The Singing Revolution is a term by Estonian activist and artist, Heinz Valk for the events from 1987-1991 in the Baltic states. It was named such because of the role of singing in the protests in the late 1980's. Song festivals (Laulupid) have been held in Estonia every five years since 1869 and singing has always been an important part of Estonian culture and national pride.
The Song of a NationGustav Ernesaks wrote a song set to a century-old national poem for the 1947 song festival. This was the first song festival held after Soviet occupation. The song, Mu isamaa on minu arm (“Land of My Fathers, Land that I Love”) was banned by the Soviets in the 1950's, but was sung again in the 1960's in defiance of Soviet orders.
At the song festival in 1969, both the choirs on stage and the audience began singing this song a second time despite strict Soviet orders to leave the stage, but no one did. A military band tried to play and drown out the singers. "But a hundred instruments is no match for over a hundred thousand singers. The song was sung repeatedly in the face of authorities. There was nothing the Soviets could do but invite the composer on stage to conduct the choir for yet another encore and pretend they intended to allow this all along. Mu isamaa on minu arm was never forbidden again. It is truly the song that united Estonia during its long occupation." (Tusty, www.singingrevolution.com)
Revolution'Baltic Chain' - en.wikipedia.org
As the Soviet Union began to weaken, the Estonians turned again to song. Over 300,000 Estonians gathered for the 1988 song festival. And in another peaceful demonstration, on August 23, 1989, people from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia held hands to create the 'Baltic Chain,' a human chain that stretched over 360 miles from Tallinn, Estonia to Vilnius in Lithuania. Activists and the Estonian people kept peacefully pushing and exerting independence.
"Matters came to a head in 1991 when Moscow hard-liners staged a coup d’état and placed Gorbachev under house arrest. As troops rolled into Estonia to quell any independence-minded thinking, Estonians decided to escalate their bid for freedom. Unarmed people faced down soldiers and tanks, while political leaders assembled to declare Estonia’s independence." (Tusty, www.singingrevolution.com)
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