The Estonian Singing Revolution

Ever heard of the Estonian Singing Revolution?  Sadly most haven’t as this was the case for me before studying the Estonian Singing Revolution in Music of Resistance, Revolution, and Liberation.  Estonia is a country located in the Baltic’s, just north of Latvia and Lithuania with a mere population of 1.3 million.  To understand some of the history behind the hardships Estonians faced during World War II and into the Cold War, imagine this: living in a nation never ruled by your own people, continuously controlled by foreign powers that forced you and your family to learn a new language, follow cultural customs you didn't believe in and do everything possible to erase any trace of your nations culture.  These are the exact circumstances Estonians experienced for most of their existence as a nation; in fact the only time Estonia ever held independence was from 1920-1939 but the start of World War II brought a terror to Estonia that would last for fifty years. 

 In 1939, a secret pact between Germany and the Soviet Union was designed to keep the Soviet Union from getting involved violently in the War but it was also designed to divide up the Eastern European nations of Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Romania, Poland and Estonia between Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence.  The pact remained in effect until 1941 when Hitler invaded the Soviet Union bringing Nazi armies into Estonia, but shortly after this invasion the Soviet Union invaded Estonia driving out all German forces and taking complete control over the country.  During Soviet occupation, Stalin’s Red Army brought the Reign of Terror in full force to Estonians.  The Soviet Union’s goal was to erase the culture of Estonia entirely.  This was accomplished in several ways: 1) Stalin’s armies killed all Estonian government officials and their families erasing any potential for Estonian leaders to fight against Soviet forces, 2) many Estonian’s were shipped out to slave/concentration camps in Siberia forced to work until their death, and 3) all privately owned land was overtaken and given over for Russian occupation.  The process was called “Russification” designed to replace Estonian culture with Russian culture through language, communism and Soviet occupation. 

Signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, 1939

But this was not the end for Estonia, and the people believed this.   In 1947 a music festival that was traditionally held every five years in Estonia took place for the first time since Soviet occupation.  Music was something deeply embedded into Estonian culture but when the Soviet Union invaded Estonia, the people were forced to learn and speak Russian and therefore could not sing traditional music in their native tongue.  This began to change when the music festival “Laulupidu” reappeared in 1947.  The festival took place in an outdoor auditorium that held 30,000 people on stage and 300,000 in the audience.  Singing groups and those who wished to perform made up the 30,000 that performed on stage.  During this festival, all songs performed were meant to honor the Soviet Union and Russian culture, but near the end of the festival the director began leading the singers in a song written in Estonian.  The song was based off a poem written 100 years earlier by a man named Gustav Ernesaks and within minutes 30,000 Estonians began singing a song that became their unofficial national anthem.  Miraculously, Soviet officials didn’t recognize the song being sung in Estonian, and the people were able to get away with their defiant act.  The song titled “Mu Isaama On Minu Arm”, “Land of My Fathers, Land That I Love” became the motivation of freedom for every 

Estonian for the next fifty years. 

Auditorium where singing festival takes place.

A clip of the song Estonian's sang in 1947.

Several years later leading into the 1950s, the National Anthem was officially banned by Soviet leaders but this did not stop Estonians from singing it in the music festivals 100^th anniversary in 1969.  The song was purposely planned into the music festivals program as an act of defiance against Soviet rule.  When Soviet censors began to recognize the song being performed, they ordered the orchestra to out play the singers, but 30,000 singers could not be drowned out by an orchestra and every performer stood their ground and sang their national anthem to prove to Soviet leaders Estonians still existed as a culture and a nation.  When Gorbachev came into power in 1985, Estonians began testing some of his new policies, specifically two called “perestroika” and “glasnost.”  Perestroika was an economic restructuring of the Soviet Union in order to reevaluate and improve the status of its economy; glasnost gave every existing territory within the Soviet Union more openness and transparency within the government, specifically allowing freedom of speech.  Estonians tested glasnost by protesting against a phosphorite mining project that was supposed to take place in Estonian borders; the project was eventually stopped and protesters did not suffer any serious consequences, giving the people more boldness to continue testing their freedom of speech.  Not long after the people began to protest against Stalin and Hitler’s Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, speaking openly of it in a public square.  The KBG observed the event yet no one was arrested and there was violence on part of the KGB. 

