Martti Pokela

Martti Pokela
Martti with his wife Marjatta in 1965
Born	Martti Eliel Pokela (1924-01-23)23 January 1924 Haapavesi, Finland
Died	23 August 2007(2007-08-23) (aged 83) Helsinki, Finland
Occupation(s)	Musician, educator
Known for	Music for kantele

Martti Eliel Pokela (23 January 1924 – 23 August 2007) was a Finnish folk musician and composer.^[1] Pokela was an expert with the kantele, Finland's national musical instrument.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Life and career

Pokela and his wife, Marjatta Pokela, were widely credited with ushering in a revival in interest in Finnish folk music beginning in the 1950s.^[1]^[5] Their daughter, Eveliina Pokela, began performing with them in the 1960s.^[1]^[2]

Pokela merged traditional Finnish folk music with contemporary sounds. The family's albums have also been released outside of Finland.^[1]

Pokela taught kantele playing at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and Kuopio until 1987.^[1] He was the founder of the academy's folk music department, where he was named a full professor in 1980.^[1]^[2]

He is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.^[6]

Gallery

Performing with Marjatta at Seurasaari in 1959
Together with Marjatta and Eveliina performing in a television studio, on the show Nylands Hörna in 1966
Martti performing with his wife Martta for an audience at the courtyard of the National Museum of Finland in 1966
Their daughter Eveliina having joined them
Family grave at Hietaniemi Cemetery

Albums

Keskiyön Auringon Lauluja (1969)
Best of Kantele (1995)
Sonata For Kantele (1996)
Snow Kantele (1998)
"Tuulikumpu" (2001)
Improsette by Martti Pokela (2005)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g "Finland's Kantele Master Martti Pokela Dies". YLE. 2007-08-23. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
^ ^a ^b ^c Jalkanen, Pekka (27 August 2007). "Pokela, Martti (1924 - 2007)". Kansallisbiografia. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
^ "Kansanmuusikko Martti Pokela on kuollut". Ilta-Sanomat. 23 August 2007. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
^ Lång, Markus; Väänänen, Timo (1993). "Martti Pokelan konserttikantelesävellyksistä". Musiikkitiede. 5 (2): 67–83. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
^ Juvonen, Päivi. "Marjatta Pokela". Pomus. Archived from the original on December 22, 2005. Retrieved 24 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ "Hietaniemen hautausmaa – merkittäviä vainajia" (PDF). Helsingin seurakuntayhtymä. Retrieved 27 August 2016.