Six Estonian songs featured in European Union songbook
Six well-known Estonian songs have been included in the first European Union songbook, which has taken almost a decade to complete.
More than 87,000 residents from 27 member states took part in a vote to select the songs. In Estonia, 1,607 people participated.
The winning songs were: Koit" (Tõnis Mägi), "Tuulevaiksel ööl" (Jaan Tätte), "Põhjamaa" (Ülo Vinter, Enn Vetemaa), "Kungla rahvas" (K.A. Hermann, F. Kuhlbars), "Palve" (Tõnis Mägi, Villu Kangur) and "Rongisõit" (Gustav Ernesaks, Ellen Niit).
"I am very pleased that Estonians voted to represent us with such meaningful songs," said Kaie Tanner, executive director of the Estonian Choral Association and editor of the Estonian edition of the songbook. "All these songs hold great significance for Estonians, and hopefully, they will resonate with other Europeans as well."
The Estonian songs were translated into English by Doris Kareva.
"If translating poetry can be compared to a sprint and translating a novel to a marathon, then the European Union's songbook is more like a decathlon," Kareva said, reflecting on her work.
"These six songs are not part of a single cycle; each text demands a completely different approach from the translator. The focus, of course, is on singability. It was a serious personal challenge and an instructive experience."
Six songs from each country are have been included in the book, totaling 164. They are printed in the original language and English.
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Editor: Karmen Rebane, Helen Wright
