Folkcembalo

Tea Polso's FOLKCEMBALO album weaves together the most archaic pelimanni tunes from Ostrobothnia and Sweden and early baroque Italian and English grounds and piano dances, which share the same harmonic and rhythmic ground. The album was born from Polso's childhood interest in the rhythms and harmonic similarities between baroque and folk music. He has noticed how these two seemingly different styles intertwine into an organic whole.
The album alternates with e.g. thoughtful processional music pavanas and gånglåts as well as galliards and polskas in the same vein - without forgetting chord cycles common to baroque and folk music, such as folia. The album uses a lot of grounds, i.e. repeated chord cycles, which were the basis of improvisation and composition in both the Renaissance and Baroque eras.
The album features dance couples such as Pavana - galliarda and gånglåt - Polska. Early Italian baroque music is equated with Nordic folk tunes, while William Byrd's works are mainly associated with Swedish folk tunes, especially from the Taalainmaa.
The album includes several well-known songs, such as:
Giovanni Picchi's Saltarello del Pass'e mezzo and Girolamo Frescobaldi's Partita sopra l'aria di Follia, which combine with Finnish polski
William Byrd's Monsieurs Alma Karlebynejdens as a pair of brudmarsch
Swedish Gånglåt efter arranged by Finn Hans Timo Alakotila and William Byrd's Galliarda in c
Lachrimae Antiquae by John Dowland and Gråtlåten by Hjort Anders
Frescobaldi's Balletto & Ciaccona and Härmäläinen riemupolska and Rintala's Heikin Polska
William Byrd's Pavana The Earl of Salisbury and Galliarda in a together with Gånglåt från Mora
Samuel Rinda-Nickola's Polska no.38 and Bernardo Pasquin's Bergamasca combined with Kaustinen's Purppuri polska
Hughe Ashtons Grounde by William Byrd and Min levnads Afton by Hjort Anders
Lambaanpolska and Bernardo Pasquin's Partita diverse di Follia.
Although the harpsichord is not a traditional folk instrument, and most of the songs on the album were originally played on the violin, Polso justifies the use of the harpsichord through its rich upper tonality and "rhythm instrument" nature, which give it the soul of a folk instrument.
The collection reflects Polso's personal "soulscape" and explores the common roots of baroque and more archaic folk music, such as modality and the chord cycles that traveled through Europe.