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The festive procession of the IX Estonian Song Festival, 1928XIX Song Festival in Soviet-occupied Tallinn, 1980XXVI Song Festival in 2014XXVII Song Festival in 2019
The tradition of the song festival was born along with Estonian national awakening. The first national song festival was held in Tartu in the summer of 1869.[2] One of the organisers of the first song festival was Johann Voldemar Jannsen. In the first three festivals only men's choirs and brass orchestras participated. 822 singers and 56 brass players participated in the first festival. Starting with the fourth festival, mixed choirs were also participating. Starting with the sixth festival in 1896, the festival tradition moved to Tallinn.
The Dance and Gymnastic Festival (part of the first Estonian Games held in 1934) was the predecessor of subsequent Estonian Dance Festivals which are now held, by tradition, at the same time with the Song Festival in Tallinn.[4]
During all the Song Festivals from 1947 to 1985, the Soviet occupation authorities forced Soviet and communist songs into the repertoire. For example, it was mandatory in all events to perform the state anthems of USSR and Estonian SSR, The Internationale, along with songs mandatorily glorifying the Soviet Communist Party and its leaders Lenin and Stalin.[2] Because of the inclusion of children's and boys' choirs the total number of participants rose to 25,000 – 30,000 people.
In 2019, the number of visitors to the song festival reached its maximum. Nearly 60,000 tickets were sold from the pre-sale for the XXVII song festival "Minu arm"("My love") concert, and together with the 35,000 singers and musicians participating, a situation had been reached where the pre-sale of tickets was suspended by the decision of the organizers for the safety and security of people.
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