6yMUS 606: Book Review Guide.

Summary: (short).
In one paragraph explain what the book is about.
Tina Ramnarines book Ilmatars Inspirations presents the topic of
Finnish folk music and the means through which it is transformed into a living
tradition, capable of representing the identity of the Finnish people in various
musical contexts. With this in mind, Ramnarine explores both purist and
eclectic methods of transmission, and the effects of the Finnish folk song
revival. The ethnography portion of this study focuses on folk manifestation
in both urban and rural settings, the role of institutionalized music and
festivals . Finally, Ramnarines analysis delves into the boundary blurring
between new folk music and world music, commenting on the ability of the
Finnish folk idiom to maintain a national identity even through the adoption
of non-native practices.

Issues, themes and theoretical topics:

Does the author clearly lay out his/her themes or topics? Is the
thesis clear?
The most pervasive issue presented throughout this study is clearly the
representation of national identity through the use of a constantly-changing
folk music form. In the preface, Ramnarine presents her thesis and
methodology in a few different ways, stating that her intent is to explore the

processes of transmission and performance and [] musicians ideas about

folk music (xvii). One of the most important themes that arises from this
research is the fluid boundaries presented by Finnish traditional music, new
folk music, and world music.

Theory:
Is theory adequate addressed? Does the author convincingly
connect his/her case
study(ies) to theoretical issues beyond. What contribution does the
author make to
understanding identity?
Folk music representation of a national landscape is one theoretical element
that provides continuity within this research. Many elements of the Finnish
new folk seem inconsistent with national sentiment, however, where text is
concerned, even the new folk music frequently references themes pertaining
to a northern landscape and the rural life. Even many songs from the vocal
group Varttina return to this theme of the rural landscape and folk life,
however, presented in the new context of changing gender roles.
The MYTH of the continuous history KALEVALA
In the early pages of this research, Ramnarine references the idea of
invented tradition from Hobsbawm and Rangers 1983 research. (pg. 18)
Recent developments in Finnish folk music tradition show characteristics of
an invented tradition. While many of the elements that form the folk music

and new folk music are not inconsistent with past practices, their
institutionalized applications impose a perceived cultural unity onto a more
disparate past. With the twentieth-century advent of a politically unified
Finnish nation, these projections of a Finnish cultural history set vague
boundaries of what it means to be musically Finnish and bring continuity to
present practices. Ramnarines research spends considerable time showing
how these practices have attempted to create a mythical Finnish antiquity.
More current to this research, however, is the way that the transmission
process for folk music traditions is undergoing change.
Ramnarines used her interview with Peltoniemi, a fourth-generation
Finnish-American to show how alternate modes of folk transmission in this
case, learned tradition through recordings has been accepted as a valid
connection to legitimate folk traditions (136-142). It is interesting to note
that, while Finnish new folk performers were receptive to Peltoniemis
music; his Finnish-American community was less accepting. Ramnarines
research does not focus heavily on the displaced Finnish communities and
their influence on the development of folk music, but I think her research
could be strengthened by further study of this idea. Perhaps Finnish
emigrant communities are more hostile toward modifications to their music
because the folk-song literature functions as a means of maintaining the
Finnish identity.

Ranmarines assessment of the modes of transmission between past

folk practices and the new folk idiom show a stark contrast between the oral
transmission practice and

Methodology:
Does the author effectively describe his/her methodology? What
techniques were
used? How effective were they?
Early in this books analysis, the author makes it clear that she will
describe her research on Finnish folk music through narrative empiricism.
One particularly helpful element in this enthnography came from
Ramnarines comparisons showing the historical and current perspectives of
folklorists and collectors. She contrasts Bartok and (????s) approach to the
value of pure melodies against many Finns acceptance of traditional
melody as a fluid process.

As already mentioned, this enthography is written from an observational

perspective. Ramnarines interactions with the Finnish population are largely
conducted through interviews and her research from the 1990s (page
number?), maintaining an outsider perspective. While it seems that field
work occasionally brought Ramnarine into close participation with the people

groups she studies, her research maintains a rather distant style in order to, I
think, avoid a heavy bias.

Authorial reflexivity (subjectivity/objectivity):

Does the author engage in any self-reflexivity. (Does her bias
appear in her work?) If so, does it contribute to the issues/
theories discussed?
Tina Ranmarine takes an objective, analytical approach to this
enthographic topic, presenting information from diverse sources before
attempting to establish a place in the theories that she has chosen.
Interviews with Finnish folk performers are abundantly scattered throughout
the book, giving a relatively unbiased view of the Finnish peoples
understanding of their folk traditions. Perhaps because this book is the result
of well over a decade of research, interviews, and fieldwork, any
predispositions that Ranmarine may have held concerning the status of
Finnish folk song are not apparent within her research.

Description of music and analysis:

Is it clear how musical sound links to this social group?
How is music defined in this study?
This study spends more time in an analysis of the relationship between
people

Uniqueness:
What, if anything, seems special or unique about this work?
Ramnarines representation of the divergent practices between folk
and new folk music creates several clear boundaries that apply well to
descriptions of recent folk developments beyond those of the Finnish nation.
While living folk traditions, meaning those that allow for change as a natural
part of the traditions survival, the Finnish example seems rather unique. Its
incorporation of diverse elements into the tradition has been embraced in
many folk circles, rather than just creating a deviant group in opposition to
authentic traditions. In her analysis of festivals, examinations, performing
groups, and rural/urban , Ramnarine frequently returns to a focus on the
individual performer/composer and the ways in which a member of the living
tradition influences the whole.

Your aesthetic response:

Did you enjoy/appreciate it? Why or Why not?
Would you recommend it? To whom? Why?
I found Ranmarines method of presenting her theories and research to
be quite approachable. Much of the research focuses on concrete facts with
a historical background rather than developing abstract theories from the
beginning. This method

Although this was not immediately pertinent to this study, Ranmarines

approach should prove to be a good groundwork for a study of the different
approaches to a folk musics development within and beyond its native
location. The research related to the myth-making role of the Kalevala
collection in creating not only a contemporary Finnish identity, but a
perceived continuous past is especially interesting.