Finnish-American Church Music: How on Earth Can It Be Interesting?

In his post-doctoral research project, Dr. Samuli Korkalainen from Helsinki, Finland is focusing on Finnish-American church music from the late 19th century onwards.

He has found hymnals, spiritual songbooks, and other printed and hand-written music written, composed, and edited by Finnish immigrants in the US and Canada – as well as interesting personalities, thoughts, and ideas behind them. Dr. Korkalainen has been collecting material both in Finland and North America; on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, in Minneapolis (Minnesota), Thunder Bay (Ontario, Canada), and here in Hancock, at the Finnish American Historical Archive.

In this lecture, he will introduce his discoveries so far and explore why this topic is interesting and worth exploring. The lecture will include music and we will sing together. The event is sponsored by Finlandia University’s Finnish & Nordic Studies Program, Finnish American Folk School, and Finnish American Heritage Center.

Article provided by the Finnish American Folk School.

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