Vaskikantele 1833

October 23, 2013

Arja’s third solo album (Aania-6, 2008), played on the replica made by Rauno Nieminen. 15,00 € (incl. VAT 24%).

The original 5-string kantele was made by a famous runo singer, Ontrei Malinen, in Vuonninen, Viena Karelia. In 1833 Elias Lönnrot traveled to Viena Karelia where he met Ontrei Malinen (1781–1856), who was in his opinion the best singer of his time. The year 1833 is also carved on the short side of the kantele. The solid piece of pinewood is hollowed out from below. The kantele is fairly big and heavy, weighing 782 g. (The replica is made of heat treated wood and so not quite as heavy). The bronze strings currently on the museum kantele are not original, but it is very probable that the strings were bronze or brass in the first place, so bronze strings were also fitted to the replica. The timber is warm and rich, the vibration of the strings last long, and it is easy to feel the resonance in the body of the instrument. As common with the bronze string kanteles, this instrument is tuned about a fifth lower than modern 5-string kanteles usually are. The booklet contains information also in English. This CD was ranked as one of the “delightful dozen”, a list of favorite cds for 2008 on the radio program Nordic Roots and Branches KSER hosted by Karen Pauley (WA, USA).