Seto leelo
CA0034 · Music · Southeastern Estonia and Pechory district of Russia; continuing community practice
Historical / contextual reference
Specific contextual photograph or object image; not a license to reproduce any musical recording.
Credit: Ivo Kruusamägi
Rights: CC BY-SA 4.0
Seto leelo is a polyphonic singing tradition in which a lead singer begins a verse and a choir joins and repeats it. UNESCO describes the ability to compose lyrics as an important mark of an accomplished lead singer, so the practice values invention as well as memory. Many choirs are made up of women. Singing once accompanied a wide range of rural activities and remains important at community events even as stage performance has become more prominent. This entry preserves the exchange between individual voice and collective response, together with the role that choirs play as places of local association and identity.
Why preserve it: Curatorial interpretation: The same musical structure can make room for personal authorship and shared participation.
Keep in mind: The Seto community spans a modern state border. Do not equate stage prominence with the disappearance of community meaning.