Mart Saar So Far (part two)

Spring has sprung in Estonia and finally buds are swelling and things are greening! My study of selected choral works by Mart Saar is in full blossom as well!

So far, I have transcribed 21 pieces for segakoor (mixed choir). Saar wrote over 400 works for choir. To narrow down the scope of my project, I used the playlist of pieces from a 2007 recording of Saar’s mixed choir works by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Chorale (EPCC), Mikk Űleoja conducting. [Available at Estonianmusic.com, CD by mail only]. Transcription entails reviewing two out-of-print editions from Soviet times, (1957 and 1982) and adapting the original piano score (treble and bass staves) into choral score (SATB) using Finale.  Miraculously, despite a 1921 house fire that destroyed many of Saar’s manuscripts, I have been able to locate sketches and manuscripts for all but three of the selected works. Many thanks to the Estonian Museum of Theater and Music for kindly allowing me to physically examine these original documents and make digital copies for future scrutiny.

Until I am able to enlist the services of a translator, all biographical material, save a brief sketch in the EPCC CD liner notes, is in Estonian. I have been taking an Estonian language course since January, but am not at a level where I can read proficiently.  Given this, the investigation of primary source material becomes a fascinating challenge! There is much to learn about the composer, his life, and his compositional evolution that I am sure would shed light on my study. Nevertheless, I enjoy scrutinizing his manuscripts immensely (DMA thesis?). I feel like a detective and love to postulate about what I see. Putting my hands on the actual manuscripts is like conducting a séance with the departed master himself. I feel as if he is in the room composing the work under my gaze. It is a near mystical experience to stare at the notes and make inferences about Saar’s personality and habits based on his penmanship. For the most part, his manuscripts are readily legible. He was methodical; it appears that his ideas came to him with little effort. There are very few erasures. He used pencil and ink pen. It seems that he had a habit of tracing over earlier penciled manuscripts in pen in order to preserve them. Saar frequently revised and adapted his works for different voicings so it is difficult to know which manuscript copy represents the final version; for one piece I have four different versions. It becomes a challenge to trace the evolution of a piece from the earliest to the final. Can one decide that based on the quality and condition of the paper? Yellowed? Tattered? Faded? Twice inked?

As for Saar’s sketches, they are quite a different matter. They exist on all types and sizes of paper; from half-sheets to full (The back of one manuscript was used by a child to practice notational penmanship and is filled with half-notes, whole-notes and quarters). Sometimes, only a folk melody exists with simple block-chord harmonization. Some scores lack text underlay. Another score exists only in TTBB against which I must check the existing SATB version.  There are two pieces for which nothing remains save rudimentary scribbling. I am left to assume that the printed editions are fair representations of what Saar had intended. Because of the 1921 fire, examining some primary sources will never be an option.      

So, why bother with Mart Saar when there is Veljo Tormis and a host of other outstanding Estonian composers? Perhaps the only way to answer that question is to listen to his music. I refer again to the incredible recording by EPPC. I purchased it on a recommendation back in 2009 and have never grown tired of listening to it. This particular recording chronicles Saar’s evolving style—from late 19^th Century European romanticism to a modern, fresh sound that evokes the spirit of Estonian folksong and represents an emerging national style that Saar founded.

There is much yet to do. Scores will need to be proofed many more times to check for accuracy of notes, dynamics, spellings, etc. I have enlisted the help of two fine Estonians, Greete Kõrvits and Ingrid Roose, to assist in preparing accurate word-for-word translations. From these, I create a sensible poetic translation. In some cases, Saar uses archaic Estonian words and spellings. Texts based on poetry from Southern Estonia can present word variations unfamiliar to Northerners. Fortunately, there seems to be few note errors. Placement and use of dynamic markings and expressive text is often tricky as they seem to have been added at later stages. Text underlay is occasionally problematic; Saar often reworked it during revision.

My intended outcome is to make this music accessible to Western audiences and it’s a ‘long and winding road’ but I am well on the way. Here’s my checklist:

                                Readable choral score notation √

                                Compare against primary and secondary sources (ongoing)

                                Obtain copyright permissions (ongoing)

                                Approach publishers √

                                Complete word-for-word and poetic translations √

                                Write piano reductions for rehearsal purposes

                                Compile a diction guide √

                                Make MP3’s of diction by native speaker

                                Write forwards (biographical sketches and information about pieces)

                                Publish singly, in groups of 2 or 3, or as anthology

                                Write Choral Journal article – examples, excepts, bibliography and resources (ongoing)

Imäl oli jo original manuscript:

Imäl oli jo Finale score (first pages only):

 

Recording:

 

 

Translation:

Imäl oli jo

Imäl oli jo,

Mother had jo

ütsi latsi jo,

one child jo

*hai, hai, hai, lilo,

ütsi latsi jo.

One child jo

Imäl oli jo,

Mother had jo

hüä latsi jo,

good child jo

hai, hai, hai, lilo,

hüä latsi jo.

Good child jo

Imäl oli jo,

Mother had jo

armsa latsi jo,

sweet child jo

hai, hai, hai, lilo,

armsa latsi jo.

Sweet child jo

Imält veie jo,

From mother took jo

kalli latsi jo,

dear child jo

imält veie jo,

from mother took jo

surma käsi jo,

death’s hand jo

hai, hai, hai, lilo,

surma käsi jo.

Death’s hand jo

Imäke nüüd elab ütsi,

Mother dear now lives alone

ütsi, ütsi, ütsi jo. 

Alone, alone, alone, jo.

*Note: ‘hai, hai, hai, lilo’ has no literal meaning.

 

Mother had one child, one child.

Mother had a good child, good child.

Mother had a sweet child, sweet child.

From Mother the dear child was taken,

From the mother the child was taken by death’s hand,

by death’s hand.

Dear mother now lives alone.

Alone, alone, alone.