Creative Flow in Musical Composition—How My Studies in Chi Energy Shaped My Creativity as a Composer
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI use the term “spiritual journey” to describe processes of embodied artistic practice that engage with experiences often marginalised in Western epistemologies
I honor and grasp why the author frames the work this way…which seems both a personal gesture and a critical-analytical one. I also appreciate the caveat distinguishing the term’s “heuristic” usage as opposed to claiming a “universal category.” That said, there’s something…I hope I can convey it in a reasonable, respectful way…about the link between discourses around indigenous knowledge and “spiritual” discourses that strikes me as potentially problematic. If nothing else, it’s a characterization…seemingly based on certain presumptions…that such knowledge is still best categorized as primarily “spiritual,” as opposed to having other attributes that we perhaps resist in the name of being too “Western.” I understand part of this rationale, of course: “spiritual” practices can constitute a type of knowledge in themselves. But in the predominance and persistence of such discourse, we risk, ironically, making it into a kind of trope.
and to ask how such a parable
Why “parable”? Is this meant to describe the project as a whole? Or to the discourse of “spiritual journey” in particular? Either way, it struck me as a peculiar word choice here.
All my composition work has taken place through an ongoing dialogue with Emma Göransson Almroth.
I wonder if it is worth also noting that Göransson Almroth inevitably reflects her own background and experience being Sámi, which is potentially different from other Sámi folks. As such, standing with her also entails an acknowledgement that her perspective is also one among others (and, correspondingly, that Sámi culture is not a monolith).
an activistic dimension
It’s a tad unclear what this means. Should it be read as, or as akin to, political activism? Maybe all activism is political? But then, I wondered whether the description “makes the position, experiences and influence of the researcher visible,” which the author attaches to the auto-ethnographical approach, was what was meant as defining this “activistic dimension.”
Whiteness functions as a creator of social comfort since it allows bodies adapted to its shape to take up its space
Does this need to be clearer, or more nuanced, or more fleshed-out? Something along the lines of: Whiteness functions as a creator of social comfort and space to those bodies adapted to its shape and a source of social discomfort and exclusion to those bodies not adapted to its shape. (Admittedly, I find the phrase “adapted to its shape” intriguing, but also a bit unclear.)
Since they are all (I believe) referenced earlier in the text, I wonder if reconciliation, decolonialization, and micro-acts should thus be defined and clarified earlier as well. It seems a tad awkward when this is not done so until six pages into the article.
Is there any further explanation as to why Sámi folk would have or adopt a “wide” or “strict” lens?
Maybe this was said, and I missed it, but it would appear that jojk (though the very distinction might be limiting) seems to operate as both a noun and a verb, yes?
the entrance to a mystical realm
Perhaps this concern is unwarranted, but should some clarification of what is meant by “mystical” be given here? I’m emboldened by the author’s own care and vigilance, and, as such, wondering if we still tend to mis-perceive what mysticism is, where even a phrase like “mystical realm” becomes, at the very least, an analogous term for negatively connotated version of unreality, or magic, or fuzzy enchantment, and, at worst, something we attach derisively to non-Western, or at least non-Judeo-Christian and/or indigenous, spiritual and cultural practices.
Author Response
Comments 1: use the term “spiritual journey” to describe processes of embodied artistic practice that engage with experiences often marginalised in Western epistemologies
I honor and grasp why the author frames the work this way…which seems both a personal gesture and a critical-analytical one. I also appreciate the caveat distinguishing the term’s “heuristic” usage as opposed to claiming a “universal category.” That said, there’s something…I hope I can convey it in a reasonable, respectful way…about the link between discourses around indigenous knowledge and “spiritual” discourses that strikes me as potentially problematic. If nothing else, it’s a characterization…seemingly based on certain presumptions…that such knowledge is still best categorized as primarily “spiritual,” as opposed to having other attributes that we perhaps resist in the name of being too “Western.” I understand part of this rationale, of course: “spiritual” practices can constitute a type of knowledge in themselves. But in the predominance and persistence of such discourse, we risk, ironically, making it into a kind of trope.
