Music of Estonia - Schola Cantorum on Hudson

Program Notes
by Deborah Simpkin King, Ph.D.
Freedom has proven a concept <strong>of</strong> great depth and breadth, and music a worthy vehicle
for its variegated exploration throughout our sixteenth season. Physically expressive
freedom through dance (in the December concerts), internal freedom from selfimposed
emotional ‘prisons’ (in the March concerts), and now political and social
freedom, as seen in the remarkable emergence <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Estonia</strong>n nation from Russian (and briefly,
German) occupation—all pathways along the journey have yielded a healthy harvest.
The <strong>Estonia</strong>n story <strong>of</strong> occupation, in brief: World War II casualties <strong>of</strong> <strong>Estonia</strong>,
estimated at around 25% <strong>of</strong> the population, were among the highest in Europe. Following the
end <strong>of</strong> World War II, terror continued, as Stalin ‘purged’ all considered a threat to Soviet rule,
forcing many <strong>of</strong> the nation’s intellectual and political leaders to flee. More than 200,000 people
were deported from the Baltics between 1940 and 1953, and at least 75,000 were sent to forced
labor camps. Half <strong>of</strong> those deported perished; those who survived were not allowed to return
until the early 1960s.
After World War II, as part <strong>of</strong> the effort to more fully integrate Baltic countries into the Soviet
Union, the policy <strong>of</strong> encouraging Soviet immigration to the Baltic states was intensified. The
Soviet goal was to destroy any sense <strong>of</strong> national culture; hence, during the years following the
Soviet annexation <strong>of</strong> <strong>Estonia</strong>, all symbols <strong>of</strong> national identity were ordered destroyed, under
threat <strong>of</strong> imprisonment or death. As will be movingly seen in today’s presentation, however,
symbols <strong>of</strong> <strong>Estonia</strong>n identity were hidden and preserved at great risk, to be revealed when the
time was right.
Singing and freedom in <strong>Estonia</strong>. The middle <strong>of</strong> the 19th century saw the beginning <strong>of</strong> a
choral movement, and in 1869, the first all-<strong>Estonia</strong>n Song Festival took place. The Song Festivals
drew many thousands <strong>of</strong> people, and served to nourish the national identity <strong>of</strong> <strong>Estonia</strong>ns during
the years <strong>of</strong> Soviet occupation. In fact, it was through Song Festival activity that the winds <strong>of</strong>
change were fanned; and ultimately, as we will see, a political speech forever dubbed the political
revolution in <strong>Estonia</strong> “The Singing Revolution!”
The Singing Revolution lasted over four years, with various forms <strong>of</strong> protest and acts <strong>of</strong> defiance.
In 1991, as Soviet tanks attempted to stop the progress towards independence, the <strong>Estonia</strong>n
Supreme Soviet together with the Congress <strong>of</strong> <strong>Estonia</strong>, proclaimed the restoration <strong>of</strong> the
independent state <strong>of</strong> <strong>Estonia</strong> and repudiated Soviet legislation. Thousands <strong>of</strong> <strong>Estonia</strong>ns left their
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