Traditional Music,
Song Games and Dances
of Muhu Island

A song about the sailboat named uisk

Vassili Väli, Arnold Nikkel, August Vokk, Jüri Vapper

Suuremõisa village, Kantsi village, Liiva village (1984)

Ilm olli aga paks ja udune,
ei uisk läe täna Muhust äe
Valle reisu-reisu opp,
valle reisu-reisu opp,
ei uisk läe täna Muhust äe.*

Ta seisab sildase, ärjad sies
ja kapten kõndis kõrtsu ies.
Valle reisu...

Kui kaptene kõrtsust välja läks,
nägi ta, ete ilm on ikka paks.
Valle reisu...

Ta kamandas oma seitset miest,
kesse süotside täida päeva ies.
Valle reisu...

Roos Aadu ennast rooli veab,
vana Oina Peedu Andrus purjed siab.
Valle reisu...

Uiskus olli vett üle puole siare,
torm tahtise viia uisku iare.
Valle reisu...

Härg sial uiskuse peeretas,
vana Oina Peedu Andruse naeratas.
Valle reisu...

Ta istub ärja sarve pial
ja juhib uisku Virtsu sial.
Valle reisu...

Ei uuvita meid muotorpaat,
vaid uisu ahtris õllevaat.
Valle reisu...

*The verse’s second line is repeated after the chorus.

The weather is foggy and the sailboat uisk cannot cross the strait. Both people and bulls are waiting to get across.

Vassili Väli, 1906–1995, Kantsi village; Arnold Nikkel, 1928–2015, Kantsi village; August Vokk, 1913–1994, Liiva village, comes from Suuremõisa village; Jüri Vapper, born 1942, Suuremõisa 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 (3, 4, 6 and 22) [110].

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