This interview with Lasse Pihlajamaa was conducted
at his home in Espoo, Finland (outside Helsinki) on June 28, 2004.
It is impossible to try and understand and acknowledge the profound impact
that Lasse Pihlajamaa has had on the accordion movement during his impressive
and varied career in just one short interview, however I would like to
offer my sincerest thanks to Lasse Pihlajamaa and his wife Maire for taking
the time to spend the afternoon with Accordions Worldwide for this celebrity
interview. It is truly exciting to be able to take a little look into
his impressive life and career in music!
In addition, I would like to offer my gratitude and thanks to the following
who helped make this interview possible:
Finnish Ministry of Culture - Helsinki
(for their generous support of Accordions Worldwide)
Dr. Mika Väyrynen - Sibelius Academy, Helsinki
(coordinator/interpreter/translator for the interview)
Matti Rantanen - Sibelius Academy, Helsinki
(additional biographical information and extensive musical analysis)
Kimmo Mattila - President Finnish Accordion Association
(additional information plus historical scores/pictures from Finnish Accordion
Institute)
Sincerely,
Kevin Friedrich - Accordions Worldwide, USA
Note: Lasse PIHLAJAMAA, renowned Finnish accordionist, composer-arranger
and famous teacher passed away on the 14th November 2007 in Helsinki in
the age of 91 years.
Lasse Pihlajamaa (born on 1 August 1916) is a Finnish accordionist, composer-arranger,
teacher, entertainer and world-class accordion comedian and father of a
range of accordion models.
Lasse Pihlajamaa has had an exceptionally far-ranging career. For over
60 years, he has been the pioneer of Finnish accordion music. As a composer
he was searching for the musical and technical limits of the instrument
as early as the 1940's, when 'The Dance of the Wind', 'The Dragonfly',
'Variations in Minor' and many other compositions were written, one generation
ahead of their time.
Teaching in his own Accordion Institute in Helsinki from 1957 to 1972,
Mr. Pihlajamaa had a crucial impact in the professional pedagogy of accordion
playing. Due to his work, in 1977 the accordion began being accepted in
several major conservatories including the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
In 1960 to 1970 Mr. Pihlajamaa's role was important in developing the
accordion as an instrument, especially to suit children. Due to that work,
many talented children were able to choose the accordion as their own
instrument.
Lasse Pihlajamaa has been an inspiring pioneer of Finnish accordion music
for many decades and in recognition of his lifelong work for accordion
music in 2001 the First International Lasse Pihlajamaa Competition is
held in honor of his 85th birthday.
A veritable 'Grand Old Man', in addition to greatly enhancing the popularity
of accordion music in Finland, he can with all justification be described
as one of the leading figures in modern Finnish (and Nordic) accordion
art.
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Tell us a little about the town/city where you were
born, and where in Finland, it is located? |
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He wasn't born in a town, in fact, it was out in the
countryside. At that time, he thinks it was probably one of the most
poor and miserable places that you could find in all of Finland. In
fact, he wonders how it was possible to actually have done anything
with music in such a place.
NB. Today, quite the opposite is true. The beautiful landscapes and
fields of his homeland are located quite near the town of Jämijärvi,
approximately 40 minutes from Ikaalinen.
This area is a lovely example of the splendid Finnish countryside
and is well traveled by visitors criss-crossing the country through
the maze of roads that connect the various towns and cities north
west of Tampere. |
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How did you begin your music study and why did you choose
the accordion? |
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Lasse was the youngest of three brothers and just 5
years old. He came from a big family of which the father had already
passed away. Times were very hard, and as a youngster, they started
to collect berries from the forest as a way for the mother to try
and gather a little bit of money so that they could have enough to
eat and maybe consider other non essential items.
His father had always been very angry when he heard that someone was
doing music or playing the accordion. He said that is was very different
in those days, and it was quite strict with the children and how they
spent their time. Music was probably considered a luxury item, and
his father had been rather angry towards people or children that were
involved with music. He said that based on these ideals, if his father
had been still alive when he was a youngster, it is quite possible
that he would not have become a musician.
His brothers were musical he supposes, and they were always talking
about the accordion even though the place and society was so poor,
that they didn't really have the means with which to buy one, but
the brothers were very interested none the less.
Eventually, the two older brothers had the opportunity to buy a small
2 row accordion. It was a very old accordion and at the end of its
life with torn bellows, no compression and even some of the reeds
were missing. However, the brothers were then presented with the problem
of trying to fix this instrument, which they did and luckily they
were skillful enough to get it into working order.
