September 5, 1940. The collection includes five-eighths
linear inches of descriptions and lists.
AFS 4185; 4191-4193: Four discs containing eleven Finnish songs
sung by Martha Leppänen Hayes and Jalmar Nukala with piano accompaniment
by Mamie Wirtanen Nukala. Recorded in Superior, September 3, 1940. (Twenty-five
minutes; LWO 4872 reels 285, 286A)
AFS 4195-4325: One hundred thirty-two 12-inch discs from the California
Folk Music Project, a field survey of instrumentals, religious services,
and songs recorded in northern California by Sidney Robertson (Cowell)
September 1938-March 1940, under the joint sponsorship of the Music Department
of the University of California at Berkeley, the Library of Congress,
and the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The collection includes
numerous photos, scale drawings of musical instruments, transcriptions
of lyrics and music, as well as several linear feet of field notes, correspondence,
and other documentation. This collection is also available on the Web
through the American Memory Historical Collections, a major component
of the Library of Congress's National Digital Library Program: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afccchtml/cowhome.html
AFS 4260: One disc containing five songs in Finnish and one
song in English sung by C.A Koljonen, Celia Koljonen, Fina Petersen,
and Mary Salonen. Recorded in Central Valley, September 4, 1939. (Nine
minutes; LWO 4872 reel 291B)
AFS 4274-4275: Two discs containing ten Finnish songs sung by
John Soininen. Recorded in Berkeley, November 5, 1939. (Twenty-one minutes;
LWO 4872 reel 292B)
AFS 10,292-10,295: Four 10-inch discs of folk music of Finland
and Norway. Transferred to the Music Division of Library of Congress from
the Co-operative Acquisitions Project. The collection includes fourteen
sheets of songs lists, transcripts, and other documentation.
AFS 10,293: One disc containing two Finnish songs "Maame" [National
anthem of Finland] and "Pohjanmaan Jääkäripataljoonan
Marssi" (March of the Battalion of Light Infantry), composed by
F. Pacius, performed by the Odeon Orchestra. Recorded in Helsinki, 1929.
(Five minutes)
AFS 10,294: One disc containing nine Finnish songs sung by Arvi
Antti (?) Ilmari Sovijärvi. Recorded in Vienna, Austria, April 16,
1935. (Five minutes)
AFS 11,879: One 10-inch tape containing kantele instrumentals,
laments, and Teppo Repo's compositions for flute and reed pipe. Collected
by Aleppo Seilo. Donated through the Kalevala Duplicating Project, ca.
1961. (One hour; LWO 3224)
AFS 18,000-18,001: Two 7-inch tapes of dance tunes, humor, and
songs, mostly immigrant and non-English language material, from 78 rpm
commercial recordings of Armenian, Finnish, German, Greek, Hawaiian,
Hungarian, Italian, Irish, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Serbian, Sicilian,
Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Yugoslavian material. Gift of Pekka
Gronow and Richard Spottswood.
AFS 18,001A: One tape containing Finnish American recordings
from the 1920s to early 1930s featuring Leo Kauppi, Erik Kivi, John Rosendahl,
Hiski Salomaa, Antti Syrjäniemi, Kosti Tamminen, and Viola Turpeinen.
(Thirty-two minutes; LWO 8858 reel 2A).
AFS 22,473: One 10-inch tape of an interview with Finnish folklorist
Lauri Honko. Recorded at the Library of Congress by Alan Jabbour, January
21, 1981. The interview discusses issues of interest in the study of
folklore and folklife. (Fifty-eight minutes; RWA 7349)
AFS 24,112-24,114: Three 10-inch tapes of "The Kalevala and
Finnish Identity in Finland and America: A Symposium Commemorating the
150th Anniversary of the Kalevala," presented by the American Folklife
Center and the Embassy of Finland, held at the Library of Congress on
January 24, 1985. Speakers include Aili Waris Flint, Austin S. Flint,
Lauri Honko, Kai Laitinen, Yvonne Hiipakka-Lockwood, Thomas Vennum Jr.,
and William A. Wilson. (Six hours; RWA 8573-8575)
AFS 24,208-24,209: Two cassettes of Kalevalaic songs performed
by Nelipolviset (The Tetrametrics) with accompanying booklet, "Kalevalaisia
Lauluja: Sävelmät, Sanat ja Selitykset" (Kalevalaic Songs:
Tunes, Words, and Explanations), issued by the Finnish Literature Society
in 1979, and a booklet, "Perinnelipas 1: Lauluja, Loitsuja, Loruja" (Heritage
Notebook 1: Songs, Rhymes, Riddles), selections from the Finnish Literature
Society Folklore Archive, 1977. (Ninety minutes; RYA 6117-6118)
AFS 24,299-24,357: Fifty-nine 10-inch tapes of public speeches
and other spoken statements containing dialect samples, recorded at various
locations in North America by various collectors, and compiled by the
Center for Applied Linguistics for a project entitled "A Survey
and Collection of American English Dialect Recordings." The collection
includes fourteen linear inches of documentation, including an introduction
and preface, a list of contents, content summaries, and transcripts.