Response 1: Thank you for a highly valid and nuanced comment. I share your concern about the possible risks of reproducing a trope when referring to indigenous knowledge as “spiritual.” My use of the term is meant heuristically, as a way to approach and learn a form of knowing that resists a strict division between spiritual, material, and ecological dimensions. My intention is not to fix it as an essential category.
I also recognise, as you suggest, that such discourse can easily slide into simplification. At the same time, I find it difficult to locate alternative terminology that captures the experiential and relational aspects of knowledge that many indigenous thinkers themselves describe in terms that could be translated as “spiritual.” I ask myself, therefore, how we might articulate this without either reproducing colonial categories or erasing the relational and sacred dimensions that such words attempt to hold?
I would love to hear if you have any suggestion for terminology or framing that could open the nuance you are calling for! I find myself reading your comment and nodding in agreement, yet still unable to find a better way of expressing this tension within the scope of the text.
I also wonder - if a reader takes in my whole essay and they read through my whole argumentation - do my intentions still remain unclear?
Comments 2: and to ask how such a parable
Why “parable”? Is this meant to describe the project as a whole? Or to the discourse of “spiritual journey” in particular? Either way, it struck me as a peculiar word choice here.
Response 2: I agree. Thanks for pointing this out. The word ”parable” doesn’t give justice to my thought. I have, accordingly modified the manuscript to emphasise this point. I chose the term “figuration” instead. Page 2.
“[The purpose of this article is to explore what might be gained in decolonial artistic research when speaking about artistic collaboration as a form of “spiritual journey”, and to ask how such a figuration can shine light upon the dynamics of listening, learning, and negotiating across indigenous and non-indigenous knowledge practices.]”
Comments 3: All my composition work has taken place through an ongoing dialogue with Emma Göransson Almroth.
I wonder if it is worth also noting that Göransson Almroth inevitably reflects her own background and experience being Sámi, which is potentially different from other Sámi folks. As such, standing with her also entails an acknowledgement that her perspective is also one among others (and, correspondingly, that Sámi culture is not a monolith).
Response 3: I agree. This is a valid point to stress. I have modified the manuscript according to this feedback, in the following way (page 3):
“[There is a huge diversity among Sámi people. Emma Göransson Almroth inevitably reflects her own background and experience as a Sámi, which may differ from that of other Sámi individuals. Standing with her, therefore, also entails an acknowledgement that her perspective is also one among many. When choosing literature to reference, I have sought out a variety of Sámi scholars representing different communities and regions across Sápmi.]”
Emma Göransson Almroth is herself contributing an article to the same special issue as my essay (Artistic Imagination and Social Imaginaries – Polysemous Readings of Historical Travelling Accounts, eds. Hellsten, L. & Abrantes, E.). This was not clear when I submitted my first version of the manuscript, but I have now inserted a footnote to the clarification mentioned above. I think this is valid information, since it allows the reader to consult Göransson Almroth’s viewpoint of the artistic work, written from an inside Sámi perspective. Footnote numer one in the manuscript. The footnote reads as follows: “[Emma Göransson Almroth is likewise preparing an article on Spirit Land/Vuoiŋŋalaš Eanadat , entitled Weaving the Spirit of Indigenous Feminism (Göransson, forthcoming).]”
Comments 4: an activistic dimension
It’s a tad unclear what this means. Should it be read as, or as akin to, political activism? Maybe all activism is political? But then, I wondered whether the description “makes the position, experiences and influence of the researcher visible,” which the author attaches to the auto-ethnographical approach, was what was meant as defining this “activistic dimension.”
Response 4: Thank you for pointing out that my argumentation here is a bit unclear. I have added an explanation after this sentence (page 4).
“[The term activistic dimension here refers to the decolonial nature of the research. It highlights how artistic and autoethnographic work can be part of a practice that challenges colonial and epistemic hierarchies.]”
Comments 5: Whiteness functions as a creator of social comfort since it allows bodies adapted to its shape to take up its space
Does this need to be clearer, or more nuanced, or more fleshed-out? Something along the lines of: Whiteness functions as a creator of social comfort and space to those bodies adapted to its shape and a source of social discomfort and exclusion to those bodies not adapted to its shape. (Admittedly, I find the phrase “adapted to its shape” intriguing, but also a bit unclear.)
