Latvian Folk Songs Research Articles

Invocation of the Sun in the Gayatri Mantra and in Latvian Folksongs

The close affinity between Sanskrit and European languages has been proven a long time ago, and many researches about Central European languages and Lithuanian language have been published in this regard. However, there are just a few comparative works about Sanskrit and Latvian language, mainly dictionaries or studies on morphology, phonetics, and transcription. This research deals with lexicogrammatical and semantic aspects of Sanskrit and Latvian that have not yet been properly analyzed by other scholars. In this regard, the research provides a unique contribution to the comparative literature and linguistic studies. Besides, the author has chosen a new perspective to view the Sun in the religious folk culture, correlating it with linguistic semantics in a close-to-text analysis of three poetic texts – the Gayatri mantra and two Latvian folksongs. The main goal of this research is to discover and to describe similarities and differences in literary means of expression, grammar and lexica of Sanskrit and Latvian in order to display the spiritual attitude toward the Sun in both cultures. Syntactic parts in both languages are compared, starting from the level of words, phrases, and sentences to the level of the writing as a whole. Although phonetics, intonation, and meter also constitute an essential part of mantras and folksongs, however, they will not be discussed in this article. It would rather be an object of a field research about oral traditions of the folk culture. [ In Latvian: Sanskrita un Eiropas valodu ciesa radnieciba ir pieradita jau sen, un ir publiceti daudzi petijumi par Centraleiropas un lietuviesu valodam. Tacu ir tikai dazi salidzinoša aspekta darbi par sanskritu un latviesu valodu, galvenokart, vardnicas vai raksti par morfologiju, fonetiku un transkripciju. Saja petijuma aplukotas sanskrita un latviesu valodas leksikogrammatiskas un semantiskas iezimes, kuras citi valodnieki vel nav pienacigi analizejusi. Lidzi ar to raksts sniedz unikalu ieguldijumu salidzinošas literaturzinatnes un lingvistikas joma. Turklat autore piedava jaunu skatijumu uz saules telu religiskaja tautas kultura, sasaistot to ar lingvistisko semantiku, tekstam tuva analize salidzinot tris poetiskus darbus – Gajatri mantru un latviesu tautasdziesmas Lec, Saulite un Spigulo, Saulite. Si petijuma galvenais merkis ir atklat un aprakstit lidzibas un atskiribas sanskrita un latviesu valodas literarajos izteiksmes lidzeklos, gramatika un leksika, tai par laika paradot garigo attieksmi pret sauli latviesu un indiesu kulturas. Sintaktiska aspekta tiek vispirms salidzinati vardi, frazes un teikumi, bet pec tam apskatiti ari visi panti to veseluma. Fonetika, intonacija un metrika ari ir butiska mantru un tautasdziesmu sastavdala, tomer saja raksta tas netiks detalizetas. Sadam izpetes objektam butu vairak atbilstos lauka petijums par tautas kulturas mutvardu tradicijam.]

Dziesmu virknes kāzu apdziedāšanās tradīcijas kontekstā: īpatnības un problemātika

Singing of mutual mocking songs in Latvian traditional culture is an ancient and highly cultivated custom. It can be found at clean-up days, traditional annual celebrations and family-related festivities. Of all the festivities, this tradition is most vividly manifested in weddings and has been preserved in some places until today. Singing usually takes place between two groups – boys and girls, unmarried girls and married women, guests and housemates, etc. During the wedding, the singing takes place mainly between the relatives of the groom and the bride. This custom, which permeates the entire wedding ritual, symbolically features a clash between the groom’s family and the bride’s family, which allows psychological tension to be discharged by reaching the catharsis. In particular, singing mocking songs effectively discharges the accumulated negative feelings in a socially permitted manner. The 12th volume of the academic edition “Latvian Folk Songs” (Latviešu tautasdziesmas) was published in the summer of this year. This volume continues, which was started in the previous volume by publishing wedding songs. This edition covers the wedding theme more completely than all the ones published so far, so the texts included in the 12th volume and those not included were selected as the sources for this study. A folk song is usually understood as a content-autonomous and structurally closed quatrain, but when working with song manuscripts, it turns out that they are not always complete texts in content and form or aesthetically perfect texts. Additionally, a fairly large number of songs consist of much more than four lines. If we look at the tradition of Latvian folk songs as a whole, it can be seen that, for various reasons, long songs and strings of songs have been significantly less studied; therefore, the article focuses on one of these phenomena – strings of songs. The article also focuses on the importance and development of the wedding mutual mocking song singing tradition over time and the variability and improvisational nature of the mocking songs. At the end of the article, attention is paid to the following problems of publishing strings of songs: lack of classification principles, volume limitations, including whether and how the mentioned reasons have influenced the inclusion of a string of songs in the 12th volume of “Latviešu tautasdziesmas”.