As he was only 5 years old at the time, he was not yet at school,
so was always around listening to his brothers trying to figure out
how to play this accordion, and what kind of tricks they were discovering.
In a way, he considered himself a sort of 'accordion spy.' At the
time, it was like the biggest problem on earth... how to play this
instrument! |
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Was your family musical and did your mother play an
important part in your early music education? |
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Lasse's brothers started to practice and if there were
ever some other players around, they would observe how they played
the accordion and copy them, so little by little they learnt to play
the instrument.
Lasse was not supposed to touch the instrument and when the older
brothers were at school, his mother put the instrument in a cabinet
and locked it up with a key. However, while the brothers were at school,
he secretly removed it from this 'locked' cabinet, and tested it.
His mother turned a blind eye to this activity, and kept this a secret,
not telling the older brothers that he was playing their prized accordion.
Lasse imitated what the older brothers were doing with the accordion.
His information was gathered by the above mentioned 'spying' and 'imitating'.
His mother was musical as well, and since he was not able to learn
everything by watching his brothers, she came to his assistance with
his playing, and was also singing with him.
Their house was by the road and often people passed by going to the
market place, and even once in a while, a car went by. Sometimes there
were musicians passing by as well, and one day three musicians who
were on holiday passed by and arrived at their house and started to
play.
It was almost like a competition amongst the players to see who was
playing the best. Lasse was sitting on the floor listening to this.
Kai Kutti, one of the three, was particularly inspiring to him, and
he figured out that Kai had some interesting tricks such as hitting
the keyboard with his thumb for a rhythmic effect. He was also the
most virtuoso of the three, and quickly became the favorite of Lasse.
After performing, Kai noticed that Lasse was extremely interested
in his playing, and so just gave his instrument over to Lasse to try.
Kai was wondering if Lasse would dare to try and play it. Lasse took
the accordion, gave it all he could for this performance and played
a polka.
His brothers were extremely surprised and wondering what was happening,
as they still didn't know that Lasse had been secretly working on
the accordion while they were at school. To their knowledge, Lasse
had never so much as touched the accordion! |
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What are your earliest memories of performing? |
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From then on when guest came to the house and saw the
accordion, and asked if anyone could play it, the brothers pointed
to Lasse and stated.. yes... he can play something! The older brothers
even started showing him off, excited that their little brother could
play so well... and this was the beginning.
From then on, Lasse was practicing and the older brothers were teaching
what they knew and they started pushing him with a 'yes, we can do
it ' attitude.
Lasse made a little bit of money by playing for guests and visitors
that were passing by the house, and from these very early days, he
learnt the concept and value of working for money.
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Tell us a little bit about your early days of performing
with the accordion. |
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His oldest sister was living in the city of Pori, by
the west coast and was working as a servant in a upper class family.
Lasse was invited to visit his sister and to bring his accordion.
While there, he visited the town and played a little bit around the
town where he created some interest among the residents who wondered
who this young boy was, that was playing the accordion so well.
One day he was in town when he heard some extremely fine accordion
music. He wondered who was playing so well, so he followed the sound
of the music and he came to square behind some houses, and saw a man
playing a beautiful white Italian accordion. He was quite surprised
about this performance, however he quickly figured out that if this
man was going around playing and making some money, that he could
maybe do the same thing.
Without his sister knowing what was going on, he took his accordion
and set out to try and make some money for himself. He was thinking
that it was easy to go to people's backyards and play for money. However,
he was still really a shy country boy, and so a bit apprehensive about
this performing. He found the most remote backyard in the town, and
then once he got there, he found he couldn't do it afterall.
After the failure of this first gig, he was thinking a bit more about
it and then decided to give it another shot, so he found another remote
backyard, and instead of going in to the yard closest to the house,
he chose to go to the very far end, next to the toilet, as in those
days, there were no toilets in the houses themselves.
At that time, he said he was playing a very unusual way. He wasn't
playing like he played at home, instead much harder and rougher, but
fortunately two young children, a boy and a girl came to listen to
his playing and this small audience gave him some hope for his future!
This first gig ended with the appearance of the young children's mother,
who arrived with money and gave it to Lasse. It was money from the
Russian time with a big "N" on it (for Nikolai) and this
marked the beginning of his performing days.
