Traditional Music,
Song Games and Dances
of Muhu Island

The land of Muhu

Arnold Nikkel, Vassili Väli

Kantsi village (1984)

[The song is performed with heavy stress on the first and third beat. There is fermata of randomlength on offbeat note.]

:,: See Muhu saare mullapind :,:
:,: on üles kasvatanud mind. :,:
:,: Kui nägin mina väinas sula vett, :,:
:,: siis kallimale räägin tõtt. :,:
:,: (Et) mul siit nõu oli ära minna :,:
:,: Tallinna ja Riia linna. :,:
:,: Nõu oli minna igalühel, :,:
:,: aga raske naisemehel. :,:
:,: Kõige raskem oli nendel, :,:
:,: kes olid pruudid võtnud endal. :,:
:,: (Siis) mardini võin ära olla, :,:
:,: siis võib jälle koju tulla. :,:
:,: Siis õiskan (aga) tere, õde, vend, :,:
:,: kas koju ootasite mind? :,:
:,: Kas alles (aga) on minu vanemad, :,:
:,: või on nad muldas mõlemad? :,:

When the ice melts, young men go to look for employment in the mainland. This is very hard for those, who must leave their brides behind. In the autumn they return without knowing whether their parents are still alive and the brides still waiting.

Vassili Väli, 1906–1995; Arnold Nikkel, 1928–2015 Kantsi village. Recorded by I. Rüütel, M. Soosaar, H. Eller and H. Aasaru in 1984. Film in the Film Archives of National Archives f 203, nr 2519; sound recordings in the Estonian Folklore Archives RKM, Mgn II 3891 (7, 12 a) [111].

Publication

Performers

Sound recordings

Videos

Traditional Music, Song Games and Dances of Muhu Island

Online edition

Editors Janika Oras, Kadi Sarv
Translation into English Inna Feldbach, Olga Ivaškevitš
Project co-ordinator Risto Järv
Web design Lorem Ipsum
Cover photo “Kuivastu Harbour in the early 20th century. Steamship “General Suvortsev” (on the left) and Muhu sailboat uisk (on the right)”. 1910–1919, Saaremaa Museum, SM F 3761:1514 F.

Published materials originate from following archives: Estonian Folklore Archives of Estonian Literary Museum, Estonian National Museum, Saaremaa Museum, Film Archives of National Archives and Estonian Film Institute.

We would like to thank the following contributors for their help in personal information specification: Mihkel Jürisson, Martin Kivisoo, Meelis and Marti Mereäär, Muhu Pärandikool, Helmut Noot, Airi Nõmm, Leena Peegel, Ago Rullingo, Irena Tarvis, Heiske Tuul, Tiiu Tuust, Kadri Tüür and Viia Väli.

Sponsors of the web publication

Ensemble Trad.Attack!
Ministry of Education and Research (IUT22-4)
The European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (Centre of Excellence in Estonian Studies)
The Cultural Endowment of Estonia

Publisher

ELM Scholarly Press, 2018
© and ℗ Estonian Literary Museum, 2018
© Ingrid Rüütel
ISBN 978-9949-586-77-6

Online edition is based on

Muhu rahvamuusikat, laulumänge ja tantse
[Traditional Music, Song Games and Dances of Muhu Island]

Collected and compiled by Ingrid Rüütel.
Recordings from the Estonian Folklore Archives 9. Tartu 2015

[CD, DVD and textbook]
Sound production and CD mastering Jaan Tamm
DVD editing and mastering Jaan Kolberg
Editor Janika Oras
Translation into English Inna Feldbach
Language editors Olga Ivaškevitš, Kadri Tamm
Design Krista Saare
Print Kruul
Replication Baltic Disc AS

Rüütel, Ingrid. Muhumaa laule ja lugusid. Mis on jäänud jälgedesse II
[The Songs and Tales of Muhu Island. What Remains in Our Traces II]

Tartu: ELM Scholarly Press 2016

Editor Asta Niinemets
Music transcription Janika Oras, Ingrid Rüütel, Ludmilla Toon
Notation editing Ingrid Rüütel, Edna Tuvi
Sheet music graphics Edna Tuvi
Texts transcription Erna Tampere, Riina Rehe, Alviine Schmuul, Ingrid Rüütel
Dialectic texts editor Alviine Schmuul
Translation of summary Inna Feldbach
Layout and design Krista Saare
Print Greif