Tune-a-Day – Wilho Saari

October 23, 2013

Wilho Saari: “Tune-a-Day, Compositions for the 36-, 10- and 5-string kanteles” (ed. by A. Kastinen). Texts both in English and in Finnish. Size A4, 264 pages, 365 tunes. Price 29,00 € (incl. VAT 10%) + postal charges 4,00€. In the USA the book can be ordered directly from Wilho Saari: kantele@wwest.net

Wilho Saari, a fifth-generation kantele player down from the famous Finnish kantele icon Kreeta Haapasalo, is the leading tradition bearer of kantele in the United States. He continues the creative kantele tradition reaching beyond generations by making music about events in his everyday life. The tune number 2000 was done in May 20, 2009, and since that the number 3000 has already been created! This collection contains 365 tunes composed during 1988-2010 (276 tunes for the 36-string kantele, 63 tunes for the 10-string kantele, 21 tunes for the 5-string kantele). Four of the tunes are arranged by Arja Kastinen for a kantele group Livakat and one of the tunes is a choral arrangement by Denise Reed-Hinds.