MUSIC TASK

Sunday, November 8th, 2015

Today is Father's Day, which is called Isänpäivä in Finnish. I had a chance to visit my adopted Finnish grandfather with my adopted parents. His name is Voitto Höykinpuro. He used to be a musician playing Haitari (aka Harmonikka) when he was young. There, I had an opportunity to attend a private solo Haitari concert. One of the songs that I enjoyed the most was Syksyn viesti, which was composed by Seppo Leino. My adopted mom said that Haitari is something very common and cultural in Finnish classical music. Almost all Finnish Elders have played or at least known or listened to it. Haitari is an complicated mechanical device, which forms freely vibrating sounds through a kinda air box. it consists of three basic elements namely the bellows, the treble side and the bass side.

It was really a great pleasure to listen to a cultural Finnish instrument. I love the beautiful rhythm that Haitari makes. I hope that the instrument will be inherited and continue to give great pleasure to audiences.