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In the information about the origin of the kantele SM128 in the Sibelius Museum, there is one sentence: “Tillhört Albert Edelfelt” – could this really be Albert Edelfelt’s kantele? Albert Edelfelt (1854–1905), once the undisputed leading figure of Finnish art and internationally one of the most famous Finnish painters, was born in a noble manor […]

The Sibelius Museum kantele SM124 may be the only Taivassalo kantele in Finnish museums. It has so many unique and special features that I’d write science fiction about it if I could. The maker of this instrument has put a lot of effort into the planning and execution of the design, but what she or […]

The 12-string kantele SM579 in the Sibelius Museum was built by Teppo Repo (1886-1962). He was born in Ingria and became famous in Finland as a shepherd’s musician. Tellervo Hämäläinen, the widow of Antti Hämäläinen (1897–1976), who was also born in Ingria and later became a Finn, donated the kantele to the Museum in 1980. […]

During the last decade, I photographed and measured all the kanteles in the Sibelius Museum at that time: 8 five-stringed, 7 small kanteles larger than five-stringed, and 27 large kanteles. In addition, there were 8 instruments whose classification is more or less controversial. In 2019, I published information about the Sibelius Museum’s five-string kanteles, and […]

Experimentation with string materials in small kanteles has shown interestingly how different materials affect the character of the instrument. Changing string material often requires not only a different pitch, but also a different playing technique or touch, as the feel of the strings can be completely different depending on the material. I have tried different […]