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He was born in the country
side, so a major part of the pieces he wrote were inspired by the spectacular
scenes and events in nature.
In addition to these nature inspirations which often had been retained
from his childhood memories, he was also interested in the aspect of
technical development. He therefore incorporated ideas to develop technical
skills, so he would often add passages that would demand more difficult
technical ability.
Matti Rantanen
writes: The folk music he heard as a little boy, the marches of the
fairground, the 'salon' music with its operetta overtures and show pieces
such as Monti's Czardas all the rage in the restaurants of the 1930s,
were all familiar to Pihlajamaa at various stages in his career.
The works of Pietro Frosini and Pietro Deiro were popular among Finnish
accordionists, as indeed among other nationalities, in the 1930s; these,
too, were performed by Pihlajamaa, though possibly not with quite the
enthusiasm of most of his colleagues. The stylistic mainstream consisted,
of course, of the dance music fashionable at the time: waltzes, schottisches,
polkas, fox-trots and tangos.
The
works of Lasse Pihlajamaa fall into several genres including: virtuoso
pieces, character pieces, 'utility' music (waltzes, schottisches, tangos,
etc.), teaching pieces and electronic experiments. It must be added
here that almost all his compositions are of a markedly instrumental
nature; so much so that even the traditional waltzes in minor keys bear
some special accordionist trait. Many of the utility pieces likewise
require a phenomenal technique. Pihlajamaa composed virtually no pure
pop or 'Schlager' music at all.
The character and virtuoso pieces represent the finest and most distinctive
category in Lasse Pihlajamaa's output. The earliest of these is Noiduttu
Hanuri (1941). In its themes and overall structure it is not yet Pihlajamaa
at his most original. The influence of the czardas and the Rhapsodies
of Liszt can clearly be discerned. The instrumental devices are revolutionary:
it exploits the potential of the treble fingerboard in a way that was
totally new. The glissandos, the prestissimo arpeggios using the thumb
in chromatic sequences, the use of vibrato to color the melodies, and
the inconceivably fast wrist staccatos revealed new virtuostic potential.
There is one superb moment towards the end of the slow section of Noiduttu
Hanuri: a chromatic run in parallel major sixths down more than three
octaves in all! And the way the composer himself plays it on the 1945
recording! Virtually impossible for virtuosos even today.
Virtuoso Pieces: Lasse Pihlajamaa composed Noiduttu Hanuri for
himself for the Finnish Accordion Championships in 1943. The czardas-type
Mustalaisinspiraatio and Romanialainen Rapsodia that capture the Romanian
idiom and fire in a way that sounds astonishingly authentic followed
two years later. These two (and many other) pieces were prompted by
a very practical need; on his entertainment tours Pihlajamaa wanted
some solo numbers that differed from those of his colleagues and accordingly
composed his own.
The main
source of inspiration for Lasse Pihlajamaa is nature. Scenes and events
in nature, often as childhood memories, are transformed by him into
lyrical, sometimes highly realistic moods. Sudenkorento (1948) is a
childhood image of working in the fields. The composer is a little boy
sitting with his feet in a pool of water; a cuckoo is calling, the birds
are twittering, and all of a sudden a dragon-fly puts the finishing
touch to the picture, darting hither and thither. A little motif spanning
a fourth, from which the whole mood piece is constructed at different
levels, arches beneath virtuostic tremolos and accompaniment figures.
The waltz-like Sateen Soidessa (1958) is a little story about a summer
night "when I was spending the night with the other lads out in
the barn and listening to the rain pattering on the shingle roof".
The intermezzo Karhun Tanssi composed a little earlier is a playful
story about a bear that, according to a childhood legend, may really
dance, whistle and give little shouts when in cheerful mood!
The
best-known of all the virtuoso pieces by Lasse Pihlajamaa is undoubtedly
Tuulen Tanssi, written during a tour of Lapland in early spring 1949.
An eddy of snow rising from the valley while he was out skiing was immediately
transformed in his mind into the scherzando section of the piece. This
'dance of the wind' is a waltz scherzo in variation form, its main motif
the three-note G#-A-C#1; around it whirl chromatic prestissimo flurries,
virtuoso runs and bellows tremolos. Tuulen Tanssi is in every respect
a consistent entity that surely deserves the most classical status in
its composer's entire output.