Estonian Flag

Into the 1980s, Estonian’s continued to push the Soviet Union for freedom by beginning to fly their flag at protests (an illegal act according to Soviet law), and forming three different parties that worked separately towards independence.  The “Heritage Society”, “Estonian National Independence Party” and “Popular Front” all worked differently to gain Estonian Independence but in the end the three came together in September of 1988 in a mass protest against Soviet rule.  The Molotov Pact gave Estonian’s an open door to protest as both Estonians and Gorbachev knew it was designed secretly and therefore illegal.  At every protest Estonians coordinated, they sang their national music and not just quietly, but with thousands of people singing at the top of their lungs that it was hard to hear anything else while the singing took place.  Estonians didn't have any weapons, they didn't have any secret society that attempted to shut down the KGB and they especially didn't have any armies.  The only weapon they possessed that gave them the opportunity to fight for their independence was music.  The music proved to Gorbachev and the rest of the Soviet Union that the culture of Estonia hadn't died nor was it planning on dying anytime soon, but rather music was the key that allowed Estonia to spread the message of freedom without acts of violence.

The Estonian Singing Revolution was brought to its climax in 1991 when Moscow leaders overthrew Soviet government and put Gorbachev under house arrest.  Soviet troupes rolled once more into Estonia but this time Estonians were ready to resist whatever was coming their way.  Unarmed Estonians faced tanks and created human walls that didn't allow the troupes to pass; they surrounded “Popular Front” (a party that rebelled against the Soviet Independence movement) when Russians part of this rebellious party forced their way into Estonia’s government buildings.  Estonians sang national songs with great passion rather than acting with violence  and they accomplished their dream of independence when the Soviet Union officially fell in 1991.  A quote that comes from a documentary on the Estonian Singing Revolution states “human kind’s ability to overcome oppression through intelligent non-violent means as well as the indomitable human drive for freedom and self-determination.”  Estonian’s possessed this ability clearly in their self-determination to gain independence.  By using the power of song to come together in protest against the oppression Estonians faced from Russia for nearly 50 years, the revolution couldn't have happened.  They proved that rebellion is possible without acts of violence and the means to do this for Estonia was through singing.    

Estonian's surrounding Popular Front.

The Civil Rights Movement: Music, the Weapon That Helped Fight Against Segregation

Powerful, impacting, moving and undefeatable-these are words I think about to describe the Civil Rights movement African Americans lead with what seems like the greatest perseverance ever seen in the history of mankind.  For years, ever since the first African slaves arrived in North America, African Americans experienced the suppression brought on by slavery.  Although the 14^th Amendment abolished slavery in 1868 and the 15^th amendment gave blacks the right to vote in 1870, 100 years later nothing had changed within the U.S. regarding the way blacks were treated by whites.  Segregation amongst blacks and whites ruled the Southern States and blacks had no more rights in the 1950s than their ancestors did nearly one hundred years earlier.  Although the Civil Rights movement appeared as though it started out of the blue, it was a carefully planned grassroots movement blacks had been waiting to walk out and pursue for fifty years.  From the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 to the Voting Rights Act signed by President Eisenhower in 1965, African Americans experienced the most brutal treatment caused by whites.  Lynching’s, murders, beatings, thrown in jail, kicked, spat on and humiliated, African Americans faced all during the Civil Rights movement yet they never lost sight of their goal: integration, equality and equal opportunity as citizens of the United States and most importantly, the right to vote. 

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html

-Here is a great link regarding all the information just discussed above!

            

One of the main tactics African Americans used to face the violence brought on by white southerners was the music they sang continuously.  This music had deep history in the black church, and many of the songs were old hymns sung by slaves, but with different lyrics that adapted to every difficult aspect they faced.  Music created solidarity amongst blacks; it was the glue that bound each civil rights leader whether white or black together in one common mindset, and it helped keep them motivated through the fight.  The music was the key that kept blacks from giving up the fight, it gave them peace, revitalized their souls and most importantly it constantly reminded every African American why they chose to fight.  During times when blacks were in jail, or organized a protest and were beaten by white police officers and citizens, blacks would often sing and not stop.  Music was the way to fight without using violence but rather get the message across clearly, because no one could stop blacks from singing.  It essentially was the source of all energy and purpose for blacks during the civil rights movement.

            

Music that remained transparent amongst black culture during the civil rights music came from the history of the black church and even as far back as the first black slaves.   But several individuals and groups of black singers helped protest against segregation through the music they wrote which became especially popular amongst the youth.  Some of the strongest protest movements came out of Nashville, Tennessee amongst the black youth and it was there a quartet known as the “Nashville Quartet” became popular with their style of rhythm and blues.  Instead of singing traditional songs that were mainly used during the start of the movement, the songs the Nashville Quartet sang were more complex and dynamic. 

            

Another group known as the “Montgomery Gospel Trip” was similar to the Nashville Quartet in their popular Rhythm and Blues style, but one of the most influential and popular civil rights singers was Ray Charles.  His songs pulled the traditional gospel music and the popular blues style together, uniting the youth and older black generation.  Singers and groups such as the ones stated above gave African Americans a different type of motivation and power during the movement; it gave them a stronger identity and motivation and helped them realize their potential was equal or even greater to whites. 