The Transition from Song to Poetry in Latvian Literature in the Second Half of the 19th Century

The Latvian nation is a singing nation. The Singing Revolution and similar song- and singing-related references are traditionally associated with the image of Latvians. The origins of written Latvian are also related to song: the oldest known Christian song in Latvian, dating from 1530, is also one of the oldest examples of Latvian-language text.
 In the second half of the 18th century, as a result of transferring from a German to a Latvian cultural space, a new genre of song was created by the German pastor Gotthard Friedrich Stender, the secular, didactic and sentimental ziņģe (a term coined from the German verb singen, ‘to sing’). As the level of education among Latvians was low and most information spread by word of mouth, the German pastors and the first generation of Latvian poets made use of ziņges as an informative tool. Around the middle of the 19th century, the Latvian national revival began. Without denying the importance of Latvian folk songs in the creation of national culture, the main focus of this article is on the secular ziņģes that were adopted from the German literary tradition, which up until the second half of the 19th century were a favourite tool for entertainment (singing) and spreading information orally. As the level of literacy among Latvians rose, the ziņģes receded to the periphery of the literary landscape, paving the way for a new concept for denoting a rhythmic text that was for the first time not melody-bound: dzeja, or ‘poetry’. The emergence of the new concept in 1869, which was related to the Latvian national revival and the formation of a national literary culture, at the same time also marked a turning point from orality to literacy in Latvian society.

Transcription as a Tool for Deep Reading and Teaching of Folklore

The paper outlines initial experience of using transcription as a tool to promote deep reading and understanding of cultural heritage. The experience is a side activity of a project, which aims to improve the database of Latvian folk songs. Use of transcription appeared beneficial not only in terms of elaborating a data base, but also for stimulating deep reading and comprehension of folk songs. The analysis of experiences shows the benefits and challenges of using transcription as a tool for working with students in humanities and arts.

Krišjāņa Barona jubilejas latviešu folkloristikā

The birth and death remembrance anniversaries of Krišjānis Barons (31.10.1835–08.03.1923), editor of folk songs and publisher of “Latvju dainas” (Latvian Folk Songs, 1894–1915), received widespread attention already in the interwar period, both in the humanities and in Latvian society in general. Shortly after Barons’ death, in honour of his memory, several significant projects in the history of Latvian culture and scholarship were launched: the Barons’ Society (1924–1940) and the Archives of Latvian Folklore were founded (1924), and the Krišjānis Barons’ Prize was established (1926–1940). However, the most ambitious cultural memory activities are associated with the celebration of his 150th anniversary between 1981 and 1985. This anniversary promoted works of research, art, literature, and cinema, the emergence of new cultural sites, as well as encouraged the general public to strive for Latvian independence. Of lasting significance was the tradition of the annual conference of Krišjānis Barons, which began in 1981 by A. Upīts’ Institute of Language and Literature at the Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences. The aim of the article is to understand the construction of the memory of Krišjānis Barons in a diachronic aspect, using the theoretical approaches of memory studies and postcolonial studies for interpretation. Based on the archival and published materials, the article traces the history of Barons’ commemoration activities during the 20th century and provides an analysis of their role in the context of cultural policy, ideologies of their time, and the disciplinary history of folklore studies.

