Lapp sámánok énekes hagyományaThe author, researching Finno-Ugrian music, had collected about 300 yoiks, or folk songs, in the Lapp village of Nunnanen in Northern Finland. His sources were Lapp reindeer breeders and herdsmen, three of whom sang 140 melodies with rich and systematically used ornamentation testifying to a so far unknown, ancient singing culture. He arrived at the conclusion that this singing style, which is totally different from the European style of singing, is a shamanistic tradition. The mumbling singing of shamans, by imitating the sounds of nature, addresses the spirits dwelling in nature. This singing style accompanied by drumbeat and dancing became folklore. Persecution and punishment by 17th-century evangelists suppressed the old religious texts, and in the ensuing three centuries they were gradually forgotten. Today, instead of the names of gods and spirits, the yoiks mention the names of famous reindeer breeders, friends, and women, hidden amid meaningless syllables as shamans were wont. Szomjas-Schiffert analyzes the function of yoiks and illustrates the special musical tools of ornamental, mumbling shamanistic singing with notations. The monograph fills a gap in the research on the ancient history of European music by solving the secret of Lapp shamanistic singing and presenting the music culture of ancient Europe. |
