Konsta Viljami Jylhä (14 August 1910 – 13 September 1984) was a folk-virtuoso who, in Finnish

fiddling A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syno ...

, made the traditional '' pelimanni-style''

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

a Finnish cultural phenomenon of wider currency, bringing his natural genius and traditional style to a burgeoning nationwide television audience, thus laying the foundation for a rich and popular traditional music scene in Finland. He was born in

Kaustinen Kaustinen () is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Central Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population about 4300 and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neighbouring municipalities are Halsua, ...

, a third generation

Central Ostrobothnia Central Ostrobothnia (; ) is a Regions of Finland, region in Finland. Central Ostrobothnia borders the Bothnian Bay and the regions of Ostrobothnia (administrative region), Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Central Finland and South Ostrobothnia ...

n ''master pelimanni'' (Mestaripelimanni). In the 1960s Jylhä's band Konsta Jylhä ja Purppuripelimannit became a mainstay of the

Kaustinen Folk Music Festival Kaustinen Folk Music Festival (), celebrated yearly in July in Kaustinen, Finland, is the biggest folk music and folk dance, dance festival in the Nordic countries. It was first celebrated in 1968. The festival originated in showcasing the famous ...

, and iconic both in popular culture, and within the generation of master pelimanni to follow in his footsteps. His best known pieces of original composition are ''Konstan Parempi Valssi'' ("Konsta's Major Waltz") and especially the hauntingly beautiful ''Vaiennut Viulu'' ("Mute Violin"). After being receiving a severe head injury in a logging accident in 1961 and several heart attacks after 1962, he became a born-again Christian. During his later years he composed spiritual songs. He died in

Kokkola Kokkola (; , ) is a town in Finland and the regional capital of Central Ostrobothnia. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Kokkola is approximately , while the Kokkola sub-region, sub-region h ...

References

External links

Jylhä, Konsta
in ''Biografiskt lexikon för Finland'' .
Konsta Jylhä on 10 Euro Silver Coin.
1910 births 1984 deaths People from Kaustinen Finnish fiddlers Male violinists Nordic folk musicians Finnish male composers Finnish bandleaders 20th-century violinists 20th-century male musicians 20th-century Finnish composers {{fiddler-stub