He continued to work and continued to line his pockets full of money
by playing his little 2 row acocrdion in this manner. One day, without
saying anything, he went to his sister and emptied his pockets on
the table. His sister was surprised, as she knew nothing of his performing,
and so was a little horrified, not knowing how he had accumulated
so much money. He was earning quite a bit as a young child, and so
was able to save a little bit of this money for his mother.
As this performing continued, one day he was performing in Pispala,
close to Tampere, where he was playing around in backyards when he
came across a very large backyard which was empty. He was wondering
if was going to play there or not and he noticed some stairs. As he
started to play, he noticed a drunken man coming up the stairs, who
then came over to him with 5 marks in his hand and gave it to Lasse.
This was a lot of money in those days, and he then asked Lasse to
play more and in turn gave him more money. The drunken then man invited
Lasse into his home and where they ate and drank, and Lasse continued
to play some more.
The drunken man then began inviting some friends over to come and
listen who were also drunk, so rather soon there were quite a few
drunken people listening to him play.
During the course of the evening, the drunks decided to take a Sauna,
and asked Lasse to come into the Sauna to continue playing for them.
Lasse was very afraid to do this, as he hadn't completely fixed everything
that was wrong with the accordion and wasn't sure that the instrument
would survive the intense heat, especially since he had made some
repairs with plastic and such.
He played one piece in the Sauna and soon afterwards, the first drunken
man, and the owner of the house, took the accordion by the bass end
and began flinging it around and it fell to pieces. Everyone was drunk
and Lasse began to cry at the destruction of his prized accordion,
so the owner of the house, even in his drunken state, promised to
buy Lasse another accordion the next day.
Lasse had to spend the night at the house, but didn't sleep at all,
wondering if the drunken man would remember his promise to buy Lasse
a new accordion when he woke up the next morning!
The next morning, they had breakfast, and the drunken man casually
acknowledged that he had broken Lasse's accordion, and he confirmed,
that indeed the 2 row was now destroyed, so said that he would then
indeed go and buy him a new accordion.
He took Lasse to a second hand shop, where they found a beautiful
5 row accordion and he asked Lasse to play it. Lasse had always played
the 2 row diatonic instrument, but fortunately, had tested a 5 row
instrument at one time so was able to play one polka on this instrument
and at the end of this demonstration, the man bought Lasse this instrument,
his first 5 row accordion.
Lasse is pictured to the right, playing this instrument.
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Who was your first accordion teacher and what other
teachers have influenced you? |
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He was completely self taught. At the time he was learning, it
was common to gather your information by just watching and observing
others.
He would check out other players and how they did things, and then
try them on his own. He studied the actual music and notes such
as theory, himself from a school music book. In general he would
just get any information he could from where ever he could find
it.
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During your career, you have performed around the world.
Tell us a little about these early times of your international concerts. |
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At the 1959 Confederation Internationale des Accordeonistes (CIA)
Coupe Mondiale in New York City there was a gala concert and it
was announced by one of the adjudicators, that there was one more
participant. The judge told the audience that this one contestant
had been practicing for two years, but unfortunately had arrived
at the Coupe Mondiale late, so asked them if they thought they should
let this candidate still play?
After the audience agreed, Lasse walked out with a little accordion
and played his fantastic show number rendition of Dark Eyes and the
audience went wild. After this, Lasse switched to a big instrument
and continued his show. (Pictured in New York from left to right are
Lasse, Pietro Deiro and Charles Magnante.)
After this concert, Charles Magnante went to Lasse and told him
that his place was to play in Radio City Music Hall in New York
City, so they went there to audition and was immediately offered
a job beginning in November of that year.
He got this exciting initiation, but in 1957 he had already started
his own Accordion Institute where he was responsible for teaching
dozens of young students, so the timing was not right to leave,
so in the end he didn't take the Radio City Music Hall job. Interestingly
however, Lasse said that his very good friend and fellow accordionist,
the late Mogens Ellegaard (1935-1995) was also interested in the
Radio City Music Hall job, but his program was much more classical
as opposed to Lasse's entertaining one, so in the end, neither ended
up playing at Radio City Music Hall.
Lasse returned to the USA in 1969 for a concert. That same year, the
Coupe Mondiale was once again held in New York City.
Matti Rantanen writes: outside Finland Lasse's main champion was
the young Danish accordion wizard Mogens Ellegaard, who recalls
getting to know Lasse Pihlajamaa and his music as outlined in the
following statement:
"I became the number-one Lasse Pihlajamaa fan the very first
time I met him in Stockholm in 1952. What an incredible instrumentalist!
