Researchers compile Nikolajs Heņķis’s musical heritage

A new publication brings together the musical heritage of Nikolajs Heņķis, an outstanding Suiti folk musician, during the year of his 160th anniversary, LSM reported, citing Skrunda Television.

The publication, compiled by ethnomusicologist and folklore researcher Dace Nasteviča, focuses on Heņķis’s broad musical legacy. He was not only an accomplished kokle player but also one of the best kokle makers in Alsunga, having made his own instrument at the age of six.

Heņķis was also a weaver, shoemaker and folk musician. He played bagpipes and the goat horn, and learned to play the violin and clarinet during military service.

“His entire family was musical. That is where his virtuoso technique came from; it is something astonishing. But he played all his life, and that was his constant meditation,” Nasteviča said. She recalled accounts of Heņķis’s final days, when he lay in bed with his beard raised while his fingers continued moving constantly.

A large collection of Heņķis’s work is held at the Latvian Folklore Repository.

“He was truly an educated virtuoso. He wrote down notes himself and composed very fine melodies. There is much to take from this and learn — for researchers, for practical learning, and for studying traditional styles, repertoire and the local traditions of the Suiti,” said Ieva Vīvere, a researcher and ethnomusicologist at the Latvian Folklore Repository.

Folklorist Emilis Melngailis once recorded 50 song and dance melodies from Heņķis. Melngailis wrote of him: “Heņķis was also supreme in dancing, lifting his feet nimbly at the age of 60 like a slender young man.”

Kokle and bagpipe playing have since been revived among the Suiti, while earlier Suiti musicians have been honoured. Juris Lipsnis, a bagpipe and kokle player and leader of a folklore group, is among those keeping this heritage alive.

“Some pieces are easy, while others I do not even attempt. Many are complicated and require a fairly professional approach to play,” Lipsnis said.

The publication continues the book series “Heritage of the Suiti Region” and was issued as a gift to everyone interested in the outstanding folk musician on the occasion of his 160th anniversary.