Response 5: Yes, it is an intriguing way of making a point, isn’t it? Thank you for recognising that. I instantly fell in love with Ahmed’s argumentation when I read that. However, I agree with your comment. If the reader has not read the whole of Ahmed’s argumentation, it gets a tiny bit unclear. I therefore think your suggestion makes my text clearer, and I have added it to my text in the following way (page 5):
“[Whiteness functions as a creator of social comfort since it allows bodies adapted to its shape to take up its space, and a source of social discomfort and exclusion to those bodies that are not adapted to its shape]”
Comments 6: Since they are all (I believe) referenced earlier in the text, I wonder if reconciliation, decolonialization, and micro-acts should thus be defined and clarified earlier as well. It seems a tad awkward when this is not done so until six pages into the article.
Response 6: I agree to you comment. I wrote the following sentance in the beginning, just before 2.1, page 4. “[The article draws on concepts such as reconciliation, decolonisation, and micro-acts, which I will return to in more detail in section 2.2.]”
Comments 7: Is there any further explanation as to why Sámi folk would have or adopt a “wide” or “strict” lens?
Response 7: Important point, but I have avoided further explanation of why Sámi people would have or adopt a particular “lens,” as such reasoning might reproduce a colonial epistemic stance. When I was sitting at the same table as this person, discussing this collaborative process, the Sámi person involved described their own perspective as having ”wide” lens, also underlining that there are many possible viewpoints here, and they cannot speak for all Sámis, nor do they want to limit the spirit of the jojk. The jojk does whatever it wants, on its own terms. I also sensed this was a sensitive topic, and the Sámi person I was discussing this with did not want their name in the article. They said that they don’t want other Sámis reading the article in the future assume that they claim mandate to say what a jojk is or is not. Out of respect for this, I have chosen to make clear that Sámi participants may hold different opinions, without generalising or prescribing a unified perspective.
Comments 8: Maybe this was said, and I missed it, but it would appear that jojk (though the very distinction might be limiting) seems to operate as both a noun and a verb, yes?
Response 8: That is correct. Another reviewer asked me to somewhat deepen and develop my descripton of what a jojk is. As a part of that clarification, there is also a sentence about the term jojk functioning as both a noun and a verb. This clarification is marked in red in the manuscript on page 8.
“[Jojking has been practiced since ancient times as a part of everyday life in all Sámi inhabited areas. The traditions vary between regions and even between families. Some similarities are common across Sápmi: an expressive vocal ideal that may include sounds of nature and animals; use of melodic themes that enable and invite improvisation; and the jojk’s linkage to a specific subject. A common expression describing jojk is that the jojker jojks someone or something, rather than jojking about it. A person’s personal jojk is that person’s musical name. The term can refer to both a noun and a verb. In earlier times, jojking was abundantly practised in many forms, in groups or alone, but was effectively silenced through assimilation and colonisation. (Hämäläinen et.al. 2020).
From being seen as the “devil’s work” and only practised privately, jojk has since the late 1960s gone through a revival and become an increasingly accepted public practice. Contemporary jojk is often mixed with new music styles and performed with instruments that were rarely used before. Jojk has become an expression for an audible Sámi presence in the public room. Alongside the increasing public use of jojk during the last decade, the growing use of gákti, the traditional Sámi dress, as well as other traditional Sámi handicrafts, called duodji, have become popular. (Hämäläinen et.al. 2020).
Kjellström, Ternhag & Rydving describe that jojking traditionally took place both alone and in community with others. Often it was spontaneous and said to “come” to the jojker, although some jojks that were transmitted from person to person. All strong emotional expressions can be jojked instead of spoken about (Kjellström et.al. 1988, pp. 13–15).]”
