Villem Saarik (Mõisa Villem)

Bärni Tuulik, August Vokk and Villem Saarik. Photo by E. Kivaste 1974. ERA, Foto 10845.

The main aim of the collection expedition to the Muhu island was to record local village songs and collect data about them. We were struck by good fortune with the opportunity to record old men’s songs in its natural environment. We recorded a group of men, who has previously sang together and who had a lot of shared repertoire. /---/ Truth be told, handwritten song notebooks were used to recall the words of the songs. The most knowledgeable of the songs and directing singers were Villem Saarik, Bärni Tuulik, August Vokk, Vassili Väli, Mihkel Alt and Vassili Oidekivi. (On collection circumstances and purposes, Rüütel 2016: 28)

We managed to collect the richest songs’ harvest in Suuremõisa village. From there came three male singers: Bärni Tuulik, Villem Saarik and August Vokk. /---/ It is important to add here, that their singing was also captured on stereo recording. Those tapes were the founding stones of the Estonian Folklore Archives stereo sound recordings collection. /---/ In 1975, the recording was partially done at Mõisa Villem’s (Villem Saarik) farm house, where some women mostly listened, but also sang along at times. They did not participate in singing of songs with obscenities, but sang along to some of the lyrical and other songs. (On collection circumstances and purposes, Rüütel 2016: 19)

Singers Vassili Väli, August Vokk, Villem Saarik, Bärni Tuulik, Vassili Oidekivi. Photo by E. Kivaste 1974. ERA, Foto 10791.

/---/ The wife of Mõisa Villem tried to stop him, when he started singing an alliterative song “A real man’s tool”. To this Villem responded with resolution: “This is exactly what they want to hear!” Villem was an intelligent and smart man, so I think, that he did not wanted to present the erotic content, but the traditional alliterative song form, we were very happy to listen to. (On collection circumstances and purposes, Rüütel 2016: 19–20)

We succeeded in separately recording men from Suuremõisa and Kantsi villages. /---/ Mõisa Villem still stood out from the other male singers. He knew many songs and had a good voice. Others, Toomu Bärni and Voka Kusti, had to clear their throats on occasion, when their voices began to get scratchy. Both smoked, so Mõisa Villem had all the right to say: “Why do you smoke then?! I don’t smoke and have no problems with my voice.” (On collection circumstances and purposes, Rüütel 2016: 22–23)

One of the best singers and frequent directing singers was Mõisa Villem (Villem Saarik) – with large repertoire, high powerful voice, very musically talented, he was fond of melody variation. If some of the singers had their own tune or a different version of it or sang at the pitch level they were comfortable with /---/, then, first of all, they took Villem’s melody and tonality as base and followed it. (Men’s songs’ music and performance styles, Rüütel 2016: 101)

Songs:

• 19. Goodness Gracious me (Blacksmith’s house)
• 20. Muhumaa – an islet in the sea
• 21. Hey boys, don’t sulk
• 22. The song is sung and I will take a rest
• 24. My last ship was an English freighter
• 25. Now the sheet music songs begin (a dance song)
• 26. When as a child in the meadow
• 27. At the boundary of our fields
• 28. At the Orsitsi river bank
• 29. For twenty years I’ve been away (a soldier’s song, a ring game)
• 30. At the Maritsa river bank (a ring game and a dance song)

Villem Saarik, 1909–1978, Laheküla village. Recorded by I. Rüütel, O. Kõiva, K. Salve and O. Kiis in Suuremõisa village in 1974.