Kaartin Soittokunta
Encyclopedia
Kaartin Soittokunta is the oldest operational orchestra in Finland
, founded in Parola
on April 1, 1819 during the Grand Duchy
period. It is an official part of the Finnish Defence Forces
. The orchestra plays mostly classical
, military and march music in various official and public events, including grand concerts in Spring and Autumn each year.
As of 2010, Kaartin Soittokunta consists of two conductors (music major Raine Ampuja and music captain Sami Hannula) and 40 musicians. It is the only full professional symphonic wind band in Finland.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, founded in Parola
Parola
Parola is a town in the municipality of Hattula in Finland. It is located 110 kilometres north of Helsinki. Cities nearby include Hämeenlinna, Tampere, Lahti and Forssa....
on April 1, 1819 during the Grand Duchy
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
period. It is an official part of the Finnish Defence Forces
Finnish Defence Forces
The Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform...
. The orchestra plays mostly classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, military and march music in various official and public events, including grand concerts in Spring and Autumn each year.
As of 2010, Kaartin Soittokunta consists of two conductors (music major Raine Ampuja and music captain Sami Hannula) and 40 musicians. It is the only full professional symphonic wind band in Finland.
Different names
During its history the orchestra has operated under various names:- Helsingin Opetuspataljoonan soittokunta 1819-1827
- Suomen Opetustarkk'ampujapataljoonan soittokunta 1827-1829
- Henkivartioväen Suomen tarkk'ampujapataljoonan soittokunta 1829-1878
- Henkivartioväen 3. Suomen tarkk'ampujapataljoonan soittokunta 1878-1905
- Helsingin Torvisoittokunta 1901-1918
- Pohjois-Pohjanmaan rykmentin soittokunta 1918
- Suomen Valkoisen Kaartin rykmentin soittokunta 1918
- Valkoisen Kaartin rykmentin soittokunta 1918-1919
- Suomen Valkoisen Kaartin rykmentin soittokunta 1919-1940
- Helsingin Varuskunnan soittokunta 1941-1952
- Helsingin Varuskunnan soittokunta I 1952
- Helsingin Varuskuntasoittokunta 1952-1990
- Kaartin Soittokunta 1990-
History
- Founded in ParolaParolaParola is a town in the municipality of Hattula in Finland. It is located 110 kilometres north of Helsinki. Cities nearby include Hämeenlinna, Tampere, Lahti and Forssa....
on April 1, 1819 as the band of the Helsingin Opetuspataljoona (Helsinki Drill Battalion). - First the band had only three musicians but in the end of year it had grown to twelve with Josef Thaddeus Tvarjansky as the conductor.
- December 24, 1824 the band, now with 21 musicians, nine trumpeters and two fifersFiferA fifer is a non-combatant military occupation of a foot soldier who originally played the fife during combat. The practice was instituted during the period of Early Modern warfare to sound signals during changes in formation, such as the line, and were also members of the regiment's military band...
moved with the battalion to HelsinkiHelsinkiHelsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. - 1829 the battalion (and band) was named Suomen Opetustarkk'ampujapataljoona (Finnish Sharpshooter Drill Battalion) and received the rank of New Guards of the Russian Imperial Guard. It was more commonly known as Suomen kaarti (Finnish Guard) . Starting from this year, the battalion and band were stationed during the summer in Krasnoye SeloKrasnoye SeloKrasnoye Selo is a municipal town in Krasnoselsky District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia. It is located south-southeast of the city center. Population:...
, near St. PetersburgSaint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, where the TsarTsarTsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
had his summer residence. - 1831-1832 Suomen kaarti took part in the quelling of the November UprisingNovember UprisingThe November Uprising , Polish–Russian War 1830–31 also known as the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in Warsaw when the young Polish officers from the local Army of the Congress...
in Poland. Before leaving to Poland the band had one conductor, 32 musicians, 9 drummers, 9 trumpeters and one drum majorDrum MajorA drum major is the leader of a marching band, drum and bugle corps, or pipe band, usually positioned at the head of the band or corps. The drum major, who is often dressed in more ornate clothing than the rest of the band or corps, is responsible for providing commands to the ensemble regarding...