Comments 9: the entrance to a mystical realm
Perhaps this concern is unwarranted, but should some clarification of what is meant by “mystical” be given here? I’m emboldened by the author’s own care and vigilance, and, as such, wondering if we still tend to mis-perceive what mysticism is, where even a phrase like “mystical realm” becomes, at the very least, an analogous term for negatively connotated version of unreality, or magic, or fuzzy enchantment, and, at worst, something we attach derisively to non-Western, or at least non-Judeo-Christian and/or indigenous, spiritual and cultural practices.
Response 9: I appreciate this thoughtful observation and agree that the term “mystical” carries a long history of ambivalence, particularly in Western discourse, where it has sometimes been used in ways that other or exoticise non-Western or indigenous forms of spirituality. Pondering upon why I chose this word I revisited Rick Rubin’s writing. He actually uses the work ”mysterious” and not ”mystical”. Since I really can’t recall my initial thought, I chose to adapt Rubin’s words, and to incorporate a citation from him into the manuscript. Page 18.
“[Rick Rubin describes artistic creation as ”an attempt to enter a mysterious realm… a longing to transcend.” He further states that when an artist works on a project, coincidences appear, and it is like someone else’s hand is guiding you into certain directions (Rubin 2023).]”
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThis is an informative and interesting narrative, highlighting some important ideas, such as the recognition of spaces that are coded for those in the position of privilege, the notion of working from within to widen our cultural spaces to include more voices and ways of functioning as an artist, and the description of creative flow as a state in which the “stillness within is not a void, but a vibrating space full of music.” Your concluding section was particularly strong.
At 322, I’d love to hear more description of Jojking, including the basic who/what/where/when information on jojk. How many people perform a jojk, is it a purely vocal form or are there instruments involved, what is the customary subject matter, in what circumstances is a Jojk performed, and to what extent is jojking either a composed or a spontaneous process of musicking (or does the truth lie somewhere in the middle)?
Because this is an article about creative composition, it is important for the reader to have an idea of what it is that they are learning about. With that in mind, I would strongly recommend including in the text a figure showing the three weavings (with permission from Goransson Almroth of course), preferably included near the beginning of section 3.1. Line 452 would also be an appropriate place to include the image so that the reader can understand how the weaving translated into the creative experience that you had.
At 429, a sentence or two of information about Mattarahkkha’s character and significance in Sami cosmology would add to this section.
At 436, can you include a figure with either an image of the drums, or a graphic of the symbols themselves?
579 Your story about Emma’s spontaneous jojk raises a few more questions: is a jojk customarily a spontaneous expression, and is there a distinction in Sami society between those who do and do not jojk? Are there trained musicians who jojk or is the jojk as an art form the possession of the whole community?
I love the analogy of creative work with walking on water at 350.
I strongly recommend that when you reach section 4.2.1 (and the following sections), you include figures containing the notation of the Hurdy-Gurdy tune on C, then the pitched percussion that joins in at bar 6, and a brief notation of the melody of the jojk, etc. Please also include notation for the phrases for overtone flute that you mention at 875, or the backbeat as played by the cello as described at 887. Including the full score at the end is still a good idea, but given that many of your readers do read music, figures including the notation of the musical passages you are talking about will allow the reader to relate more vividly to the creative process as it came together, and will be extremely helpful in making these sections, and the article as a whole, more real and more meaningful to the reader.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Overall the writing here is clear and accessible, although here are some minor grammatical errors in English throughout this article, mostly dealing with singular/plural and past/present tenses. There are also a few places when different phrases may flow more gracefully. I have made a few suggestions below:
95 “By writing this article, I may unintentionally….”
104 try “since withing academic research it is often filtered through…”
107 try “deep and genuine forms of knowledge”
139 try “Autoethnography gives space to the researcher’s own influence and acknowledges that….”
187 “When discussing this collaboration with Emma….”
225 “overly hasty attempt to implement changes…”
250 “Entanglements” is a slightly awkward word to use here – could you choose a different word of nuance / clarify the use of “entanglements”?
352 “I don’t understand it, other than knowing that it touches my heart. I don’t know how to compose a jojk any more than I could write a book in a language that I do not speak.”
408 “This is a risk several scholars have warned could occur when…”
562 “The creative wave told me to incorporate…”
569 “…the road of redemption of which Tore Johnson and Mari Valjakka speak.”
