This CD features a cross-section of a basic type of Estonian folk-song in which the style of its performance is strongly influenced by the singer's personality and worldview. Some of the songs which have inspired KIRILE LOO are said to have been created thousands of years ago; The Lapps, who are distantly related to the Estonians through their language, call this style of song "Yoiks".
They are comprised of just a few notes and words. In the course of time the basic form of the "Yoiks" became a type of, how KIRILE calls them "Runic Blues". Their original form was a simple, multiple-beat "Yoik" which developed into a more complex vocal song containing a detailed structure in which "Blue Notes" occasionally remind one of a real Bluesfeeling.
Incantations and magic spells derive from the most ancient Estonian song repertoire. In earlier times, every man and woman believed in his or her own magical power, and if one came across anyone who possessed even greater power, that person was said to be a witch or shaman. Those witches and sages were usually elderly people with great experience who knew the power of word magic and applied it to their witchcraft. Word magic was instrumental everywhere, especially in healing.
KIRILE LOO, "the Runic Witch", which she occasionally likes to call herself, lived many years in the forests of northern Estonia with her grandmother. Here,without the modern day distractions of electricity, telephone, and media, she was able to sensitize her five senses to an extraordinary degree.
The so-called metaphysical capacities ascribed to witches she describes as natural feminine powers that women need only to sensitize in themselves. The title "Lullabies For Husbands" invites one's fantasy to run free while embracing this theme. Her earthy and at the same time mystical singing conveys to the listener a special kind of energetic vibration.
Kirile studied music, singing and the history of her folk-music in the city of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia. Jazz, Blues and Country are also part of her repertoire. The Estonian violinist and composer, Tiit Kikas, presents, with his modern arrangements, an extraordinary work of the still young Worldbeat scene of Estonia. Comparisons to Björk or Mari Boine are understandable, but her singing stands out on its own.
KIRILE LOO and the ancient runo-songs
There are two historical layers in Estonian folk song --runo-songs (in Estonian: regi-laul) and rhymed songs. The former belong to the old Balto-Finnic and Finno-Ugrian culture, the latter represent the European folk music of relatively later period. The music of "Saatus-Fate", Kirile Loo's 1st CD and her newest one, "Lullabies for Husbands" is based on this first one.
Runo-song is the most original and valuable part of Estonian folk music. The runo-verse form, common to Balto-Finnic people, originated from before our era. It is based upon the 8-syllable verse of the quantitative metre.
Besides regular musical metre the free, recitative metre, often connected with melodic modifications is quite wide-spread. The runo-song is characterised by alliteration, parallelism and by very rich poetical language. Sometimes we are dealing with not purely poetic figures but old mythological symbols and images. Thus, for example, titles #1, #3, #6 + #11
Though words are the main component of runo-song, old runic tunes, too, are of great aesthetic interest. Original modes with possible unstable intervals, specific rhythms, imaginative variation, the ?magic repetition" of the main tune account for runo-song´s charm having attracted the attention of Estonian composers, such as Eduard Tubin and Veljo Tormis.
Nowadays runo-songs are sung only on the Kihnu island and the Setu area in Southern Estonia.
In Northern Estonia one-line melodies constitute the oldest tune layer. Specific rhythms and melodic features are characteristic of swing-song tunes. (#3)
The Setu folk song is a distinctive phenomenon. Since the Setu vernacular belongs to the Southern Estonian dialect, common traits can be found also in their folklore tradition. Setu songs have the main features of the runic song. But the 8-syllable runo-verse is interrupted by various additional words and syllables, by the word repetitions, refrains, etc. The polyphony and rhythms of Setu music cannot be found elsewhere in Estonia and are unknown to the neighbouring Russian population. The extremely rich and multifarious song tradition of Setu is represented here by titles #1 nd #6.