Beginnings of Literary Images of a Lithuanian and Lithuania in Latvia

In Latvian literature since the second half of the 19th century, Lithuanians, Lithuania, its history, its particular sites are quite often depicted in some specific view, sometimes comprehensively, conceptually, sometimes episodically, passingly. The article attempts to demonstrate what image of Lithuanians and Lithuania that could have made an impact on Latvian literature, formed before it emerged and while emerging: in folklore, writings of Baltic Germans in the 18th–19th centuries and works by activists of the National Awakening.
 In Latvian folk songs, Lithuanians (leiši) are mostly depicted either as close, connected to Latvians by marital bonds, likely bonding people or as enemies, raiders to defend against. There are many other, random, hardly classified Lithuanian motifs in the discussed songs. In narrative folklore, the image of a Lithuanian is more one-sided and not very amiable: a Lithuanian person is usually portrayed in a mocking manner, emphasising negative traits, such as laziness, lack of intelligence, gullibility, etc.
 In texts by Baltic Germans, a Lithuanian of that period was also mostly characterised negatively, by emphasising one’s indolence, backwardness, ignorance. The image of Lithuania in the past, its rulers described by them is different: reserved, objectivised, including sometimes expressed nuances of surprise, respect towards the former geopolitical, military might of Lithuania. The old Lithuanian (and Prussian) religion, mythology started being treated as Latvian ones (Gotthard Friedrich Stender (1714–1796) and others), community of the Lithuanian, Old Prussian and Latvian languages, ethnoses was observed, even considering them all to be one nation (Carl Friedrich Watson (1777–1826) and others), history of Lithuania started being positively assessed and presented while bringing it closer to the history of Latvia (Garlieb Helwig Merkel, 1769–1850).
 Ideas of community or kinship of the Lithuanian and Latvian languages, religion, history were actively taken over and intensively fostered by the New Latvians (jaunlatvieši) and other activists of the Latvian National Awakening in the 19th century. They were writing on an inseparable history of Latvians and Lithuanians or even one nation, carried out in-depth investigation of the past and language of Lithuanians, both grounding on their data, objectively, reasonably and subjectively, motivelessly extending the concept of Latvian history, enriching the Latvian language. Atis Kronvalds (1837–1875), Juris Alunāns (born Gustavs Georgs Frīdrihs Alunāns, 1832–1864), Fridrihs Veinbergs (1844–1924), Andrejs Dīriķis (1853–1888) and other enlightened people were those whose endeavours contributed to making the image of Lithuanians and Lithuania in the public space of Latvia more positive, usually, while linking to the past, it was being idealised. Such, idealised, image was mostly taken over by Latvian romantic, neoromantic literature since the 19th century.

Lībiskā dialekta un vidus dialekta kursisko izlokšņu atspoguļojuma problemātika akadēmiskajā izdevumā „Latviešu tautasdziesmas”: 11. sējuma piemērs

The first volume of the academic edition entitled “Latvian Folksongs” was published in 1979, thus starting the publication of the largest collection of Latvian folksongs. Until now, eleven volumes have been arranged and published. The newest volume consists of wedding songs, and it was published in 2018. The publishing of the twelfth volume is currently in progress. The twelfth volume will continue the previous one, adding wedding customs songs, including naughty folk songs. In the academic edition of Latvian folksongs, the texts in High Latvian dialect are especially separated from Standard Latvian, thus creating their own unique set of texts. However, there are other dialects different from Standard Latvian – Livonian dialect and Curonian variety of Central dialect, which have been represented significantly less frequently. Based on the research of academic publications and questionnaires for the compilers of “Latvian Folksongs”, the research analyses why the situation with the representation of Livonian dialect and Curonian variety of Central dialect is so different from the representation of High Latvian – is it because there are fewer texts in these two dialects that are available or maybe there are more complicated reasons.

