Ievan Polkka polka

Unlike such tunes as The Japanese Hornpipe, The Chinese Breakdown, The Swedish Jig and so on, I believe that this polka is actually from where it claims to be from. It was certainly very popular with Finnish musicians at the Kaustinen festival in 1997 (I think they tended to play it in A minor or G minor). Whatever its true origin, its a kickin’ tune and could have come straight out of Sliabh Luachra.

…seems to be Levan Polkka (Leva’s Polka) which was recorded as a song by a Finnish group called Loituma and has been rattling around the internet recently. I heard the song a month or two ago and then just recently realized the melody was essentially the same as this tune.

to end the A part, first time: BA BF
second time: BA Bd
to end the B pqrt: BA A2

# Posted on March 28th 2010 by iwilson
~ /discussions/24189

X: 2
T: Finnish, The
M: 2/4
L: 1/8
R: polka
K: Amin
|: E |\
A>A AB | cA Ac | BG GB | c/B/A/G/ AE |
A>A AB | cA Ac | de/d/ cB |[1 A2 A :|[2 A2 A2 ||
|: Ec ce | dB Bc | de/d/ cB | AB cd |
ec ce | dB Bc | de/d/ cB |[1 A2 A2 :|[2 A2 A |]

# Posted on March 28th 2010 by iwilson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcrcx1abm2M

play video

The loituma vid off youtube

1. Nuapurista kuulu se polokan tahti
jalakani pohjii kutkutti.
Ievan äiti se tyttöösä vahti
vaan kyllähän Ieva sen jutkutti,
sillä ei meitä silloin kiellot haittaa
kun myö tanssimme laiasta laitaan.
Salivili hipput tupput tapput
äppyt tipput hilijalleen.

2. Ievan suu oli vehnäsellä
ko immeiset onnee toevotti.
Peä oli märkänä jokaisella
ja viulu se vonku ja voevotti.
Ei tätä poikoo märkyys haittaa
sillon ko laskoo laiasta laitaan.
Salivili hipput tupput tapput
äppyt tipput hilijalleen.

3. Ievan äiti se kammarissa
virsiä veisata huijjuutti,
kun tämä poika naapurissa
ämmän tyttöä nuijjuutti.
Eikä tätä poikoo ämmät haittaa
sillon ko laskoo laiasta laitaan.
Salivili hipput tupput tapput
äppyt tipput hilijalleen.

Nonsense lilt ‘break’:

Hilipati hilipati hilipati hillaa,
hilipati hilipati hilipampaa.
Jalituli jallaa talituli jallaa
tilitali tilitali tilitantaa.
Halituli jallaa tilituli tallaa
tilitili tilitili tilitili tallaa.
Halituli tilitali jallati jallan,
tilitali talitali helevantaa.

Rimpatirallaa ripirapirallaa
rumpatiruppa ripirampuu.
Jakkarittaa rippari lapalan
tulituli lallan tipiran tuu.
Jatsu tsappari dikkari dallan
tittari tillan titstan dullaa,
dipidapi dallaa ruppati rupiran
kurikan kukka ja kirikan kuu.

Ratsatsaa ja ripidabi dilla
beritstan dillan dellan doo.
A baribbattaa baribbariiba
ribiribi distan dellan doo.
Ja barillas dillan deia dooa
daba daba daba daba daba duvja vuu.
Baristal dillas dillan duu ba daga
daiga daida duu duu deiga dou.

4. Siellä oli lystiä soiton jäläkeen
sain minä kerran sytkyyttee.
Kottiin ko mäntii ni ämmä se riitelj
ja Ieva jo alako nyyhkyytteek.
Minä sanon Ievalle mitäpä se haittaa
laskemma vielähi laiasta laitaa.
Salivili hipput tupput tapput
äppyt tipput hilijalleen.

5. Muorille sanon jotta tukkee suusi
en ruppee sun terveyttäs takkoomaa.
Terveenä peäset ku korjoot luusi
ja määt siitä murjuus makkoomaa.
Ei tätä poikoo hellyys haittaa
ko akkoja huhkii laiasta laitaan.
Salivili hipput tupput tapput
äppyt tipput hilijalleen.

6. Sen minä sanon jotta purra pittää
ei mua niin voan nielasta.
Suat männä ite vaikka lännestä ittään
vaan minä en luovu Ievasta,
sillä ei tätä poikoo kainous haittaa
sillon ko tanssii laiasta laitaan.
Salivili hipput tupput tapput
äppyt tipput hilijalleen.

pasted from:
http://artists.letssingit.com/loituma-lyrics-ievas-polka-ph64dfc

Note that it is “Ieva” (with a capital i) not “Leva” (with a capital L)

Here’s a translation from the same link:

1. The sound of a polka drifted from my neighbor’s
and set my feet a-tapping oh!
Ieva’s mother had her eye on her daughter but
Ieva she managed to fool her, you know.
‘Cause who’s going to listen to mother saying no
when we’re all busy dancing to and fro!

