Traditional Instruments and Music

     Folk music and its instruments form an inseparable part of any culture and nationality. They live and develop hand in hand with everything else.

     A musical instrument developed musical capacities of children as a sonic toy. It served hunters and herdsmen as a vital tool, that affected the catch or well-being of the village herd. It was often used to signal information. Making music provides a human being with feelings of relaxation and aesthetic enjoyment. Musical instruments have accompanied important ritual practices but provided also music for dance.

     This chapter provides a survey on the history of Estonian folk instruments as well as music played on them – both in its authentic and arranged form.