Dieva mīlestības koncepts saistībā ar bāreņu tēmu latviešu tautasdziesmās

The Latvian folk songs include the version of God’s love and the concept of God as a creative creature, which I will see in relation to the subject of mourning, pregnant women, orphans (for the sake of clarity, orphans) as a particularly sensitive reflection of society. The poetic layer of these songs reveals Latvian mentality, basic ethical and aesthetic values, and the nation’s understanding of God’s love for the most vulnerable members of society, using vivid symbolism and metaphors. Orphans do not question the existence of God, they see it as a comprehensive, unifying, self-respecting, compassionate, and understanding creature. We do not find proof that there is no God at all. In symbolic images, there is a proven belief in one God you understand. In this sense, there is a similarity with the assumption of process theology about God’s existence as an open concept in a situation where it is impossible to offer any other proof of God’s existence. In their lives, orphans encounter God as a responsive, creative, optimistic love; God encourages an orphan to learn, be smart, be morally complete, live with pleasure, not indulge in pessimism, and be creative. The abstract nature of God is depicted in two ways. On the one hand, God has all the power that a creature may have; on the other hand, God does not have all the power that exists because the creatures he creates also have the power that allows them to choose good or evil opportunities in their own lives. Evil is the choice of people to be cruel to the weaker. The folklore researchers also believe that this set of folk songs belongs to the most realistic, even natural songs because they are based on the direct observation of life, express frustration with this life, and the desire to make what they want into reality seeking support from God. In this situation, God is both responsive and compassionate to a human and a person who does not interfere in events. The orphan must learn to see the positive power of the love offered by God and, together with God’s involvement, to discover human self-worth, create the beautiful, seek creative self-fulfilment and creativity as the most desirable expression of spiritual existence. God exists as the originator of this process.

Dainas kā Lejaskurzemes izlokšņu fonētikas un morfoloģijas iezīmju avots

Keywords: folksongs, subdialects, Lejaskurzeme, phonetics, morphology It has been a long time since linguists have spoken about the levelling of subdialects in Latvia, for instance, linguist Jānis Endzelīns already in the middle of the 20th century, when he spoke about the language of the district of Vidzeme said these significant words: “As elsewhere also in Latvia the standard language exterminates subdialects and partly has already exterminated them. There are many areas where it is hard to find a person who speaks only in subdialect.” Therefore, it is important to identify the most important sources of the acquisition of subdialects, which would be useful to all who are interested in subdialectic studies. One of these sources is Latvian folksongs, which vividly preserve the most prominent phonetic and morphological features. The phonetical and morphological features of the subdialects of Lejaskurzeme have been identified in both folksong materials and in later linguistic sources—in the descriptions of Anna Ābele “Par Rucavas izloksni” (On the Rucava Sub-Dialect (1927)), “Rucavas izloksne” (The Rucava Sub-Dialect (1928)), “Gramzdas draudzes izloksne” (The Sub-Dialect of Gramzda Parish (1929)) and also in the description of Emma Valtere “Pērkones izloksne” (The Pērkone Sub-Dialect (1938)) as well as in late 20th century and early 21st century linguistic sources, which allow a comparison between characteristic subdialectical peculiarities and to track their changes over the years. This article analyses the most prominent peculiarities of the subdialects of Lejaskurzeme both in folksongs and in subdialectal sources: in phonetics and morphology. The analysis of the folksongs shows that the treasures of our language are still living; moreover, especially the sources of folklore, including folksongs, are still an actual source of studying subdialects, which, if we use correctly, can reveal grammatical, phonetical, and morphological peculiarities.

Songs About Social Classes and Their Presentation in Two Largest Latvian Folksong Editions

The article is focused on folksongs about social classes or the so-called social songs, which differ from other Latvian folksongs with their historical content, which has been interpreted from different perspectives in the two largest Latvian folksong editions. In the arrangement of social songs for the first complete folksong edition Latvju dainas (1894–1915) the ideas of the Latvian National Awakening were highlighted, whereas the chapter on social songs in the academic edition Latviešu tautasdziesmas (1979–2018) demonstrates the impact of Soviet ideology. The article also reveals the role of compilers’ personalities in the selection, classification, and interpretation of social songs.