2. Ieva was smiling, the fiddle it was wailing
as people crowded round to wish her luck.
Everyone was hot but it didn’t seem to bother
the handsome young man, the dashing buck.
‘Cause who’s going to mind a drop of sweat
when he’s all busy dancing to and fro!

3. Ieva’s mother she shut herself away
in her own quiet room to hum a hymn.
Leaving our hero to have a spot of fun
in a neighbor’s house when the lights are dim.
‘Cause what does it matter what the old folks say
when you’re all busy dancing to and fro!

4. When the music stopped then the real fun began
and that’s when the laddie fooled around.
When he took her home, when the dancing was over
her mother angrily waiting they found.
But I said to her, Ieva, now don’t you weep
and we’ll soon be dancing to and fro!

5. I said to her mother now stop that noise
or I won’t be responsible for what I do.
If you go quietly and stay in your room
you won’t get hurt while your daughter I woo.
‘Cause this fine laddie is a wild sort of guy
when he’s all busy dancing to and fro!

6. One thing I tell you is you won’t trap me,
no, you won’t find me an easy catch.
Travel to the east and travel to the west but
Ieva and I are going to make a match.
‘Cause this fine laddie ain’t the bashful sort
when he’s all busy dancing to and fro.

The lyric is in the Eastern Finland dialect of Savo (as it was spoken c.1930 –Savonian is close to Karelian) The background accompanying vocals in Loituma’s version are constructed by dividing various snippets of the lyrics between the singers. (hocket technique) The cut can be in the middle of a word. E.g.; one sings: ‘ei … poi’ and another fills in: ‘tätä … kee’; Together this makes ‘ei tätä poikee’, i.e.: ‘not this boy’

The Loituma version of the song also includes an intermezzo of phonetically inspired gibberish containing only a few Finnish words; it is not part of the original song written by Eino Kettunen. The content of the intermezzo varies from one performance to another and is not listed on most lyrics. It is similar to scat in jazz. (from Wikipedia)

Setting as played at the Golden Guinea pub session, Bristol (UK).

Kevin Burke recorded this tune on the “Up Close” album, listed as “A Finnish Polka” (He probably didn’t know the name of the tune). His version is, as posted by Redbird above in Bmin and is the second tune in the set. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gATWSePO6yQ

play video

I first heard this as track 5 “Three Polkas’ on the Flight of the Green Linnet - Celtic Music,: The Next Generation published in 1988 and performed by Kevin Burke. I couldn’t find the same tune on the session.org, but did find it on folktunefinder.com where it is called Polka #2, “A Finnish Polka” and attributed to Kevin Burke. The ABCs i posted are from this source.

https://thesession.org/tunes/418

Combination of versions above, and from another online source (played in Cdor, 2 flats).

A few more runs thrown in, slightly different chords.

Closer to the original, with different chords.

Ievan Polkka and Ellin Polkka:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Vn6cEbzvVI

play video

This is an arrangement of versions 6 and 9 that I enjoy

Nice combination of the two settings, Idril.

X6 & X7 more closely follow the original Finnish polka/song, which doesn’t have quite the same form as the popular setting in Irish circles (most of the other settings here). Simplified it a bit, added in some of the more common Irish parts (see X9), while keeping closer to the original in some of the other parts.

Here’s the Finnish one I was working with:
https://musescore.com/user/22617671/scores/4860027

If interested, there’s a tonne of variations of the Finnish version online. Try searching “Ievan Polka”, “Ievan’s Polka”, “Ievan’s Polkka”, etc etc., into the MuseScore website.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9CBj63_Ff0

play video

From the playing of Great Big Sea, up in Emin rather than the more common key of Bmin. The B Part also goes a bit differently than other settings, particularly with looping back into the A Part.

Great Big Sea, Fortune Set, second tune @ 1 min 22s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEM0znb469g

play video

Some combination of X9 & X11.

From the playing of Vincent Garcia.

Starts at about 14s:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xN-jzSU0TU

play video

Some variations from Vincent Garcia.

From the playing of Eileen Ivers.

Variations from the playing of Eileen Ivers.

From the playing of Laoise Kelly and Tiarnán Ó Duinnchinn.

I think the title should be either “Ievan Polkka” or “Ieva’s Polka”, not “Ievan’s …”. Ieva is a personal name (equivalent to Eva, perhaps) and “-n” is the Finnish possessive ending, equivalent to English “apostrophe-s”.