Music and Us: Our New Playlist

    For our last blog I'm going to introduce some folk music from these two regions; the Nordic music of northern Europe and the indigenous music of the Artic and subarctic regions spanning from north-eastern Russia, across northernmost North America and into Greenland (I will use the term Inuit to refer to these groups of people, though they go by many other names across the region.)

    Scandinavia is home to Nordic folk music, one of my very favorite genres. I am going to talk about a very specific type of Nordic folk tradition called kulning, or herding calls. The practice developed mainly in Sweden, but also in parts of Norway and Finland. Kulning is similar to yodeling, it is a type of singing used to call herds of cows and other grazers home from the fields and mountains. Kulning is usually done without accompaniment and is high-pitched with traditional, melancholic, Nordic-style ornamentation. The practice was almost exclusively performed by women. I've included two samples, one includes a video component so one can see the tradition in it's natural setting.

Helle Thun

 

Jonna Jinton

    For modern music of this region, I chose a band I had the privilege of seeing live in concert recently, though it is often said of this group, "they don't give concerts, they hold rituals."  The experimental-folk, pagancore band is comprised of members from Denmark, Germany, and Norway, and they create original songs using a diverse array of very old techniques and instruments, aided by modern technology. Many of their songs last ten minutes or more, so I have chosen a shorter live performance to keep your attention, but the screen does not do this group justice, and I cannot recommend seeing them in person enough. This is Heilung with one of their original songs, Anoana.

    Before the colonization of North America by Europeans, music in Inuit culture was reserved mostly for spiritual ceremonies. There was not a word for music as most think of it in the native tongue, it was included in the word designated for all the sounds of nature and life. One kind of music unique to the Inuit is referred to as Inuit throat-singing. This type of singing developed as a form of entertainment for girls and women, and as part of a competitive game. One participant leads, rapidly firing off various sounds inspired by animals and nature, while the other imitates, only half a second behind, until one of them messes up or starts laughing. 

    Music of this region has changed drastically from exposure to outside influence. Here is a group that brings Inuit throat singing into modern pop culture. Like their indigenous neighbors to the south which we studied in class, Inuit music is very percussion-based, and this group carries that aspect of the music forward. Their blend of traditional throat singing with the addition of a live DJ and electronic dance music has proved to be an award-winning combination. This is Anirniq by Silla + Rise.

Both of these artists are great examples of centuries-old traditions, specifically vocal traditions carried by women, remaining in modern music.