The Lithuanian Folk Couplets: On This Side of the Permissible Laughter and Beyond

The Lithuanian Folk Couplets: On This Side of the Permissible Laughter and Beyond

Latvju dainu atbalsis Veltas Sniķeres lirikā

The research “Echoes of Latvian Dainas in the Lyrics of Velta Sniķere” examines motifs and fragments of Latvian folk songs in the poetry by Sniķere. Several poems that directly reveal the montage of folk songs are selected as research objects. Linguistic, semantic, hermeneutical and historical as well as literary methods were used in poetry analysis. The research emphasizes the importance of Latvian folklore in the process of Latvian exile literature, the genesis of modern lyrics, and the philosophical conception of the poet. Latvian folk songs in the lyrics of Sniķere are mainly perceived as a source of ancient knowledge and as a path to the Indo-European first language, prehistoric time, which is understood only in a poetic state. Often, the montage of Latvian folk songs or their fragments in the lyrics of Sniķere is revealed as a reflexive reverence that creates a semantic fracture and opposition between profane and sacred view. The insertion of a song in the poem alters the rhythmic and phonetic sound: a free and sometimes dissonant article is replaced by a harmonic trochee, while an internationalism saturated language is replaced by a simple, phonetically effective language composed of alliterations and assonances. The montage of folk songs in a poem is justified by the necessity to restore the Latvian identity in exile, to restore the memory of ancient, mythical knowledge, to represent the understanding of beauty and other moral-ethical values and to show the thought activity. Common mythical images in the lyrics of Sniķere are snake, wind, gold, silver, stone etc. The Latvian folk song symbolism and lifestyle of the poet are organically synthesized with the insights of Indian philosophy.

Etnonimai XVI–XVII a. latvių kalbos tekstuose: latviai, lietuviai, rusai

[full article and abstract in Lithuanian; abstract in English]
 This article discusses the usage of ethnonyms denoting Latvians, Lithuanians and Russians in 16–17th century Latvian texts that are included in the Corpus of Early Latvian Texts. The objective of this article is to analyze the details of how these ethnonyms are used in these texts, the meanings attributed to them (especially in the case of ethnonyms denoting Lithuanians and Russians) and the differences from their usage in folklore.
 It is concluded that latvietis and latvis – two ethnonyms denoting Latvians – can be found in texts (including unpublished manuscripts) dating back as early as the 17th century. The majority of them are practical texts, such as dictionaries, but there are original religious texts addressed to Latvians themselves, too – e.g., Eernst Glück’s preface to his New Testament translation of 1685, or the sermon books by Georg Mancelius.
 The ethnonyms denoting Lithuanians – such as leitis, lietaviets and lietavnieks – also appear in 17th century dictionaries, occasionally also in the sermons by Mancelius. However, it is not always possible to tell whether these terms are used to denote an ethnicity or the inhabitants of the respective country. Unlike Latvian folksongs, the 17th century texts never use the ethnonym leiši to refer to Latvians.
 Regarding the ethnonym denoting Russians in the early Latvian texts, there are several differences from the usage of denotations of Latvians and Lithuanians: 1) The word krievs (“Russian”) appears already in the 16th century; 2) It is included not only in the first Latvian lexicographical sources and in original religious texts (for instance the sermon books), but also in translated religious texts, where it has been employed as an equivalent of the ethnonyms used in the original texts; 3) In the 17th century, the word krievs has sometimes been included in compound botanic terms denoting plants introduced from other countries.