What a warm and temperamental musician! What a fantastic accordion
composer! And at the same time a world-class clown with his little
Mickey Mouse accordion and his wicked "Dark Eyes". How
fortunate I was to become friends with an artist I so infinitely
admired! I imitated his style of playing as best I could and I had
all his works in my repertoire. I even tried being a musical clown
à la Lasse - but only twice, the first and last time!
Above all, Pihlajamaa inspired me to work hard on my technique: not
only with the thumb, the use of which I learnt from him, but with
all ten fingers, and with music I hadn't had much to do with up till
then." |
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Describe your most "unusual" or "humorous"
performance situation/s? |
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 During
his long performing career, he has encountered a lot of interesting
and different performance situations but one came to mind.
One time he was performing in Kemi a town up in the north of Finland,
not quite in Lapland but close, at a pre Christmas celebration.
He was performing his humorous show version of Dark Eyes with his
small accordion with the extended bellows. On this instrument there
was a mechanism the the bass end where he could push a button and
the bass would detach.
During this grand finale of the piece where this seperation of bellows
and bass board occurred, he always jumped up in the air, and at
this exact moment, the children hiding behind the stage props knocked
everything over and it all came crashing down on his head.
The audience thought this was all part of the show and were roaring
with laughter, meanwhile, poor Lasse was lying on the stage covered
in the props with a nail lodged in his head!
Recounting another story, Lasse was in Carnegie Hall at the Coupe
Mondiale and for a gala concert, he ended up with two tickets. The
manager had arranged a ticket for him in one place, while the jury
members had seats reserved in another place.
Dressed in his white dinner jacket, by pure chance, he pulled out
one of the two tickets and sat down. Shortly afterwards the man
sitting next to him who was sick, threw up on his nice white dinner
jacket and into his pocket, after which he had to endure this horrible
smell, so he supposes that maybe this is the first time that someone
has experienced such a thing in the famed Carnegie Hall!
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Tell us about the Accordion Institute you founded in
1957 and some of the famous students that attended. |
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 Lasse
and Maire had already been married 15 years, and Maire said that
Lasse was always on tour and getting tired, so maybe it was enough
time on the road, and maybe it would be good for him to be finally
home more.
Additionally, while on the tours, people would always ask him about
his techniques, and how he did this trick and that with his playing,
since teaching studios were not available at that time.
So, these two things motivated him to establish his own Accordion
Institute, which was an instant success, attracting dozens and dozens
of students in a very short amount of time. Pretty soon he found
himself teaching all day long, and it was this commitment, that
precluded him from taking such a job as was offered to him at Radio
City Music Hall in New York City.
Among some of his well known students from his Accordion Institute
are:
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Matti Rantanen
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Merja Ikkelä
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Pekka Loponen
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Sirkka Kelopuro
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Heidi Velamo
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Marjut Tynkkynen
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Kimmo Mattila
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Ari-Matti Saira
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who all began their careers there, and went on to win numerous prizes
in international and national competitions or have otherwise made
a name for themselves in the music world. In addition, Kari Lindquist,
Kalervo "Randy" Korlin, Raimo Rantanen have also made their
name in the music world.
Other students that have studied at Lasse's accordion Institute are
the Finnish pop singer Kirka (left) who according to his website enrolled
in Lasse's school in 1959 at the age of 9 years old, and the opera
singer  Raimo
Sirkiä (below right), now Artistic Director of the Savonlinna
Opera Festival.
The studio was located in his house and to this day his students
are like his extended family. Many still keep in touch and come
by to visit at Christmas and other times during the year, and Lasse
laughs as he says the ones like Matti and Merja are still like his
children even though they are now over 50 years old!
The studio was operated for 15 years and during this time were responsible
for teaching hundreds of Finland's accordionists. One day Lasse
called Maire to come and get him from the studio. Lasse had been
writing something on the blackboard and fainted. So, after some
debate, they decided in the end, that it was time to sell the location,
and Lasse gave some of his students to his former students who were
already having their own schools or were teaching privately.
Lasse mentioned that with their accordion business also being located
in the Institute, after selling the teaching side of the Institute,
they had so many accordions left over from the years that they had
been importing and developing them, that they ended up selling accordions
for the next 10 years!
The Institute was operated by Lasse until 1972. |
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I understand that you also wrote an accordion method
book. How many books in all, and is it still available and used today? |
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 At
this time there were no studios and teaching methods to use, so
when he established his Accordion Institute, he began to put his
teaching ideas together and published his introductory teaching
method book which was used extensively at his Institute.
