"A musical instrument. A national symbol.
A myth. The kantele..."
Joyce E. Hakala, Memento of Finland
This is my kantele.
"A musical instrument. A national symbol.
A myth. The kantele..."
Joyce E. Hakala, Memento of Finland
This is my kantele.
I bought it in the summer of 1999 from Gerry Luoma Henkel in Minnesota and I have been learning to play it since. I have help from Gerry (through his manual and from a videotape he made just for me to show me the basics--wow, that was nice!) and from my teacher Kasha Breau, who plays harp, kantele and a lot more. My dad even made me a nifty carrying case that protects this beautiful instrument.
Louhi's Daughters/Louhen Tyttäret
Since I've been taking lessons for a while now, I have taken up public performances with my teacher Kasha Breau and friend Minna Popkin under the name "Louhi's Daughters." Many of our performances include Kasha's evocative storytelling and recitations from The Kalevala in English and Finnish, as well as traditional folk songs, and of course! kantele playing.
Our gig list :
- FAHS, Kalevala Day, February 2002 (with Kasha & Minna)
- FinnFest 2001, July 2001 (with Kasha & Minna)
- Saima Park, Kesäjuhla, June 2001 (with Minna)
- Connecticut Audubon Society, Glastonbury, Summer Solstice, June 2001 (with Kasha & Minna)
- FAHS,Kalevala Day, March 2001 (with Kasha & Minna)
- FAHS,Independence Day, December 2000 (with Minna)
- Finnish-American Heritage Society, Kalevala Day, February 2000 (with Kasha & Minna)
I hope to get a five string kantele some day soon. The closest I have come so far, is this beautiful charm that I found on eBay. The woman selling it wasn't even sure what instrument it was.
Learn more about the Kantele by reading the following:
The Kantele Traditions of Finland, by Carl Rahkonen. Order from Carl Rahkonen, Dept. of Music, Indiana U. of PA, 101 Cogswell Hall, Indiana, PA, 15705-1070, USA. $25.00 (includes shipping).On the WWW visit:Memento of Finland, by Joyce Hakala. Order from Pikebone Music, 865 Lenox Avenue, St. Paul, MN, 55119, USA. $32.00 (includes shipping).
Gerry Henkel's Kantele ShopThe Kaustinen Folk Music CenterLani K. Thompson's original kantele music siteThe North American Kantele OrganizationThe Finnish Kantele Association (Kanteleliitto)