The Motive of Thunderstruck Tree in Connection to Wedding Customs

Latvian folksongs of three types (LD 33802, 34043, 34047) and a Lithuanian song Aušrinė (‘the Morning Star’) published by Liudvikas Rėza (Ludwig Rhesa, RD I 62) depict a tree struck by the Thunderer (Latvian Perkons). The kind of the tree may vary: usually, it is an oak, but sometimes it may be an apple-tree. Researchers of Latvian mythology and folklore call it Saules koks (‘the tree of the Sun’). In different variants, the striking of the tree tends to be part of the plot of the heavenly wedding. Sometimes Perkons allegedly strikes the tree in order to express his objections regarding the Sun’s decision to marry off her daughter to an “unsuitable” groom.Scholars interpret this image of the thunderstruck tree in different ways. Wilhelm Mannhardt thought the image to have stemmed from a natural phenomenon – the rays of the setting Sun. Vyacheslav Ivanov and Vladimir Toporov attributed this motive to the symbol of the World Tree and the Indo-European “basic myth” that they had reconstructed. According to Pranė Dundulienė, the thunderstruck oak is a symbolic representation of the bridegroom. Having amassed considerable ethnographic and folklore data, the author of this article questions the earlier explanation presented by Leopold von Schröder and Haralds Biezais. According to them, the motive of Perkons striking the oak may stem from the traditional Latvian wedding custom: the bride’s coachman makes a sign of the cross on the gate or the door with his sword upon arrival, imitating the cutting. Our analysis employs the comparative method. The appreciation of this motive requires considering the connections between the Thunderer and the oaks that exist in numerous ancient Indo-European religions (including Greek, Roman, Celtic, and Baltic). The lightning strike to the oak, possibly, only added some extra meaning to this connection (the thunderstruck wood was used for magic purposes), which emphasized power and strength attributed both to the thunder and the oak. The plausibility of relating the powerful celestial oak to the sacred tree of the homestead would require further discussions. Some variants of the mythological folksongs suggest that the oak hit by Perkons must have been growing by the gate. However, in folksongs and customs, this particular location emerges as liminal and unsafe in relation to home.Although Biezais used the Latvian example, similar customs of imitated cutting of the gate, door, or beam are also widespread in the Eastern Slavic lands. This enables us to understand better their nature, variations, and possible origins. Currently, we can use more ample Latvian and Lithuanian data. In wedding customs, actions similar to cutting or striking mostly indicate the active or masculine principle, including clashing between the bride’s and the groom’s parties, and invading of the foreign territory; but generally are characteristic of both sides. The fierce and militant character of Perkons is especially evident in this liminal sphere; there, as wedding customs and songs clearly indicate, also the hardest clash between the opposing parties takes place at some stage of the wedding. Although this clash is most prominent at the beginning of the wedding ceremony (during matchmaking, and particularly when representatives of the groom arrive to take the bride to her new home), certain “active response” is also evident in the way that the bride’s party behaves at the gate or door of the groom’s house. This may also include new elements, such as threatening to break the table with a specific musical instrument. Taunting of the wedding parties while using similar images and formulas to those used by folksongs describing animals enable us to see more clearly some peculiarities of the Thunderer’s image apparent in the songs describing the heavenly wedding (his attribution to the bride’s party and unexpectedly destructive character). The selected folklore and customs serve to considerably widen and deepen the possibilities of discussing the hypothesis raised by von Schröder and Biezais. However, this does not solve the main issues inherent in the substantiation of this hypothesis – e. g., it contradicts the authentic storylines of the songs describing the heavenly wedding; objects that are cut differ as well, while the consequences of the action – the destruction of the oak – do not ground its possible ritual purpose. The use of the sign of the cross is also ambivalent in customs, since it can serve both as means of protection against the adversary of the Thunderer – the devil, and against the thunder itself.However, the collected comparative materials provide a better idea regarding the meaning of this mythic thunder strike in the wedding contexts, elucidating certain regularities and inconsistencies.

