sävelten

Sävelten is the genitive plural form of sävel, meaning melodies or tunes. In Finnish, sävelten is used to refer to a group of melodies or to the melodic material within a work, a traditional repertoire, or the concept of melody more generally. The term frequently appears in musicology, ethnomusicology, and discussions of Finnish folk music.

Etymology and form: Sävel is the root meaning tone or melody. The genitive plural suffix -ten produces sävelten, used to denote “of melodies” or “melodies” in a collective sense. The form is common in scholarly and literary Finnish when describing a set or repertory of tunes.

Usage: The expression appears in analyses of folk song repertoires, hymnody, and classical music discussions that focus on melodic content. It can occur in phrases such as “perinteisten sävelten kokoelma” (a collection of traditional melodies) or “sävelten kirjo” (the body of melodies). As a general noun, sävelten conveys the idea of melodic material across a corpus or tradition rather than a single tune.

See also: Sävel, sävelmä, melodia, motiivi.