Laas Leivat: “Free men sing always for their homeland”

Any translation of the Toronto Estonian Men’s Choir motto is awkward and does not capture its emotional timbre: “Alati sinule kodumaa, kõlagu vabada meeste laul”.

As the few bars of song ritually open TEM’s concerts, audiences, hearing the adage, rise. The tune and words are instantly recognizable as the essence of TEM, an en-during institution of Estonians abroad.

The motto, with Roman Toi’s music and Henrik Visnapuu’s words, represents a pursuit of freedom and defiance of the foreign. The maestro had pride in TEM’s ability to get that message across to all audiences, whatever their background. It was natural in the late 1980s to have this “vabade meeste laul” missive resonate in Estonia’s “Singing Revolution”.