CONTRIBUTION OF CHOIR CONDUCTORS TERĒZE BROKA AND STANISLAVS BROKS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LATGALIAN CULTURE IN DAUGAVPILS IN THE 60s OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Latgalian culture of the 60s and 70s of the 20th century is still insufficiently studied and evaluated. Although this time in Latvia is marked by the dominance of the Soviet ideology in all spheres of social life, russification, and ban of Latgalian print, there were people who managed to develop Latgalian identity and culture. Terēze Broka (1925) and Stanislavs Broks (1926–1977), the two outstanding choir conductors, are among such people. After graduation from Latvia State Conservatory they were appointed to work in Daugavpils. In this city, characterized by Russian spirit and with no choirs, the two conductors within a short period of time managed to establish musical collectives and develop repertoires where along with the obligatory Soviet songs Latgalian folk songs were included. In autumn 1954, Terēze Broka established a women’s vocal ensemble „Daina” and a group of kokle (a Latvian national musical instrument) players, and looked for more unknown Latgalian songs at the Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR. The folk songs were arranged by her husband, conductor and director of Daugavpils Music College Stanislavs Broks who in 1956 established a mixed choir, later called „Daugava”. Due to their persevering work in a short period of time both Daugavpils musical collectives gained brilliant success and were nominated to the VI World Youth and Students Festival in Moscow in summer 1957 where they were awarded the silver prize. This success is followed by the bright parade of Latgalian performance, the week of Latgalian culture in Riga in December 1958, where the two Daugavpils collectives were at the centre of all events. It is noteworthy that the two collectives mainly consisted of Latvians, Russians and Poles who did not know the Latgalian language, but were diligent and motivated to learn to be able to sing in Broks’ collectives. In 1961 the Latvian Music Department in Minneapolis (USA) released the first disc of the Latgalian folk songs “Latgalian (Latvian) Folk songs“ compiled by Mikelis Bukšs. The disc contains 15 music pieces from the repertoire of Daugavpils mixed choir „Daugava” (conducted by S. Broks) and the women’s vocal ensemble „Daina” (led by T. Broka). „Aiz azara bolti bārzi”, „Aiz azara augsti kolni...”, „Siermi zyrgi, jauni puiši...”, „Audzit muni gari lyni”, „Es sovai māmeņai...” and other Latgalian folk songs arrangements served as a specific brand of Daugavpils, which strengthened the self-confidence of Latgalians of that time.

A Complete Edition of an Oral Tradition: Text Selection Practices in the History of Publishing Latvian Folk Songs

This article addresses the history of publishing folklore texts—particularly the attempts at creating all-inclusive publications that would represent an oral tradition in its entirety. Despite the quest for comprehensiveness, these attempts have always entailed the need to be selective in order to draw textual boundaries within the unbounded, diverse folk singing repertory. The focus of this study is on the text selection principles applied by two editors of Latvian folk songs: Krišjānis Barons (1835–1923) and Pēteris Šmits (1869–1938).

Inspired by Kylian, who was Inspired by Aboriginal Dance: A Latvian choreographer finds her own connections to the past and the present

