The Singing Revolution in Estonia 1987-1991

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The Singing Revolution in Estonia1987-1991

• Comenius 2010-2012
• Martna Põhikool
• Kaja Sarrapik, Marek Tammemägi

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The Singing Revolution in the Art

• the fast spread of national romanticism involved
  important changes performances, installations
  and shows.
• Traditional painting was starting to lose its
  leading position, it was replaced with new
  technics.

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The Singing Revolution in the Art

• The artist Jüri Arrak was one of the mental
  leaders in the new revolutionary movement in the
  culture. His painting A man with a dragon
  involves the message from the Estonian epic
  Kalevipoeg it is time for changes.

4
The Singing Revolution in the Caricature

• The caricature was a good way in the 1990s to
  demonstrate the new processes in the society.
• The caricature is a protest against the
  phosphorite mining in Estonia between 1987-88.
  The picture marks the beginning of the singing
  revolution in Estonia.

5
The Singing Revolution in the Monuments

• It was possible to start
• talking about the
• monuments which were
• once built for the people
• who defended Estonia in
• the Freedom War (1918
• 1920) and they were
• damaged and destroyed
• during the Soviet period.

6
The Singing Revolution in the Journalism

• Media played an important role during the
  independence movement 1987-1991. Since then the
  political publicity wasn't possible, it was
  developing and reached its high level in 1988
  when people's reading interest grew dramatically.
  Newspapers played the role of the organizer of
  crowds. The national memory was restored. Media
  was the key to the crowds.

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The Singing Revolution in the Cinematographic

• The film makers started to reflect issues that
  were strongly banned during the Soviet period.
• The documentaries started to reflect ecological
  and environmental issues.
• The hectic time in the society was reflected in
  the cartoons too.

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The Singing Revolution in the Literature
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The Singing Revolution in the Literature

• M.-A. Kelam From the entire heart
• freedom of Estonia was possible thanks to the
  sense of justice and the struggle of hundreds and
  thousands of people
• T. Tõnisson Once we will win
• The thought that one day we will win anyway
  became clearer and it united people stronger and
  stronger

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The Singing Revolution in the Literature

• M. Laar 101 historical events in Estonia
• Describing the singing revolution H. Valk says in
  this bookIt was worth to suffer the humiliation
  of the Russian rule for decades. It is the
  biggest demonstration ever, never seen before in
  any films or television, in live or dream.The
  peaceful revolution in Estonia was like an
  example to the rest of the socialist world - it
  is possible to fight without guns.

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The Singing Revolution in the Literature

• P. Vesilind Estonia in the year 1989
• sweet but at the same time also bitter period of
  the Estonian history.
• P. Vesilind Memories of The Singing Revolution
• the Estonians have sung themselves free from the
  Russian occupation.

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The Singing Revolution in the Music

• In the late 1980s music was once again used as a
  unifying force when hundreds of thousands
  gathered to sing forbidden Estonian songs,
  demanding their right for self-determination from
  a brutal Soviet occupier
• The young people, without any political party,
  and without any politicians, just came together
  ... not only tens of thousands but hundreds of
  thousands ... to gather and to sing and to give
  this nation a new spirit, remarks Mart Laar, a
  Singing Revolution leader and the first
  post-Soviet Prime Minister of Estonia. This was
  the idea of the Singing Revolution.

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The Singing Revolution in the Music

• Song festivals
• The first one in 1869
• Has served as the symbol of Estonian national
  culture and identity.
• The festivals carried the spirit of nationalism
  during the years of Russian occupation between
  1940 and 1991.

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The Singing Revolution in the Music

• Song festivals
• The traditional opening and finishing songs,
  Mihkel Lüdig's "Dawn" and Gustav Ernesaks' Land
  of my Fathers, Land that I Love have acquired a
  liturgical function - song miraculously slipped
  by the Soviet censors, and for fifty years it was
  a musical statement of every Estonians desire
  for freedom.

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The Singing Revolution in the Music

• The Singing Revolution
• a non-violent revolution that overthrew a very
  violent occupation.
• the spontaneous mass night-singing
  demonstrations at the Tallinn Song Festival
  Grounds when a hundred thousand Estonians gather
  each night for a week to sing protest songs all
  night in June 1011, 1988

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The Singing Revolution in the Music

• Rock Music
• In May 1988, five new patriotic rocksongs (Viis
  isamaalist laulu) written by Alo Mattiisen became
  rallying cries for independence. A song cycle
  Five Patriotic Songs, created by Mattiisen and
  Leesment and partially based on hundred-year-old
  patriotic choral songs, became especially
  popular.

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The Singing Revolution in the Music

• To the song cycle Five Patriotic Songs belong
• 1)Isamaa ilu hoieldes (Cherishing the Beauty of
  the Land of my Fathers)
• 2) Eestlane olen ja eestlaseks jään (Estonian I
  Am, and Estonian I Will Be) was first sung in May
  1988. With this song started the real Singing
  revolution.
• 3) Kaunimad laulud (The Finest of Songs)
• 4) Mingem üles mägedele (Lets Go Up to the
  Hills)
• 5) Sind surmani (Until I Die)