In those days, there were no copy machines so it was ideal to have
such a book published to use for his teaching purposes.
There is just one beginners book that was published.
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When did you make your first recording? |
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 His
first recording was made in Stockholm in 1945 and between then and
1986 he recorded approximately 150 pieces and made dozens of recordings
for the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE).
(YLE is Finland's national public service broadcasting company.
YLE operates five national television channels and thirteen radio
channels and services complemented by 25 regional radio programs.)
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A major part of your accordion life has
been devoted to composing. What was the first piece you composed and
how old were you? |
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He composed his first piece in 1935 called Sparkling Fountain.
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How many compositions have you written
during your career? |
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 During
his career he has composed more than 300 pieces.
He said he was always very busy working, and that while other people
were sleeping, he was already up working and composing.
His compositions range from little pieces for teaching purposes
through to advanced virtuoso numbers. He has written the music and
the lyrics for such songs as Nuoruusmuistoja, Muistojen Harmonikka,
Oodi Suomen, Muisto Äidille (pictured above) and Kyynelsilmin
that have brought tears to many a Finnish eye.
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You have written in many styles and levels
of difficulty, including virtuoso music, concert waltzes and polkas
and tangos, teaching music, free bass works and even electronic music.
Where do you get your inspiration? |
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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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Is there any teacher or artist to whom
you would like to pay particular tribute, for their inspirational
effect on your musical career? |
|
The three guys that originally passed by the house were the best
teachers to him, including the star of this trio - Kai Kutti.
Other than that, he has mainly invented everything himself.
|
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Your service to the field of music and
the accordion is widely recognized including an award from the President
of the Republic of Finland. Can you tell us about this award? |
|
 On
the 1st of July 1988, Lasse was awarded the prestigious and honored
title of:
Musiikkineuvos' by the President of the Republic of Finland
in recognition of his services to music. NB. Finnish citizens can
be awarded honorary titles in public recognition of their service
to society. Titles are awarded by the President of the Republic,
following preparatory work by the Prime Minister's Office. Lasse's
Musiikkineuvos award is signed by both the President of Finland
and the Prime Minister.
It should be pointed out that in addition to this prestigious title
from the Finnish Government, the accordion world celebrated:
The First International Lasse Pihlajamaa Accordion Competition
which was held in Finland in 2001 attracting accordionists from
around the world. Lasse also holds the:
CIA Merit Award
from the Confederation Internationale Des Accordeonistes (CIA) recognizing
his outstanding contributions to the international accordion movement.
This Merit Award was awarded in 1996 by the General Assembly of
delegates of the CIA at their meeting in Dunajska Streda, Slovakia.
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In addition to your outstanding performance
and composing skills, you have also been quite active in several other
areas. Can you tell us a little bit about your involvement with the
founding of the Finnish Accordion Association? |
|
 He
was at the founding meeting of the Finnish Accordion Association
in 1952.
Very modest about this question, he stated that he has been merely
working with several others in helping found the Finnish Accordion
Association in 1952.
In addition to being a founding member he also served as its Chairman
from 1967-70 and has been now made an Honorary Member.
In addition to his work with the association, as a delegate for
the Finnish Accordion Association, Lasse served as a jury member
for the Confederation Internationale Des Accordeonistes (CIA) Coupe
Mondiale in:
1959 (New York, USA)
1968 (Leicester, UK)
1974 (Stockholm, Sweden)
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As mentioned, you have been to the CIA
Coupe Mondiale several times as an adjudicator. More recently Finland
hosted a very prestigious international competition in your honor.
What are your thoughts regarding competitions? |
|
He feels they are important, and considers that competitions are
the only way that we can develop the accordion and accordionists
further.
|
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Your name is found on many different models
of accordion these days including student instruments through artist
instruments. Tell us about your involvement with the manufacturing
side of the accordion. |
|
 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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You were there during the development of
the accordion from being used as a folk instrument to a serious concert
instrument? This was a period of enormous development of repertoire,
instrument design and teaching process. Tell us how you were able
to keep up with it all? |
|
He has been quite active with all these aspects, including the
development of the instruments over the years, so has been able
to keep up just by being involved. His career has seen his involvement
in developing a range of student instruments right through to contemporary
instruments with free bass.
One of his many interests in the development of the accordion was
with the electronic accordion. His first involvement with this,
was with the 'Data' accordion, which he spent many years working
on. In 1951 he was the first in Finland to build himself such an
electronic accordion, and he later explored the potential of the
electronic 'Data' accordion as a means of enriching the repertoire
for the instrument.
