Suomalaisia Kansanlauluja

Contents

About this Songbook

The songs in this book came from the selection used in the Bicentennial Pageant of 1976. This pageant was one of the events put on by the Greater Detroit Finnish Bicentennial Committee to celebrate the American bicentennial. It was performed twice at the Finnish Center Association’s (FCA’s) Cultural Center in Farmington Hills, and later at a nearby Livonia high school auditorium. The pageant was written and produced by Eva Koskimäki, the songs selected by Edward Haapa (the choir director), and the songs were finely handwritten by Norman Koponen.

The songs from the pageant were assembled into this songbook because of their popularity. It was first printed in April 1977, and sold out so quickly that a second printing was necessary later that year. In September 1980, the Finlandia Male Chorus sponsored a third printing, which some refer to as the kantele book because the drawing of that Finnish folk instrument was added to the cover for that edition. The fourth printing came about when the FCA Soittoniekkojen Klubbi (Music Players' Club) wanted extra copies of the book and none were available. Many of the musicians were interested in the perpetuation of Finnish culture, so they looked beyond making copies for their own use. In the end, the members of the defunct Bicentennial Committee granted the copyright to the FCA and the Soittoniekat printed enough copies to make it available to the general public again.

The musicians began meeting in October, 1996, when 40 people met at a jam session organized by Louise Hartung as part of the celebration of the FCA’s 30th anniversary. The high participation convinced her to organize other sessions and performances. Eventually the musicians formed the Soittoniekat in September, 1997.

The FCA itself graciously provided the advance funding for the fourth printing. The FCA is one of the primary Finnish cultural organizations in the Detroit area with over 1500 members throughout the United States. The Cultural Center includes a large main hall and a smaller lounge which are available for rental, a commercial style kitchen, library, gift shop, and other office and meeting space. Groups that meet regularly include the Hoijakat Dancers, Finn Weavers, Handicrafts, Drama Club, Travel Club, Finnish-American Singers, and language classes.

Dedication

We would like to dedicate the fourth printing of this songbook to our friend Julia Makela (1942-1998) who passed away during our final preparations to reprint this booklet. She was quite active at the Finnish Cultural Center and helped found the FCA Soittoniekat. In particular, she organized the club's collection of sheet music and was an important part of the effort to reprint this booklet. Her joy of music was plain to see, especially when she began to learn the accordion after a trip to Finland because the music brought back memories of her youth. We will remember her fondly.
    - The FCA Soittoniekkojen Klubi