908 “..,. a platform where the jojk can lead both musicians and audience”
Author Response
Comments 1: This is an informative and interesting narrative, highlighting some important ideas, such as the recognition of spaces that are coded for those in the position of privilege, the notion of working from within to widen our cultural spaces to include more voices and ways of functioning as an artist, and the description of creative flow as a state in which the “stillness within is not a void, but a vibrating space full of music.” Your concluding section was particularly strong.
Response 1: Thank you for the positive feedback. It warms my heart.
Comments 2: At 322, I’d love to hear more description of Jojking, including the basic who/what/where/when information on jojk. How many people perform a jojk, is it a purely vocal form or are there instruments involved, what is the customary subject matter, in what circumstances is a Jojk performed, and to what extent is jojking either a composed or a spontaneous process of musicking (or does the truth lie somewhere in the middle)?
Response 2: Good point. I have updated the manuscript with the following passage, during the part of the article where I first mention jojking. Page 7-8.
“[Jojking has been practiced since ancient times as a part of everyday life in all Sámi inhabited areas. The traditions vary between regions and even between families. Some similarities are common across Sápmi: an expressive vocal ideal that may include sounds of nature and animals; use of melodic themes that enable and invite improvisation; and the jojk’s linkage to a specific subject. A common expression describing jojk is that the jojker jojks someone or something, rather than jojking about it. A person’s personal jojk is that person’s musical name. The term can refer to both a noun and a verb. In earlier times, jojking was abundantly practised in many forms, in groups or alone, but was effectively silenced through assimilation and colonisation. (Hämäläinen et.al. 2020).
From being seen as the “devil’s work” and only practised privately, jojk has since the late 1960s gone through a revival and become an increasingly accepted public practice. Contemporary jojk is often mixed with new music styles and performed with instruments that were rarely used before. Jojk has become an expression for an audible Sámi presence in the public room. Alongside the increasing public use of jojk during the last decade, the growing use of gákti, the traditional Sámi dress, as well as other traditional Sámi handicrafts, called duodji, have become popular. (Hämäläinen et.al. 2020).
Kjellström, Ternhag & Rydving describe that jojking traditionally took place both alone and in community with others. Often it was spontaneous and said to “come” to the jojker, although some jojks that were transmitted from person to person. All strong emotional expressions can be jojked instead of spoken about (Kjellström et.al. 1988, pp. 13–15).]”
Comments 3: Because this is an article about creative composition, it is important for the reader to have an idea of what it is that they are learning about. With that in mind, I would strongly recommend including in the text a figure showing the three weavings (with permission from Goransson Almroth of course), preferably included near the beginning of section 3.1. Line 452 would also be an appropriate place to include the image so that the reader can understand how the weaving translated into the creative experience that you had.
Response 3: Excellent idea! During our performance of Spirit Land in Turku Cathedral on the 11th of September 2025, there were some great photos taken. I got permission from the photographer to include a photo. I have attached it to the article as a figure, on page 11. Göransson Almroth has also given me permission to use the photo in my essay. You can see it in the updated version of the manuscript.
Comments 4: At 429, a sentence or two of information about Mattarahkkha’s character and significance in Sami cosmology would add to this section.
Response 4: Thank you for pointing that out. I agree, and have updated the manuscript with this further explanation (page 10):
“[Since Máttaráhkká, alongside other similar deities, belongs to an early Sámi cosmology that predates extensive written records, much of the evidence about her role derives from archaeological sources (such as rock art and drums), making the details fragmentary and open to interpretation. (Mulk & Bayliss-Smith, 2007; Kraft, 2020).]”
Comments 5: At 436, can you include a figure with either an image of the drums, or a graphic of the symbols themselves?
