Aleksei Room
Aleksei Room (Mulgu Seiu) as a young man. Private collection of I. Rüütel.
The evening was taken up by the filming of New-Year Billy goat on the farm of my father-in-law. Due to the beer provided by the family, singing and merriment lasted throughout the night. The tamer of our New-Year Billy goat Mulgu Seiu (Aleksei Room) is a strong man, who looked really tough ("One hundred and twenty kilos, boots included!"). With a good singing voice and even better storytelling talent, he let his songs and tales pour out half the night. We managed to record some songs, although his tales would have been worth it too, for he was a real artist of storytelling.
This is how our expedition ended in quite a peculiar way. We recorded the newer folk songs of Saaremaa until half past two in the morning in the most natural environment and which were performed in the most authentic manner. (From the field work diary of I. Rüütel, June 11, 1961; Rüütel 2015: 180)
Songs:
Videos:
Aleksei Room, born 1910, Tõnija village [Valjala parish]. Recorded by O. Kõiva, I. Rüütel, filmed by R. Hansen in 1961.
Publication
Introduction to publication
Performers
Performers by village
Asva village (Pöide)
Audla village (Pöide)
Haeska village (Valjala)
Kalma village (Pöide)
Kiriku village (Valjala)
Kungla village (Valjala)
Kõiguste village (Pöide)
Kõnnu village (Valjala)
Liiva-Putla village (Püha)
Loona village (Püha)
Mässa village (Jämaja)
Orinõmme village (Pöide)
Oti settlement (Pöide)
Pahavalla village (Pöide)
Ridala village (Pöide)
Soonda village (Muhu)
Sõrve
Turja village (Valjala)
Tõnija village (Valjala)
Veere village (Pöide)
Võhma village (Pöide)
Sound recordings
Headings of the songs Aa-Zz
- 1. Shipwreck
- 2. Once upon a time there lived a man (David and Goliath)
- 3. The tailors' party
- 4. Skylark
- 5. Timmu-tammu
- 6. Back in the year of 1906
- 7. The Germans have been looking for a fight for quite a while
- 8. 'Twas a lad from around the Haeska manor
- 9. It's gonna turn pretty noisy around here
- 10. Kuressaare recreational park and seashore
- 11. Our fathers and mothers are islanders
- 12. Our Saaremaa
- 13. Little sister-islands
- 14. In a castle atop the mountain (circle game with insert dance songs)
- 15. The road through Sääre village
- 16. Our Saaremaa
- 17. Passing by the Pöide church
- 18. And the twenty one (circle game)
- 19. Alone amongst strangers
- 20. Mother took the cradle to the meadow
- 21. Birds upon the treetops
- 22. I'll take a young wife
- 23. Horn tune
- 24. Girl, your gaze strikes right through the heart (soldiers' song)
- 25a. The big mighty ship (insert dance song of a circle game)
- 25b. I sat on the threshold (insert dance song of a circle game)
- 25c. War, oh war (insert dance song of a circle game)
- 25d. I saw a flower in the valley (insert dance song of a circle game)
- 25e. Flowers blooming in the meadow (insert dance song of a circle game)
- 25f. Estonian boy (insert dance song of a circle game)
- 26. Girlie girl (circle game with insert dance songs)
- 27. High atop the mast
- 28. On the battlefield in the far away land
- 29. Soon comes the time
- 30. On the wide expanse of the Atlantic
- 31. Coming to Toila (song of a deep-sea sounding team)
- 32. In February, when the weather's harsh (seal hunter's song)
- 33. Whoever sailed the sea
- 34. Tip of Sõrve is a nest of songs
- Aasa peal õitsevad (ringmängu vahelaul)
- Atlandi ookeani laial pinnal
- Ema viis hälli heinamaale
- Ennemuiste oli üks mees (Taavet ja Koljat)
- Juba väljal puude otsas
- Kaugel üksi võõra rahva hulgas
- Kes purjetand on laevaga
- Kui aastanumber sai 1906
- Kui läed mööda Pöide kergust
- Kui rätsepate aastapäev
- Kui Toila tulin (loodipoiste laul)
- Kuressaare huvielu park ja mereäär
- Kõrgel masti tipus
- Küll te kuulete siin müra
- Küünlakuus, kui ilm on käre (hülgeküti laul)
- Laevahukk
- Liiri-lööri löuke
- Meie isad ja emad on saarlased
- Mina istsin ukseläve pääl (ringmängu vahelaul)
- Mina nägin orus lille (ringmängu vahelaul)
- Mäe otsas kaljulossis (ringmäng vahelauludega)
- Neiu, sinu silmavaade (sõdurilaul)
- Neiukene noorukene (ringmäng vahelauludega)
- Oh eesti poiss (ringmängu vahelaul)
- Oh sõda, sõda (ringmängu vahelaul)
- Oh te väiksed sõsarsaared
- Pea jõuab aeg
- Sakslane küll tahtis ammu
- Sarvelugu
- Seal võõrsil valuväljal
- See kakskümmend üks (ringmäng)
- See oli üks Haeska mõisa ligidalt poiss
- See Saaremaa
- See Saaremaa
- See suure uhke laevaga (ringmängu vahelaul)
- Sörve ots on laulupesa
- Tee Säärekülast läbi käib
- Timmu-tammu
- Võtan aga naise noorukese