Much of the contemporary vocal music of Finland is strongly influenced by their folk tradition. A few of the folksongs are very exuberant, but most are characterised by their beauty and melancholy, apparent in all the folksong arrangements in our repertoire. Many of the contemporary compositions take their words from the epic poems 'Kalevala' and 'Kanteletar', a collection of traditional Finnish myths and poetry. These are alliterative and intensely metaphorical, often repeating phrases to strengthen their meaning. The surroundings are those of the old Finnish countryside and the language is saturated with references to nature and living creatures; and to the endless forests, lakes and long beautiful evenings of the far north. There are also settings of well known Finnish poets, while some composers, notably Tellu Turkka, frequently write their own lyrics, as with 'Enkelit', the piece from which they take their name.

The two pieces below show the contrast in styles that Enkelit employs.