Response 5: I choose not to. There is no such figure or image used in the article by Mulk & Bayliss-Smith that I am citing. I have searched elsewhere, for instance in Åsa Virdi Kroiks doctoral thesis that is about a South Sámi drum, but there are not. The reason is, in my understanding, that drums are considered sacred, and so are the symbols covering it. There are such photos, but Sámi scholars don’t share them, as a deed of respect for their sacred cultural heritage. Your comment made me realise, however, that this is a valid piece of information to share in my essay, so I made the following footnote in the manuscript, page 10:
“[Photos or images of such symbols are rarely published. Sámi filmmaker Suvi West made a film in 2024 about Sámi objects from the collections of the National Museum of Finland that were returned to Sápmi. The film emphasises that the Sámi themselves hold the right to interpret their cultural objects, and West conveys that the ancestors are present in the everyday items that were once stolen or purchased and removed from Sápmi by collectors. The drums are considered especially sacred, functioning as a unique link to the ancestors, and in the film West and her cameraman decided not to film old Sámi drums in European museums (West and Kömi 2024). I have not found any photographs or images of the symbols referred to by Mulk and Bayliss-Smith, which I interpret as an act of respect. For this reason, I have likewise chosen not to include any images of ancient Sámi symbols in this paper.]”
Comments 6: 579 Your story about Emma’s spontaneous jojk raises a few more questions: is a jojk customarily a spontaneous expression, and is there a distinction in Sami society between those who do and do not jojk? Are there trained musicians who jojk or is the jojk as an art form the possession of the whole community?
Response 6: I agree. This needs more explanation. I have updated the manuscript with the following passage (page 13-14):
“[Emma’s spontaneous jojk reminded me that jojking is not a rehearsed way of singing, but a way of being in and committing to sound. In Sámi tradition, a jojk often arises in the moment. It comes to the jojker, rather than being consciously composed. Sometimes it is inherited, passed from one person to another, carrying memory like breath through generations. Sometimes it is born in the instant, like the wind blowing on your skin, making you aware of its presence. There are people known for their gift of jojking, but the practice itself belongs to the whole community, to anyone who listens deeply enough to the land and lets voice emerge. To jojk is not to perform, but to participate in the world’s ongoing resonance. (Kjellström et.al. 1988; Hämäläinen et al. 2020, Stoor 2007)]”
Comments 7: I love the analogy of creative work with walking on water at 350.
Response 7: Thank you! This was my sensation, but I was a wee bit hesitant if I can write that in an academic essay. Your comments helps me to trust that my gut feeling that I can and should describe my inner process using that analogy.
Comments 8: I strongly recommend that when you reach section 4.2.1 (and the following sections), you include figures containing the notation of the Hurdy-Gurdy tune on C, then the pitched percussion that joins in at bar 6, and a brief notation of the melody of the jojk, etc. Please also include notation for the phrases for overtone flute that you mention at 875, or the backbeat as played by the cello as described at 887. Including the full score at the end is still a good idea, but given that many of your readers do read music, figures including the notation of the musical passages you are talking about will allow the reader to relate more vividly to the creative process as it came together, and will be extremely helpful in making these sections, and the article as a whole, more real and more meaningful to the reader.
Response 8: Thank you for pointing this out. This is a more clear way of explaining the process of composing the music, compared to only including the full score as an appendix. I have made figures in the manuscript according to your feedback, together with references to the full score in the Appendixes. You can see it in the updated version of the manuscript.
Comments on the Quality of English Language
Point 1: Overall the writing here is clear and accessible, although here are some minor grammatical errors in English throughout this article, mostly dealing with singular/plural and past/present tenses. There are also a few places when different phrases may flow more gracefully. I have made a few suggestions below:
95 “By writing this article, I may unintentionally….”
104 try “since withing academic research it is often filtered through…”
107 try “deep and genuine forms of knowledge”
139 try “Autoethnography gives space to the researcher’s own influence and acknowledges that….”
187 “When discussing this collaboration with Emma….”
225 “overly hasty attempt to implement changes…”
250 “Entanglements” is a slightly awkward word to use here – could you choose a different word of nuance / clarify the use of “entanglements”?
352 “I don’t understand it, other than knowing that it touches my heart. I don’t know how to compose a jojk any more than I could write a book in a language that I do not speak.”
408 “This is a risk several scholars have warned could occur when…”
562 “The creative wave told me to incorporate…”
569 “…the road of redemption of which Tore Johnson and Mari Valjakka speak.”
