It is
not known how the accordion made its way into Finland, but
it probably arrived from Russia in the early part of the nineteenth
century. Traditional music is very important in Finland. Probably
the best known Finish accordionist in this field is Maria
Kalaniemi.
There
are also skilled musicians in variety music, such as Paul
Norrback (born 1930). He began learning at four years of age,
from his father Leander. He studied the piano at a music school,
and became one of the country's great accordionists. He performed
with the Helsinki Symphony Orchestra and toured internationally
on numerous occasions.
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