            

Although the fight for equality amongst blacks in the U.S. is no longer evident as it was during the Civil Rights movement, there are still certain types of Civil Rights movements throughout the U.S.  Segregation is no longer evident throughout the United States but scars still remain from what was evident years ago, especially in the South.  Today, there are groups that exist which protest against such issues various ethnic groups face, such as unequal opportunity for education and jobs and even human rights protests in the heart of Africa itself.  An example is “Sweet Honey in the Rock,” an American Grammy award winning a capella group of African American women who use their music to protest against cultural issues that remain in the U.S.  One of their most popular songs they wrote titled “Are We a Nation?” responded to Arizona’s controversial immigration laws not allowing Mexican immigrants into the state.  The group ultimately joined a protest rally against the issue, a prime example of an activist protest group that still remains in the United States today. 

Labor Music of the Past and Present

In the early 1900s, the United States experienced the height of the labor movement that brought thousands of men and women together in protest against jobs which enslaved workers more than benefited them.  Certain types of songs later known as “labor music” were written to raise awareness of the movement, unite the workers who protested and give them an identity that the United States could easily recognize through music.  The songs typically talked about the working conditions in most labor intensive jobs, especially coal mining but other aspects as well such as low wages, rich upper-class bosses who cared nothing of their employees, Christian hypocrites and even prostitution.  Labor music brought the stories of the people working such jobs to life, and united those who fought against the corrupt conditions of the jobs to fight against rich and powerful employers. 

            

One of the best examples of labor music are the songs written by Joe Hill, a man highly involved in the labor movement.  Hill was an immigrant from Sweden who immigrated to the United States in 1902.  After working various jobs and finding his experience in the workforce of the U.S. disheartening, he joined the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W) and helped as an active organizer for the union.  The majority of his songs were written to already established tunes, therefore they were easy for the general population to learn similar to broadside ballads.  One of Joe Hill’s songs titled “The White Slave” was written in 19 12 and sung to the tune of “Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland.”  The song talks about young girls in the work force who make such low wages they live in extreme poverty.  Eventually the girls are tempted by prostitution as a better alternative for work, yet the result of their decisions lead to their lives ruined.  The song targets employers who refuse to pay a decent wage to their workers.  A song such as “The White Slave” is an example of what was typically written during the height of the labor movement.

One little girl, fair as a pearl,

Worked every day in a laundry;

All that she made for food she paid,

So she slept on a park bench so soundly;

An old procuress spied her there,

And whispered softly in her ear:

           

            CHORUS:

            Come with me now, my girl,

            Don’t sleep out in the cold;

            Your face and tresses curly

            Will bring you fame and gold,

            Automobiles to ride in, diamonds and silks to wear

Same little girl, no more a pearl,

Walks all alone ‘long the river,

Five years have flown, her health is gone,

She would look at the water and shiver,

Whene’er she’d stop to rest and sleep,

She’d hear a voice call from the deep.

-Joe Hill

Labor music didn't end in the United States after the 20^th century; in a way it was actually the beginning of it.  The songs written into the 20^th century did not necessarily reflect only the labor movement, but also challenges in the U.S. caused by the Cold War, lack of jobs and frustrations lower classes felt towards the privileged upper class.  An example of contemporary labor music is found in Creedence Clearwater Revivals “Fortunate Son” released in 1969.  Some of the lyrics include:

Some folks are born the silver spoon in hand

Lord, don’t they help themselves, oh

But when the taxman comes to the door

Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes

Chorus:

It ain’t me, it ain’t me, I ain’t no millionaire’s son, no

It ain’t me, it ain’t me; I ain’t no fortunate one, no

Some folks inherit start spangled eyes

Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord

And when you ask them, “How much should we give?”

Ooh they only answer More! More! More! Yoh

The song is an anti-war anthem written during the Vietnam War.  It criticized those who were able to skip the draft due to their wealth.  Lead singer John Cameron Fogerty was drafted into the U.S. military in 1966 but was put on reserves and a year later discharged.  Fortunate Song was written from his experiences with the draft and frustrations with the military system, just as the songs written by Joe Hill came from his frustrations with labor jobs.  Although Creedence Clearwater Revival did not write about the labor movement, they protested against the unfair privileges the rich possessed, criticizing them as false Americans by not having to pay the same costs most Americans did during the Vietnam War, simply due to wealth. 

Music of the labor music can easily be compared to broadside ballads.  Two men, Andrew Fletcher and John Seldon described broadside ballads and libels (protest music) as music that influenced change, and  brought awareness of social issues that might not have been noticed if the songs had not been written.  It seems as though they are correct in their beliefs.  Whether labor music, broadside ballads or political punk rock music, it all has the effect to change the minds of the people.  I wonder if history would be different if such music had not been written.