The songs are not autobiographical in the traditional sense. They are not directly written from a specific point in our lives portraying a moment or a story that could be unraveled to a listener in a way that it would make sense.
The Work
The inspiration comes from small pieces and fragments of music and art. Such fragments could be for example a memory, melody, voice, picture, word or a view. Sometimes a misheard fragment of melody springs a new idea, which after a while turns into a song. Some of our compositions have got their initial inspiration from a painting.
Usually one of the members brings the main idea for the band to develop. It is quite seldom that songs are composed through jamming sessions although a lot of our material is improvised during recording sessions. We often write things that even we don't understand immediately. Creating usually happens first on a subconscious level. Thus far there has not been formed a procedure for us for composing music — every song has its own way of appearing into our lives.
Melancholia
We have a big heart for melancholia — sadness is beautiful. The blue side of life is where we are as persons and as artists. The music also reflects our introversion.
Finland, Finnish and Folk
The Finnish language represents the Finnish mentality best. Our music has its roots in the Finnish folk music so using Finnish language to reflect our feelings and mental landscapes is obvious to us. However, the folk elements in Tenhi are indirect. We try to interpret them in our own way. With using folk elements we want to give certain timelessness and feel of our native land's beauty.
Nature
The greatest inspiration for us is nature. It is an endless source of amazement and beauty. We try to achieve the same kind of timelessness that is present there. In nature things are in the purest of forms.
We compare our album Maaäet to an autumnal forest. It was its feel that we aimed for when we were creating the music. Life slowly fleeing from everywhere, fatalism, acceptance, gentle fall to sleep, turning towards an end of a cycle, giving energy back to earth — giving it to be a seed of new life.
Aesthetic
Music and visual arts together form the concept of Tenhi. For us they are inseparable for achieving the whole experience we are aiming at. During the composing the visual context is a guide for us and it works as a window from where the themes are captured. As we create the album covers ourselves we set the final frames for the musical canvas.
For example the cover of the album Airut:Aamujen represents the core of the album. The portrait is a mental passage away from this place. The black stain curling around the girl's head could be an extension or a reflection of mind — an idea emerging from the subconscious. It could however be read as a death metaphor, the spirit leaving the body.
— Ilmari and Tyko 2007-01-31
Line-up
Tyko Saarikko: vocals, guitar, and piano
Ilmari Issakainen: guitar, piano, drums, bass, and backing vocals
Tuukka Tolvanen: backing vocals
Jaakko Hilppö: backing vocals
Inka Eerola: violin
Janina Lehto: flute
Live line-up
Tyko Saarikko: vocals and guitar
Ilmari Issakainen: guitar and backing vocals
Tuukka Tolvanen: guitar and backing vocals
Jaakko Hilppö: bass and backing vocals
Inka Eerola: violin
Jussi Lehtinen: piano
Raimo Kovalainen: drums
The Escape
Vähäinen Violetissa
Tenhi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aamujen leuto autio
Aikainen violetti
Sävyyn soitto
Aamua aamua
Joku taisi jäädä
Vähäinen violetisa
Hiljaisuuden noste
Jää tänään tulematta
Vasta myöhään kaartaa yli
[English translation:]
Lithe In Lilac
Veiled dead
Hollow of mornings
Early lavender
Invites to mourn
Morn morn
Something stayed
Lithe in lilac
Rising red rush
Light laments
Moans to shine
Until soars over
The lyrics of Tenhi's song Vähäinen Violetissa evoke a sense of mournful longing and haunting beauty. The opening line, "Veiled dead," draws the listener into a world of darkness and loss, while the following lines describe a morning filled with a gentle emptiness that is imbued with a melancholic feeling. The "early lavender" color palette adds to the overall sense of sadness, as it is often associated with mourning and solemnity. The repeated use of "morn morn" evokes a sense of time passing slowly, as if the singer is waiting for something to happen.
Further on, the lines "Lithe in lilac / Rising red rush / Light laments / Moans to shine" suggest a sense of hope and renewal, as if the morning is slowly but surely becoming bright once again. However, this hope is tempered by the final lines, "Until soars over / Too late to come today," which suggest a longing for something that is ultimately unattainable. The use of the word "soars" implies that the singer is looking to the sky for some kind of salvation or redemption, but it is "too late" for that to come today. Overall, the song is a powerful meditation on the fleeting nature of life and the enduring power of memory and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Veiled dead
Covered corpse
Hollow of mornings
Empty dawns
Early lavender
Initial purple hue
Invites to mourn
Calls to grieve
Morn morn
Morning after morning
Something stayed
Something remained
Lithe in lilac
Agile in pale purple
Rising red rush
Growing rush of crimson
Light laments
Brightness mourns
Moans to shine
Whimpers to radiate
Contributed by Aaron O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.