The Power of Song: Nonviolent National Culture in the Baltic Singing Revolution

Acknowledgments

acknowledgments In writing this book I have had the aid of a number of institutions and individuals whose role I gratefully acknowledge. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections provided copies of sound recordings that are at the center of this study. The University of Washington Libraries ensured access to most published sources quoted here. The EEVA Digital Text Repository for Older Estonian Literature, the Digital Collections at the National Library of Latvia, the Lithuanian Folk Culture Centre website, and Google Books gave easy online access to rare publications. The National Library of Estonia helped locate numerous songbooks in its collection. In Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, musicians and singers opened their homes and rehearsals to me and invited me to sing with them. People whom I interviewed in person or by email gave insights beyond any information found in published sources. Their names appear in notes, but I wish to emphasize here that their generosity and friendly assistance enriched this work immeasurably. The University of Washington Department of Scandinavian Studies provided a Junior Faculty Release Quarter and a Summer Research Grant, and made possible several expeditions to the Baltic. In 1991– 1992 and 1997, my fieldwork was supported in part by grants from the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the United States Information Agency, and the US Department of State. In 1999 and 2000, travel grants from the Open Society Support Foundation Group Research Support Scheme allowed me to meet colleagues in Latvia for valuable discussions about national identity formation. The UW Chamber Singers and UW Chorale invited me to travel with them on their Baltic concert tours in 2000, 2005, and 2010, allowing me to Acknowledgments x witness firsthand the power that songs have in creating bridges across language barriers. Portions of the manuscript were read and commented on by Geoffrey Boers, Mimi Daitz, Thomas DuBois, Ulrich Gaier, Heather MacLaughlin Garbes, Terje Leiren, Lalita Muižniece, Živilė Ramo- škaitė, and Rimas Žilinskas. Kanni Labi offered a particularly incisive reading of several chapters. The entire manuscript was read by Dace Bula, Kevin Karnes, Violeta Kelertas, Aldis Purs, and Zinta Šmidchens, whose critique and encouragement were invaluable. Students in classes I taught at the University of Washington have provided a sounding board for ideas and translation attempts. Scandinavian Department research assistants Sean Hughes and Axel Thorson helped index my archive and edit the manuscript. The editors of the New Directions in Scandinavian Studies Series gave support and suggestions for improvements. Tim Zimmermann, Kerrie Maynes, and the editors and anonymous readers at the University of Washington Press helped shape the manuscript’s final version. Illustrations for this book were possible thanks to the assistance of the directors and staff at the institutions mentioned in the credits. Silvestras Gaižiūnas, Ojārs Griķis, Ain Haas, Inta Kaņepāja, Andres Kasekamp , Veiko Lukmann, Angonita Rupšytė, Valters Ščerbinskis, and Aušra Valančiauskienė also offered critical help in acquiring images and other resources. Zinta Šmidchens crafted a map of place names mentioned in this book. All of these institutions and people have improved my work considerably , but I alone remain responsible for this book’s content. I thank the four teachers who opened up Baltic worlds for me: Violeta Kelertas , Lalita Muižniece, Harri Mürk, and Toivo Raun, and my father, who sang with his children to pass the time on long car trips. The Power of Song ...