Songs of Siberian Seto

Folk Ensembles and Singers

The folk ensemble Lill has been active in the Haidak club house for more than a few decades. Many women in the Haidak village have sung in the ensemble, some of the singers of longer seniority no longer sing there because of old age. The ensemble has performed together with an accordionist of the Imbezh house of culture and the younger singers still participate in the activities of the Russian ensemble in Imbezh. The folk ensemble Lill has had a relatively stable composition, standing in its core are three women: Maria Vasilevna Ossipova (b. 1942), Maria Sergeevna Peterson (b. 1941) and Lidia Maksimovna Kondratieva (b. 1939). Before retiring, the women worked together at a kolkhoz livestock farm. On our recordings, the ensemble Lill also includes Anna Ilinichna Kucherenko (b. 1952), who runs the local club house, and her assistant Tatiana Mikhailovna Medetskaia (b. 1961). In 2007, also Alidia Stepanova (b. 1943) and in 2008 Olga Semenova Matveeva, who is not a regular member of the ensemble, participated in the recording sessions. The choir’s killõ is sung by Lidia Maksimovna Kondratieva, who can also sing the lead to the Seto songs of earlier layer. In addition, Maria Sergeevna Peterson can improvise Seto songs. Maria Vasilevna Ossipova is responsible for introducing many newer sentimental songs that she had learned from her mother in the ensemble’s repertoire.

Olga Semenova Matveeva (b. 1932) is presently the most outstanding Seto singer and was mentioned already in the material recorded in the 1980s—when she sang to the herd, her singing could be heard in the village. Olli comes from the Väiko-Haida huutar and her ancestors were reportedly from Meremäe village in Setomaa. Olli has a vast knowledge in the old lore: her repertoire of Seto songs is the largest in the village and she can also create new songs. Some of the songs in the ensemble Lill repertoire are attributed to Olli. She doesn’t know Russian songs, but sings also Estonian songs of newer layer of the so-called transitional form.

Maria Ilinichna Vasileva (b. 1927) forms a bridge between the tapes recorded by Igor Tõnurist and the recordings made twenty years later—her voice can be heard on both recordings. Since Maria is a holder of hymnals, she is responsible for carrying out baptizing and funeral rituals in the Haidak village. Maria used to perform together with the ensemble at the Haidak club, but she is no longer involved in the ensemble’s activities because of her old age. Maria is a fine killõ singer but can also sing the lead part in Seto songs.

Aleksandra Ilinichna Nikitina (age 88) is Maria’s older sister. Her singing skill is highly valued in the village and she also used to be member of the folk ensemble Lill. Aleksandra used to work as a tractor driver in the collective farm. On this compilation, Aleksandra performs religious verses which she recites in the icon corner every morning and evening.

Lidia Andreeva (b. 1937) knows the Seto tradition well and has learned much if it from her mother-in-law who had lived in the Haidak village. Lidia performs songs that she used to sing to her children.

The choir of the Krestyansk village is no longer active. Head of the village, Vera Kuzminichna Eremeeva (b. 1936), invited in 2007 all the village women who had once sang in the choir to her sister’s, Ekaterina Kuzminichna Horovets’ (b. 1928) place to sing to us, the visitors from afar. Maria Kirillovna Eremeeva (b. 1934 in the village of Vasilevka) and Anna Haavapuu (b. 1936 in the village of Golubevka) knew the lore well, remembered old songs and showed us some dance moves.

Kullõrkukk is the children’s ensemble in the Haidak village, which has been lead by school teachers Lidia Leedo who was born in Vasilevka village and Galina Arnoldovna Evseeva who was born in Bulatnovka village. The ensemble has performed in the district and in Krasnoyarsk but also at the ESTO Festival in Germany and the Radaja Festival in Pechory. In 2008 members of the choir were Pasha Nikitin, Dasha Efimova, Liisa Oti, Dasha Peterson, Masha Zemurbeis, Katia Nagibina, Vania Zemburbeis.

Singers on the 1980s’ recordings:

Anna Fedorovna Bogdanova (b. 1922) was a singer from the Bulatnovka village, who sings on the recorded material with women from both Bulatnovka and Haidak. The master songstress knows all the old song types but also newer songs and can sing killõ.

Natalia Bogdanova (Nati of Kunosk, b. 1906) was a renowned singer even in her old age and could sing the lead to many old songs. Reportedly, Natalia’s father had come to Siberia from the Rääsolaane village and her mother from the Usinitsa village in the Seto region.

Olga Freiland (Oll’o of Herkovo, age 74 or 75) was less domineering than other singers, but was still a well-respected lead singer. Olga’s father had come to Siberia from the Herkovo village, and her mother from Saptia or Saltanova village in Pechory.

Maria Ivanovna Petrova (Mann of Kuto, age 77) was a singer in the Bulatnovka village. Her father reportedly came to Siberia from the village of Lobotka in Setomaa. Maria could sing the lead and the killõ part.