Väinö Hannikainen

Väinö Hannikainen (Aatos) was born in Jyväskylä on 12 January 1900 and died in Kuhmoinen on 7 August 1960. He was a harpist and composer, the son of Pekka Hannikainen, and his training combined Finnish institutions with study abroad.

He studied the harp at the Helsinki Music Institute between 1917 and 1920 and then with Max Saal in Berlin between 1921 and 1923, in addition to spending time in Paris. In 1923 he was appointed principal harpist of the Helsinki City Orchestra. He composed incidental music for the stage and the ballet Onnen linna (‘The Happy Castle’).

He also collected songs and dances from North Karelia, including an arrangement of 42 pieces published as Kiihtelysvaarasta.