AFS 24,325A: Interviews with three residents of Idaho recorded
by Steve Siporin, Idaho Commission on the Arts in Boise, Idaho, 1981.
AFS 24,325A2: A 73-year-old Finnish American woman from Donnelly
discusses the heavy influx of Finns to Idaho, life in the past, food,
neighbors, saunas, school, and difficulties for newly arrived Finns.
(Twenty minutes; RWB 3874A)
AFS 24,343A: Interviews with three Finnish American residents
of Minnesota, recorded by Michael Linn, University of Minnesota-Duluth,
1983.
AFS 24,343A1: An 80-year-old woman from Cedar Valley Township
discusses the lumbering business, her jobs as a cook after her children
left home, family history, school, skiing to school, and childhood
games and activities. (Twenty-three minutes; RWB 3892A)
AFS 24, 343A2: A 41-year-old man from Duluth discusses his
personal history, life in Finland, sports, language problems, favorite
television programs, auto mechanics, computerization in automobiles,
and a near drowning. (Eighteen minutes; RWB 3892A)
AFS 24,343A3: An 85-year-old man discusses his personal history,
mining and lumbering experiences, firefighting experiences, and military
service. (Twenty-one minutes; RWB3892A)
AFC 1995/012: Ten cassettes of interviews with master artist/apprentice
pairs participating in South Dakota's Traditional Arts Program and two
artist demonstration series at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre,
South Dakota. Recorded and conducted by Michael F. Miller, October-November,
1992.
AFS 1995/012, T009;T010: Interview of Annikki Martilla and Peggy
Worthy concerning Finnish rag rug weaving. Recorded in Savo, South Dakota,
by Michael F. Miller, October 9, 1992. (Fifty-nine minutes)
Glossary of Select Terms Used in This Finding Aid
Kalevala: The Finnish national epic, compiled and edited by Elias
Lönnrot, based on old folk poetry he had collected in Finland and
Karelia. Appearing first in 1835, an expanded version was published in
1849. This New Kalevala is the version upon which most translations are
based.
Kalevalaic Song: Poetic song tradition using an unusual, archaic,
trochaic tetrametre (often called the Kalevala metre). Characterized by
alliteration and parallelism as well as an absence of stanza structure.
When sung, the lines have four or five stresses, and the melodies cover
a narrow range, usually only five notes.
Kantele: A stringed instrument played mainly by plucking. The five-stringed
kantele became Finland's national folk instrument through Kalevala performances.
The three main categories of the instrument are carved kanteles, box kanteles,
and concert kanteles. The earliest kanteles were hollowed out of a single
piece of wood and had from five to fifteen strings tuned to a pentachord.
The diatonic box kantele is made out of separate pieces of wood having
up to thirty-six strings. The concert kantele, with a lever-tuning mechanism
and thirty-six or more strings, was developed in the 1920s.
Lament: Freely improvised, non-metric poem, recited to a melody
that is adapted to suit the words. Common use of micro-intervals
and micro- rhythm, which is often increased by the multiplying melismas
towards the end of the lament. Expression of grief and other strong
emotions, performed by women in situations like funerals, weddings,
or when a close relative is going off to war.
Reed pipe: Wind instrument in which the vibrating reed is cut into
the side of the instrument itself, with finger-holes added to obtain sounds
of different pitches.
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