Inspired by Kylian, who was inspired by Aboriginal dance A Latvian choreographer finds her own connections to the past and the present by Gunta Liepina In 1984 Jiri Kylian, then choreographer and artistic director of the Netherlands Dance Theatre, went to Groote Island, off Australia’s northern coast, to witness a gathering of Aboriginal dancers. The event brought together five hundred tribespeople from twenty different localities in Australia to perform traditional dances for each other. Kylian was there to observe and appreciate, he said. Eventually, the encounter led to his creation of a unique fusion of ballet and Aboriginal dance in his piece called The Stamping Ground. A dance documentary called Road to the Stamping Ground, directed by Hans Hulscher and David Muir, is a very interesting and useful example to discuss in a choreography class for a number of reasons. Inspired by Kylian’s fieldwork on Groote Island, students could do their own research by choosing to go to a natural or urban setting where they’ve never been before. The best way would be to go camping for a few days, to stay overnight at the same place, or to experience different times of a day in the city. It doesn’t have to be a faraway island like it was for Kylian, but it is important to take yourself to a different environment. What does the place look like in the morning when the sun is rising? What feeling is there at night? What energy and colors? What lines and shapes are there? Such an assignment would draw choreography students’ attention to their senses – what they see, hear, smell and touch. Questioning your habitual way of seeing is a very important skill for choreographers. Do I really see? Or do I think I know, am I projecting what I see? Jiri Kylian is a great example of staying open, paying attention and noticing details. He notices, for example, the hundreds of ways of walking and how a foot touches the ground. Another task, inspired by the documentary, would be to practice performance in a group, with attention to the energy it creates. In the documentary, Kylian talks about an eye- opening revelation he had after watching the Aboriginal performers dancing for almost 15 hours. He saw them start with really high energy, giving it to the audience and receiving it from them. Around midnight, the audience left, but the dancers continued to dance. Even without an audience, the performers continued to dance with a strong energy, because they were supporting each other by exchanging that energy. Based on Kylian’s observations about this group energy, I think it would be a useful exercise to practice performance mood and energy for a certain amount of time to build group stamina. If the dancers can keep their inner group energy up by dancing together for twenty minutes, then they can do a ten minute performance for sure. If I were to give a choreography class in my own country, at the Latvian Academy of Music Dance Department, I would use this film to ask questions about what happens when you fuse two traditions, using it as inspiration, not imitation. Latvia has a very rich traditional singing and dancing tradition that is celebrated every four years with a Song and Dance Festival. An important event in Latvian culture and social life, this festival has been included in UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is one of the largest amateur choral and dance group events in the world, each year attracting more than 40 000 singers and dancers.* The social aspect of the festival is inevitable. Every Latvian knows about the Song and Dance festival, and it would not be an exaggeration to claim that every Latvian knows at least a few national Latvian folk songs and the primary steps for Latvian dance, since it is being taught in schools and kindergartens and is part of national pride. Yet, the choreography

THE EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND THE SENSE OF BELONGING

<p>The problem of the research concerns the sphere of the relations of the environment and individual’s awareness in the aspect of meeting the human’s need for belonging. The research is produced by analyzing literature sources in education,<br />psychology, philosophy, folklore studies as well as carrying out a study of the process of the formation of the sense of belonging in Latvian folksongs or dainas. The research shows that the sense of belonging is associated with harmony of the individual<br />and the surrounding environment. It is developed in the space of conditions of the individual’s self-realization that balances the interests of the individual and the society. For the development of a sustainable education model in Latvia, the ideas found in Latvian dainas that have ascertained their sustainability may be of importance.</p>

Educational and Psychological Aspects of Environmental Awareness and a Sense of Belonging

Abstract The research problem concerns the sphere of relationships with the environment and an individual's awareness in the aspect of satisfying the need for belonging. This research aims to determine the conditions of relationships with the environment and an individual's awareness in the process of personality formation. The research is constituted by an analysis of literary sources in education, psychology, philosophy and folklore studies as well as by a study of the formation process of a sense of belonging in Latvian folk songs or dainas. This research shows that a sense of belonging is associated with harmony between an individual and the surrounding environment. It is developed in the space of conditions for an individual's self-realisation that balances individual and social interests. For the development of inborn gifts, a natural environment of upbringing is needed. For the development of a sustainable education model in Latvia, the ideas found in Latvian dainas that have ascertained their sustainability may be of importance.

Estonian Folklore as A Source of Baltic-German Poetry

Estonian folk tales form a common element in Estonian and Baltic-German (lyro)epic poetry. Baltic-German interest in Estonian folkloric heritage originated in the eighteenth century, when J. G. Herder first encouraged the collection of Estonian and Latvian folk songs. Systematic collection began in the 1830s, and peaked in the Estonian language area with the Estonian epic Kalevipoeg (1857–1861). Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald implemented this epic, but it was also influenced by many collectors and adaptors and was published in both German and Estonian. The myths of Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, presented in the Learned Estonian Society between 1840 and 1852, have had the biggest influence on the German-speaking audience. Literary adaptations of folk tales quickly found their way into journals, newspapers, poetry collections, and anthologies, often in the popular form of a ballad. This paper seeks to explore the role of Estonian folklore in Baltic-German lyroepic poetry.