The article presents an attempt of reconstruction of the historical and cultural situation in the Republic of Karelia in the period after the Bolshevik revolution in the aspects of politics, ideology and language. The development of the musical culture of the Soviet republic is examined in the context of “indigenization” – the strategy of the national state development project, which consisted in the preparation, advancement and introduction into the sphere of the state apparatus of personel from the representatives of the titular nations. From the beginning of the creation of the Karelian Workers’ Commune in 1920, a Finn, Edvard Gylling was engaged into its leadership. The main line of his strategy was the formation of the national Karelian-Finnish autonomy and engagement into the republic of Finnish emigres from Canada, the United States and Finland, many of which played an active role in the formation of the culture and education of the newly formed Soviet republic. Thus, the American Finn, Kale Rautio became the organizer of the musical life and the composer of the first large-scale compositions for chorus and symphony orchestra; the Finn Lauri became a teacher and the composer of choral compositions and music for theatrical productions. During the period of “Karelization” there appeared the conception of a single “Karelo-Finnish” language, according to which the Karelian language was assigned the role of oral usage, whereas Finnish was given the role and the status of the state language. Attention is focused on the fact that the period of the Gylling’s leadership in Karelia predetermined the important role of the “Finnish factor” in the formation of the cultural life and the educational system in Karelia of the first half of the 20th century. Keywords: musical culture of Karelia, indigenization, Edvard Gylling, Kalle Rautio, Lauri Jousinen, the “Finnish factor.”