Kalevala Festival: Kantele Performance
BackCategory
Entertainment
Start date
Sat, Apr 18 01:00 PM
End date
Sat, Apr 18 01:45 PM
Address / City
2655 NW Market Street Seattle
Location
WA, US
The kantele, Finland’s national instrument, is a powerful symbol of Finnish cultural heritage and is closely connected to the national epic, the Kalevala.
In the Kalevala, the wise hero Väinämöinen creates the first kantele from the jawbone of a giant pike, stringing it with the hair of a stallion. After losing that instrument, he fashions a second kantele from birch wood. The music of the kantele holds magical power. When Väinämöinen plays, the entire natural world grows still to listen—people, animals, forests, and even the waters.
The kantele later became an important national symbol during Finland’s 19th century cultural awakening, when the Kalevala helped strengthen Finnish identity under Russian rule and prepared the nation for independence in 1917.
Today the instrument remains central to Finnish folk music, ranging from traditional five-string kanteles to modern 40-string concert instruments.
In the Kalevala, the wise hero Väinämöinen creates the first kantele from the jawbone of a giant pike, stringing it with the hair of a stallion. After losing that instrument, he fashions a second kantele from birch wood. The music of the kantele holds magical power. When Väinämöinen plays, the entire natural world grows still to listen—people, animals, forests, and even the waters.
The kantele later became an important national symbol during Finland’s 19th century cultural awakening, when the Kalevala helped strengthen Finnish identity under Russian rule and prepared the nation for independence in 1917.
Today the instrument remains central to Finnish folk music, ranging from traditional five-string kanteles to modern 40-string concert instruments.
Organizer
National Nordic Museum
Phone
206.789.5707
Email
nordic@nordicmuseum.org
