Selmeczi László szerk.: Szolnok Megyei Múzeumi Évkönyv (1981)

I. Szabó: Theatre in Estonia

nations, the time of the gathering of the poetical material of the Kalevala. These contributed to the displayal of the undeniable facts of the peoples vis vitális and the right to exist. The exploration and collection of the treasures of folk culture and their displayal to the nation provided ample evidence to the sceptical. Thanks to the outstanding pioneers the self-redemptious work become an all-national need. The first uncertain steps required additional ones and, meeting the aspirations of the intelligentsia of increasing number, the matter became national. The folkpoetical material of the national epos "Kalevipoeg" is of unrivalled abundance, similarly to the several thousand peasant art pieces. The world-famous song-meetings had celebrated more than 100 anniversaries. There emerged a poetry, based on solid popular traditions and now famous all over the world, also scientific and artistic activity of European standard, and a theatrical art of unique character on this fertile cultural soil in a relatively short time. As a matter of fact, theatrical art had no real traditions in Estonia prior to Wiera's movement in 1870. Although certain historians of Estonian Theatre trace one or another thin strand to ancient times, those data found by them had never led to theatrical development. The following can be read in Karin Kaks' "The Founders and First Actors of Estonian Theatre" (Tallin, 1970): "The first mention of a theatrical performance in the Baltic area con be found in the chronicle of Henry the Latvian, which recounts a mistery play performed in Riga at the begining of the 13th century. Furthermore evidence shows that after the German and Danish invasions the spread of Christianity in Estonia increased, and it may be assumed that similar religious performances may have taken place here, too. The hypothesis is possible since historical records from the begining of the 15th century plainly tell us about masquerades and carnival plays (festivals) in Tallinn." The so-called school-dramas (scholastic plays) spread in the Baltic area during the 16th century. Similar ones were presented in Tallinn as well as Tartu, partly in Jesuit schools, partly in the Tallinn townhall. In the case of this latter even the data of a play staged in 1529 are known: Terentius's The Woman of Andros entertained the town population. Performances were also held at the hall of the Brotherhood of the Black - heads, and in the rooms of the Great Guild. These dramatic performances were due to humanist and classicist learning. They were mainly propagated in order to spread and improve the knowledge of Latin language, by teachers who had attained education in Wittenberg. The reason of the subsequent increase in the number of these performances was their official introduction into the material of scholarly education, and that they were staged in larger numbres in the institutions of the Jesuit Order in Tartu, the second largest city of Estonia. At that time both cities had a great number of inhabitants, of Estonian nationality, so they could possibly also be found among the actors. However in spite of these data, the initiatives were not important and had hardly anything to do with the development of the national culture and the theatrical art of the 19th century. At the same time the well-known marionette theatres can be considered as only rather remote antecedents of the presentday puppet theatres. On the other hand it is doubtless that concurrently with the spread of the European marionette theatre, there were several similar performances in Estonia, too. The first puppets were brought to Tallinn by Jakob Wigandt, and later in the second half of the century performances of wandering companies became frequent. The northern war paralysed both directions of the theatrical initiatives almost up to the middle of the 18th century. Brightening up whatever could be experienced only in the time of the union of Estonia and Russia and the increasing WesternEuropian influences under the reign of Peter I. The age of the tzars of the Enlightment was favourable to the development of literature and arts and also to theatre as such. The great European theatrical personalities' route to the court of the tzars in Petersburgh led via the Estonian capital, who initiated performances by leading actors of the age on the Tallinn stage, such as the famous comedians of Venice, Peter Hilferding and Joseph Scholari in the second half of the 18th century, moreover Hilferding, who was working in Tallinn between 1777 and 1780, once staged an opera as well. The audience became familiar with the works of Moliere, Holberg, Lessing and Racine due to performances of theatre groups, also abiding in Tallinn, and for a short time the whole western theatre life stood under the expressed influence of Tallinn, during the period of August Kotzebue's greatest successes. In these years the most popular playwright of his age worked in the Estonian capital. At that time a lot of his works (The Hatred of People and Penitence etc.) were staged and became famous throughout Europe only after the Tallinn presentation. The theatre life became so vivid that an amateur Theatre, the Revalscher Liebhaber-Theater was founded. A curiosity of the history of theatre is also attached to the activity of this company

: the income of the performances was spent on the benefit of the urban poor. It was more than a purely charitative gesture. For over a period of ten years these incomes totalled 14,000 Marks, and a popular book, Joseph Reume's book of advices, was also published from these funds. The first Estonian words on stage were also attributed to the Tallinn amateurs, moreover in Kotzebue's musical, Paternal Expectations, a few songs were sung in Estonian language. After the opening of a professional theatre in 1809, the number of the performances in Estonian increased. Besides the plays in Russian, whole night programmes in Estonian also took place. The pioneer of performances in the mother tongue was P. A. Steinsberg, the first Estonianborn professional actor (of whom it is certainly known at least). He adapted the works of several foreign authors for the Estonian stage. In spite of their social and political outlawry the urban population had certain opportunities to learn the field of theatre, at the same time the rural people, the majority of the population could only become familiar with certain elements of this ancient genre through the practise of some popular customs traditionally preserving some dramatic features. The antecedents only became significant experiments and real theatrical life when they turned up as the part of a nationwide movement of mainly cultural nature in the second half of the 19th century. The development of Estonian theatrical life expanded together with that of the other fields of culture. It maintained especially close ties with popular circles, chorus societies and orchestras. At the beginings, however, Estonian theatre had to overcome a lot of difficulties. Society had no means and opportunities to develop an esteemable stage art, more significant than the initiatives of the pioneers, or to prepare even in the lest degree, the directors and actors for the preformances. Nevertheless the primary task was different. The would-be audience had first to be attracted. The burden like so many others was undertaken by the writers, poets, musicians, trained people, e. g. the intelligentsia of a small number but outstanding enthusiasm. Their work unpaired as they created a vivid theatrical life almost from nothing (so far only foreign initiatives alien to the national culture had existed). Not only did they provide the theatres with plays meeting the popular expectations but frequently financed the performances, assisted at the rehearsals and first nights. These performances, meeting first of all the functions of popular and patriotic education, immensely interested the national bourgeoisie and the rural peasants just visiting the town markets. (Performances were frequently held on market days when it was easier to attract people to the theatre.) This was an organic part of a self-saving work characterizing Estonia from the middle of the last century. In the process 233