In traditionalSámi music songs (e.g.Kvad[1] and Leudd songs[2]) andjoiks are important musical expressions of theSámi people andSámi languages. The Sámi also use a variety of musical instruments, some unique to the Sámi, some traditional Scandinavian, and some modern introductions.
Highly spiritual songs calledjoiks (Northern Sami:luohti;Southern Sami:vuolle) are the most characteristic song type. (The same word sometimes refers tolavlu orvuelie songs, though this is technically incorrect.) Joiks may have few or no lyrics, do not rhyme, and have no definite structure. They are typically about any subject of importance to the singer, and vary widely in content. In Northern areas each person often has their own joik, sometimes given to them at birth, which is seen as personal to and representative of them, like a name. Purely folk joiks have declined in popularity over the 20th century, due to the influence of pop radio and religious fundamentalism, especiallyLaestadianism. Joiking first came to prominence within Sweden and Scandinavia as a whole with the 1959 release of Sven-Gösta Jonsson's "I'm a Lapp", which featured the singer singing about joiking towards heathen stones over a modern, skiffle-like beat. The first commercial recordings of joiking were performed by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää in 1968, in Finland. Valkeapää's recordings, however, differed from traditional joiking by including both instrumentation and ambient sounds, such as barking dogs and the wind.[3]
Nevertheless, joik performers of some fame includeAngelit (former Angelin tytöt, Girls ofAngeli),Wimme Saari andNils-Aslak Valkeapää from FinnishSápmi. Many modern singers are signed toDAT,[4] the premier record label in Sámi music.
The most famous Sámi singer isMari Boine ofNorway, who sings a type of minimalistfolk-rock with joik roots. Some non-Sámi artists, includingRinneRadio,Xymox, andJan Garbarek, have used joik and other Sámi styles in their music.
The Finnishfolk metal bandSháman (now known as Korpiklaani) introduced what some call "yoik metal" in the late 1990s, drawing attention to Sámi music in the heavy metal scene. Their music incorporated Sámi elements such as yoik singing, Sámi lyrics, and shamanic drum. The vocalist has also yoiked for fellow Finnish folk metal bandFinntroll. Also Finnish black metal band Barathrum (On Eerie album's first track) and Swedish black metal band Arckanum have used joik parts in couple of their songs.
In January 2008, the Sámi artist Ann Marie Anderson, singing "Ándagassii" qualified to the finals ofMelodi Grand Prix 2008, (the Norwegian national selection for theEurovision Song Contest 2008), but she did not win. In March 2015 the Swedish Sámi artist Jon Henrik Fjallgren came second with his song "Jag ar fri" in the finals in the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In the October 2018 final episode of the Norwegian televised music contestStjernekamp, 20-year-old Sámi artist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen was voted the winner; her final performance on the show was a yoik.[5]
At the Eurovision Song Contest itself, joik appeared in Eurovision Song Contest 1980 with "Sámiid ædnan", whereMattis Hætta performed a yoik he had composed, and 2019 thanks to the song "Spirit in the Sky" performed by theKEiiNO trio representing Norway. Parts in this language joik were performed by the Saami singer and rapperFred Buljo, who is a member of the group. The KEiiNO team won the audience vote, but after adding up the total vote of the jury (40 points) and the audience (170 points), the trio took only 6th place in the general classification of the grand final of the competition.[6]
Some sources have commented on a supposed lack of musical instruments among the Sámi, with one 1885 work noting: "They cannot claim to possess a single instrument of their own, not even the most primitive."[7] Despite these beliefs, the Sámi employ a variety of musical instruments, several unique to them. Among these instruments are thefadno, a reedpipe made fromAngelica archangelica stalks, and theSámi drum. Late 18th century researchers also noted two bagpipes in Lapland:[8] thesak-pipe and thewal-pipe.[9]
Other Sámi instruments of wider Scandinavian usage include thelur (a long horn trumpet),[10][11] and theharpu,[12] a zither to the Finnishkantele.[13]Willow flutes are often made from the bark of the quicken tree or mountain ash.[14]
Modern bands use a wide variety of instruments, especially thefiddle,concertina, andaccordion.
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