The literary moonscapes of Jules Verne inspired Pihlajamaa in the early
1950s to compose Raketilla Kuuhun, also known as Kuuraketti about a
rocket flying to the moon. The chromatic, often third-less chords (on
fourths), the dissonant tremolos on intervals of a second, the wavering
between major and minor third in the main theme, the jazz-like rhythms
and syncopation's of the moon rocket were simply too much for the accordion
audiences of the 1950s. As a solo pure and simple, Raketilla Kuuhun
is not perhaps shown to its best advantage. The composer himself most
often played it on his electric accordion. For the disc released by
Pagani & Bro. for the US market he also engaged the services of
a percussionist whose timpani give the piece considerably more body.
Played on acoustic accordions, it is most effective with two or three
instruments. As a trio arrangement (by Pihlajamaa and Merja Ikkelä),
Raketilla Kuuhun got a warm, enthusiastic reception from Finnish audiences
in the 1970s.
Towards
the end of the 1960s Lasse Pihlajamaa began to compose for free-bass
accordion. While touring North America he wrote Muunnelmia Mollissa
(1968), a set of variations in the minor that is really his only attempt
at more absolute music. It clearly proves that he can, if he wishes,
handle the established structural principles of music, even down to
motif technique. He also did an arrangement of Sudenkorento for free-bass
accordion. This is, however, so difficult to play that it has of necessity
had to be simplified. A charming mood piece is the humoresque Ponin
Rattailla (1969) in which the pony trots along with its cart to jazzy
harmonies and rhythms.
Examples of other character pieces by Pihlajamaa, and there are many,
are Höyhen Ilmassa (describing a feather in the air), Veden Balettia
(the dancing of water), Joutsenen Lähtö (a swan departing),
Rakeitten Rapsodia (a hail-storm) and Helisevä Puro (a tinkling
stream) - all little cameos naturally featuring some basic accordion
technique.
Waltzes: Nuoruusmuistoja (memories of youth), Ruusuja Sinulle
(a bouquet of roses), Muisto Äidille (for his mother), Kyynelsilmin
(tears in his eyes), and Kevään Ensi Kukkia (the first spring
flowers) must surely be among the most popular pieces ever composed
by Lasse Pihlajamaa. Their melancholy, bittersweet melodies are just
what the Finns desire. Yet among the ones closest to the composer's
heart are the waltzes in what he calls the Finnish style: mostly in
the major, often eloquent, and with a suggestion of French and/or jazz
influence. Wispy clouds, grasshoppers, silken dreams, rocking boats,
swallows, and the lacy green of spring are all the subjects of waltzes
that reveal Pihlajamaa at his most distinctive. The French element is
most pronounced in Pariisin Pyörteissä, Margaret and Pariisi
Yöllä (all about Paris). The authentic French touch of the
last of these is captured to perfection in the stunning performance
by Marcel Azzola and Lina Bossatti.
Tangos:
It seems strange in a way that of all the accordionists of the 1930s
and 40s, Lasse Pihlajamaa was the only one to show any true interest
in the Argentinean tango. Others must undoubtedly have heard the bandoneon
on record and in the live performances of visiting orchestras, but Pihlajamaa
was the only composer whose music and style directly reflected the new
sound. There is hardly a trace of the four-square approach and melancholy
melodies of the standard Finnish tango in Hanuriini Kertoo Argentiinasta
(echoes of Argentina), Auringon Nousessa (sunrise), Revontulten Alla
(the Northern Lights) or in the arrangement Pikku Ystävä (about
a little friend). The rhythms are varied, the melodies truly impressionistic
and the harmonies rich. The imitation of the bandoneon rhythms produced
a new combination of bellows and finger articulation so that the accordion
most often approached the extremes of sustained sound and incisiveness.
Polkas, Schottisches and Mazurkas: The way in which Lasse Pihlajamaa
plays polkas is nothing short of legendary. It is founded on the traditional,
swinging style of the two-row accordion in which the accented bass notes
sound for slightly longer than the backbeats. The beat often shifts
from the strong to the weak parts of the bar, thus adding welcome variety
to the polka (and schottische) rhythms. I suspect that Pihlajamaa is
very pleased with the way the young generation perform their polkas,
deliberately abandoning the rhythmically dry and business-like polka
playing of the Swedish and Central European tradition. It is in precisely
the polkas that he carries on the folk traditions of his homeland in
a way that is genuinely beautiful, but with plenty of originality.