. - 1849 battalion took part in the quelling of the Hungarian RevolutionHungarian Revolution of 1848The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
. - 1861 an imperial decree established the instrumentation of the band as 1 conductor, 34 musicians, 12 students, 1 battalion trumpeter and 20 company trumpeters, a pure brass wind ensemble.
- 1874 first Finnish born conductor, Adolf Leander, was appointed to the band.
- 1877-1878 battalion took part in the Russo-Turkish War
- 1878 Suomen kaarti was given the rank of Old Guard and named as Henkivartioväen 3. Suomen tarkk'ampujapataljoona (3rd Imperial Guard Battalion of the Finnish Sharpshooters).
- 1880 Imperial decree on the instrumentation and number of musicians in the band.
- 1891 huge public concerts with 250 musicians to aid famine victims in Russia.
- 1899 Aleksei Apostol, an orphaned boy adopted by the band during the Russo-Turkish war, appointed as the conductor of the band.
- 1901 Aleksei Apostol established Helsingin Torvisoittokunta (Helsinki wind orchestra). Musicians come from the Guard Battalion's band and former Uudenmaan Pataljoona band.
- 1904 first recording by a Finnish wind orchestra by the Band of the Finnish Guard. Conductor Albin Lindholm.
- 1905 Henkivartioväen 3. Suomen tarkk'ampujapataljoona was disbanded. Many of the musicians transferred to Helsingin Torvisoittokunta which also received many instruments and sheet music from the band.
- 1917 FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
gains independence. - 1918 Helsingin Torvisoittokunta performed in military functions of the Senate during the Finnish Civil WarFinnish Civil WarThe Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
and was taken into active service as Valkoisen Kaartin Rykmentin Soittokunta (band of the White Guard Regiment). - 1919 name changed to Suomen Valkoisen Kaartin Soittokunta (Finnish White Guards Band).
- 1924 Johan Leonard Linnala appointed as conductor.
- 1926 visits to Riga, Stockholm and Tallinn.
- 1932 Chief conductor of the Finnish Defence Forces, Lauri Näre, is also conductor of the band.
- 1934 Arthur Rope appointed as conductor.
- 1940 name changed to Helsingin Varuskunnan soittokunnaksi (Helsinki Garrison Band)
- 1952 name changed first to Helsingin Varuskunnan soittokunta I and then to Helsingin Varuskuntasoittokunta.
- 1959 visits to StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and GothenburgGothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. - 1963 visits CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
. - 1964 Arvo Uro appointed as Chief Conductor of Finnish Defence Forces as well as leading Helsingin Varuskuntasoittokunta and adjoining Defence Forces Music School.
- 1966 visits LausanneLausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
. - 1967 Arvo Kuikka succeeds Uro in all functions.
- 1972 visits ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. - 1976 visits Paris.
- 1977 Teuvo Laine appointed as conductor.
- 1984 Esko Juuri appointed as conductor.
- 1990 name changed to Kaartin Soittokunta (Guards Band).
- 1993 took part in the first nation-wide Tattoo-tour.
- 1995 Elias Seppälä appointed as conductor. Band visits Czechoslovakia
- 1996 visits TallinnTallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. - 1997 visits GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and TallinnTallinnTallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. Tattoo'97 figure marching tour. - 2008 Elias Seppälä appointed as chief conductor of the Finnish Defence Forces. Sami Hannula as acting chief of the band.
- 2009 Raine Ampuja appointed as conductor.
- 2009 first three day Kaartin Soittokunta Festival in SuomenlinnaSuomenlinnaSuomenlinna, until 1918 Viapori , or Sveaborg , is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands , and which now forms part of the city of Helsinki, the capital of Finland.Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage site and popular with both tourists and locals, who...
.
External links
- Official homepage (in FinnishFinnish languageFinnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
) - The Guard's Brass Septet (in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
)