The Power of Song shows how the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania confronted a military superpower and achieved independence in the Baltic “Singing Revolution.” When attacked by Soviet soldiers in public displays of violent force, singing Balts maintained faith in nonviolent political action. More than 110 choral, rock, and folk songs are translated and interpreted in poetic, cultural, and historical context. Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh7vFFjK0rc

Tells the story of Estonia's non-violent struggle for freedom from Soviet occupation. Song was the weapon of choice in 1987-1991 when Estonians wanted to end the occupation. The Singing Revolution is the name of the step-by-step process that led to the reestablishment of Estonian independence in 1991, a non-violent revolution that overthrew a very violent occupation. It was called the Singing Revolution because of the role that singing played in the protests of the mid-1980s. Singing had always been a major unifying force for Estonians during the 50 years of Soviet rule. It began with the Laulupidu song festival in 1947 and a poem set to music that escaped the Soviet censors and became the rallying song of the people. The poem, written by Lydia Koidula, was Mu isamaa on minu arm (Land of my fathers, land that I love). The composer was Gustav Ernesaks. Includes archival film footage and commentary from many survivors of the era.

Now that nearly twenty years have passed since the collapse of the Soviet bloc there is a need to understand what has taken place since that historic date and where we are at the moment. Bringing together authors with different historical, cultural, regional and theoretical backgrounds, this volume engages in debates that address new questions arising from recent developments, such as whether there is a need to reject or uphold the notion of post-socialism as both a necessary and valid concept ignoring changes and differences across both time and space. The authors' firsthand ethnographies from their own countries belie such a simplistic notion, revealing, as they do, the cultural, social, and historical diversity of countries of Central and Southeastern Europe.

This two-volume encyclopedia profiles the contemporary culture and society of every country in Europe. Each country receives a chapter encompassing such topics as religion, lifestyle and leisure, standard of living, cuisine, gender roles, relationships, dress, music, visual arts, and architecture. This authoritative and comprehensive encyclopedia provides readers with richly detailed entries on the 45 nations that comprise modern Europe. Each country profile looks at elements of contemporary life related to family and work, including popular pastimes, customs, beliefs, and attitudes. Students can make cross-cultural comparisons-for instance, a student could compare social customs in Denmark with those in Norway, compare Greece's cuisine with that of Italy, and contrast the architecture of Paris with Amsterdam and Barcelona. Culture and society are changing in each region and nation of Europe due to many political and economic forces, both inside and outside of each nation's borders. This encyclopedia considers many of the transformations connected to globalization, as well as traditions that still hold strong, to provide a complete assessment of the processes that make European societies and cultures distinctive.

The product of 35 senior scholars' research, these volumes examine the psychology driving the religious, political, and economic forces that cause turbulence and violence in human society. Religious, political, and economic revolts have defined the human experience throughout history. These kinds of universal turbulence continue to be the dominate source of human suffering and perplexity during the first decade of the 21st century. What can intensive study of the psychodynamics of cultural and social eruptions tell us that may serve to move cultures around the world beyond ongoing strife? This work seeks to find out, examining the spectrum of cultural and social eruptions from ancient Jewish, Christian, and Muslim revolutions to the modern day economic and political turbulence in Eastern Europe, the Near East, and Latin America. The breadth of this three-volume set ranges from the 12th century BCE to the current struggles in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria; and from the irrational violence of the French Revolution to the genuine quest for liberty of the American Revolution and the Singing Revolutions in the Baltic States in recent decades. Each volume is introduced with a description of its philosophical perspective and concludes with a brief summarization of the takeaways of the research presented.

"The Oxford Handbook of Community Singing shows in abundant detail that singing with others is thriving. Using an array of interdisciplinary methods, chapter authors prioritize participation rather than performance and provide finely grained accounts of group singing in community, music therapy, religious, and music education settings. Themes associated with protest, incarceration, nation, hymnody, group bonding, identity, and inclusivity infuse the 47 chapters. Written almost wholly during the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic, the Handbook features a section dedicated to collective singing facilitated by audiovisual or communications media (mediated singing), some of it quarantine-mandated. The last of eight substantial sections is a repository of new theories about how group singing practices work. Throughout, the authors problematize the limitations inherited from the western European choral music tradition and report on workable new remedies to counter those constraints"--

Berlitz Pocket Guides: iconic style, a bestselling brand, this is the quintessential pocket-sized travel guide to Tallinn, and now comes with a bi-lingual dictionary Plan your trip, plan perfect days and discover how to get around - this pocket-sized guide with new bi-lingual dictionary is a convenient, quick-reference companion to discovering what to do and see in Tallinn, from top attractions like Toompea Castle, Aleksander Nevsky Cathedral and the Seaplane Harbour, to hidden gems including the eccentric Dragon Gallery and the Latin Quarter. This will save you time and enhance your exploration of this fascinating city. Compact, concise, and packed with essential information, this is an iconic on-the-move companion when you're exploring Tallinn Covers Top Ten Attractions, including the Holy Spirit Church, the Dome Church, Toompea's viewing platforms and Kadriorg Palace, and Perfect Day itinerary suggestions Nifty new bi-lingual dictionary section makes this the perfect portable package for short trip travellers Includes an insightful overview of landscape, history and culture Handy colour maps on the inside cover flaps will help you find your way around Essential practical information on everything from Eating Out to Getting Around Inspirational colour photography throughout Sharp design and colour-coded sections make for an engaging reading experience About Berlitz: Berlitz draws on years of travel and language expertise to bring you a wide range of travel and language products, including travel guides, maps, phrase books, language-learning courses, dictionaries and kids' language products.