Examples of polkas displaying a clear two-row influence are Yks'pohjasten
Polkka, Pollen Hölkkä (a jogging horse), Joosun Polkka and
Porin Pirun Polkka (a devil's polka). Those in five-row style include
Tampereen Polkka, Villi Viisirivinen (a wild five-row), Lämäskä
and Pelimannipolkka. The most unusual of these five-row polkas is possibly
the Bye-bye Polka inspired by Pihlajamaa's visit to New York in 1959.
In style it is maybe the most cosmopolitan of all his polkas, and almost
all his non-Finnish colleagues have fallen in love with it.
Jämijärven
Jenkka (a schottische) would long ago no doubt have become the most
popular Finnish accordion schottische were it not so difficult for the
average accordionist to play. Despite its lusty folksy element, it is,
along with Vipinäjenkka and Lysti Lauantai also composed in the
1970s, the work of a virtuoso for other virtuosos.
Whereas the
Pihlajamaa waltzes have an element of France, the tangos are redolent
of Argentina and the polkas and schottisches of Finland, the mazurkas
have the marked easy-going lilt of the Swedish hambo. This is clearly
audible in his hambo mazurka for one-row accordion. In this improvisation
Pihlajamaa almost 'abuses' the traditional one-row, but in doing so
indicates new potential for this instrument, too. Dollarimasurkka, Tanssiva
Soitto and Manun Masurkka are show pieces reminiscent of the brilliant
French accordion mazurka, even though this style was probably unknown
to Pihlajamaa.
Electronic
Music: Electronic music is undoubtedly the least familiar side of
Pihlajamaa the composer. The 1970s saw the advent of the giant 'Data'
accordion, an instrument combining the properties of the acoustic model
with state-of-the-art electronics and computer technology. This new
instrument inspired Pihlajamaa to improvise several electronic 'etudes'.
He recorded them in his home studio in the early 1970s, and listening
to them, one can only be amazed at his rich imagination and instinctive
feeling for style. These improvisations well stand comparison with the
electronic works of today. The most difficult thing was, so Pihlajamaa
says, avoiding triads and tonal melodies. A single triad or familiar
melodic gesture would have ruined the whole work. All accordion players
should have a chance to hear these improvisations at the earliest possible
date!
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When
they started teaching there were no small children's models. At the
time, here was just one accordion factory in Finland, located in Kouvola.
This factory had just a full size instrument, so Lasse went to Italy
to help develop a child's model.
So in the early 1960's, he went to Italy in search of a factory that
would be willing to work with him on developing a series of instruments
for children, that would suit his work at the Institute.
During
his visit to Italy, he remembers some humorous stories as he came across
many interesting personalities. He visited approximately 10 factories
as he was checking out different places that specialized in producing
different parts of the accordion. At one such factory Lasse was asked
to test an instrument which was supposed to be some kind of free bass
accordion. Unimpressed, Lasse told them that he thought it was basically
junk, and Lasse laughs as he recalls being told by the factory owner
that he was worse than a Sicilian!
Lasse also laughed as he recalls the early days of working with the
factories. He jokes, that he had to teach them a lot. After repeatedly
getting the measurements wrong on an instrument, Lasse finally asked
something to the effect of ....what is wrong with you people... don't
you have a ruler!?
After doing the circuit of visiting the accordion factories in Italy,
Lasse finally met Gino Pigini of the Pigini Accordion Factory. A small
factory at the time he developed a fine working relationship with them
that has continued to this day. Even since selling his business, the
instruments are still produced for Finland at the Pigini factory. During
these early days, Lasse took Mogens Ellegaard to Pigini, someone who
worked with Pigini over the years developing instruments.
He
sold his accordion company 'Lasse Pihlajamaa Oy' some years ago, however
it is still operated today and is located in Seinäjoki, Finland,
some 330 km north of Helsinki.
The 'Lasse Pihlajamaa Oy' is considered the oldest and still the leading
accordion company in Finland to this day.
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