This first accordion with electronic features was similar to an
electronic organ. In those days, it was quite difficult to get parts
so he actually used components used from Space Rockets, as one of
his colleagues who was helping him with his Data Accordion was involved
with the Space program, and was able to get him some parts!
This project was ongoing for decades, however, unfortunately about
five years ago, the project was vandalized and stolen from his house,
so the work was lost.
He was very interested in electronics, as it was a great hobby of
his, and he thinks he may have spent far too much time on this project,
and in fact, he never really performed much in public on his data
accordion but he always had it at his house to work with.
In addition to his data accordion, Lasse also experimented with
several other inventions, including the "accordion chair"
and the "accordion boot". Below is the design for the
'accordion chair' which was subsequently made and is on display
at the Accordion Museum in Ikaalinen. Pictured playing the accordion
chair is President of both the Finnish Accordion Association and
the Finnish Accordion Institute - Kimmo Mattila.
The 'accordion boot' design is also pictured here.
This design never made it to the manufacturing table, however is still
a fun concept which would have fit nicely into Lasse's show routines.
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What other interests and hobbies besides
music do you have? |
|
 He
loves sailing and spent alot of time on his 33 foot sailing boat.
He proudly shows the picture of his boat called "Dance of the
Wind" named after one of his compositions, which is pictured
to the left.
|
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You were also instrumental in the launching
of the Sata-Häme Soi Accordion Festival back in 1972 with Heikki
Eränen. This festival has grown to attract some 36,000 attendees
from all over the world. Did you ever imagine it would become a major
international event? |
|
You are considered a true Idol for the
Sata-Häme Soi Festival and have played there almost every year,
and if not performing, you are often in attendance. The festival opens
with a dedication at your monument in Jämijärvi. Can you
tell us about this Statue? |
|
 He
had experienced such a difficult upbringing with his family and
his mother due to poverty and the horrible suffering and sometimes
devastating experiences endured from bands of roaming criminals
who routinely terrorized single widows and their families, that
he supposes the wild west must have been so much better than what
he and his family, in particular his mother, had experienced.
He cannot imagine that he lived through those dark days of some
70-80 years ago, and is thankful that they no longer exist today.
He had already decided the ideas for the statue for his mother,
including its design and what words would be written, many years
ago, in fact some 30 years before the actual realization of the
statue!
Besides his wife, Lasse's mother has been the single most important
figure in his life and he felt he must make some kind of memorial
for his mother in respect for the extremely difficult times she
endured bringing up his family. This monument therefore has such
a profound meaning in memory of his mother and his tremendous respect
for her.
Last year he donated the piece of land with the monument to the
city of Jämijärvi. The statue receives many visitors during
the year and of course during the opening of the annual Sata-Häme
Soi Festival, so this also helps in that the city of Jämijärvi
can assist with the upkeep of the monument and surrounding land.
Lasse is pictured here with his wife Maire and the Sata-Häme
Soi Festival Minna Kulmala at the site of monument in memory of
his mother, near Jämijärvi, close to the location of his
childhood home.
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The monument to Lasse's mother, located
near Jämijärvi
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|
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What do you regard as your greatest achievement? |
|
 Lasse
proudly states that the greatest achievement of Lasse Pihlajamaa
was that he won in the lottery of life... the jackpot.. his wife
Maire!
Married in 1945, they have enjoyed 59 years together!
Lasse and Maire are pictured here at the opening of the 2004 Sata-Häme
Soi Festival.
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What advice do you have for aspiring accordionists?
|
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His says his advice is like that of a father to his children, just
the simple old fashioned advice... work and practice!
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He
couldn't imagine it then, and he can't imagine it now! He gives
much credit to his co-founder of the festival Heikki Eränen
with whom he spent many hours on the phone planning and discussing
the festival. Pictured above and below are both outdoor and indoor
capacity audiences that gather each year to attend the festival.
Kimmo Mattila explains further: In the early 1970's Heikki Eränen
twice organized a local concert in Ikaalinen, where amateur accordionists
from Ikaalinen played. Heikki asked Lasse to come from Helsinki
to play there as well.
Lasse was very busy with his business and his teaching institute
but Heikki Eränen managed to get him to Ikaalinen, because
he originated from the Jämijärvi area (close by) and had
many old friends and other people that would like to see him back
in the area performing again.