908 “..,. a platform where the jojk can lead both musicians and audience”
Response to Comments on the Quality of English Language: Thank you for pointing out the areas where my English needed improvement. I have carefully reviewed each sentence you mentioned and made the necessary corrections.
I also used the AI tools ChatGPT and Grammarly to review the entire article and identify grammatical errors, with particular emphasis on singular/plural forms and verb tenses. All the issues highlighted by the tool have been corrected.
In addition, I have addressed the typos and minor mistakes noted by the other reviewers and made the corresponding revisions in the text.
Finally, I asked a native English speaker to read through the manuscript and suggest further linguistic improvements.
All these corrections have been implemented and marked in red in the revised manuscript. I am confident that the English is now clear and accurate enough for publication.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsI am grateful to have read this extended autobiographical reflection of a composer (a Swedish speaking Finn, we learn) on the creative impact of working with a Sami artist. This is not a conventional academic paper, so different criteria must necessarily be applied. Nonetheless, the narrative flowed well and raised many interesting thoughts in my own mind. For example what it was saying about the difficult process of erasure and assimilation of Sami culture by Lutheran missionaries has fascinating echoes of the interaction of Lutheran missions with Indigenous Australian culture like the Arrente. The exposition of jojk has fascinating parallels to the kujaka or songlines spoken about by John Bradley in Singing Saltwater Country: Journey through the Songlines of Carpentaria, But this is not a request to modify what is already there, but to signal the significance of what is being said, as a model of a larger process of creative interaction between indigenous and contemporary music, taking place in different ways across the world.
There were just a few minor passages of expression that might be signalled, but otherwise the reflection is able to be published as is.
3.4 line 592 There is three weavings} There are three weavings
The fourth wave… ] I was confused here, by seeming to slip from weavings to wave. I think the sense is: The fourth movement involves us, you and me…
Line 696 (just before 6/0)] as strong ] EITHER as strongly OR to be as strong
Line 696 (just after 6/0) explanation to] explanation for
Line 830 (4.2.1) can me] can be (a rare typo)
Line 843 Rubins] Rubin’s
;lin 953 yet not heard ] not yet heard (if this is the meaning; surely about creating music that is not heard)
Line 1164/5 If I simply would have heard a lot…] If I simply heard a lot…
Linw 1200 respected and celebrated] respected, and celebrated
Author Response
Comment 1: I am grateful to have read this extended autobiographical reflection of a composer (a Swedish speaking Finn, we learn) on the creative impact of working with a Sami artist. This is not a conventional academic paper, so different criteria must necessarily be applied. Nonetheless, the narrative flowed well and raised many interesting thoughts in my own mind. For example what it was saying about the difficult process of erasure and assimilation of Sami culture by Lutheran missionaries has fascinating echoes of the interaction of Lutheran missions with Indigenous Australian culture like the Arrente. The exposition of jojk has fascinating parallels to the kujaka or songlines spoken about by John Bradley in Singing Saltwater Country: Journey through the Songlines of Carpentaria, But this is not a request to modify what is already there, but to signal the significance of what is being said, as a model of a larger process of creative interaction between indigenous and contemporary music, taking place in different ways across the world.
Response 1: I am humbly grateful reading your positive feedback. I will look into Bradley and the literature you told me about.
Comment 2: 3.4 line 592 There is three weavings} There are three weavings.
Response 2: Thank you for pointing this out. I agree with this comment. There for I have updated the text in the manuscript according to your comment.
Comment 3: The fourth wave… ] I was confused here, by seeming to slip from weavings to wave. I think the sense is: The fourth movement involves us, you and me…
Response 3: I agree with this comment. It was a typo. I have updated the text in the manuscript according to your comment.
Comment 4: Line 696 (just before 6/0)] as strong ] EITHER as strongly OR to be as strong.
Response 4: Thank you for pointing this mistake out. I have updated the text in the manuscript according to your comment.
Comment 5: Line 696 (just after 6/0) explanation to] explanation for
Response 5: I agree. I have updated the text in the manuscript according to this comment.
Comment 6: Line 830 (4.2.1) can me] can be (a rare typo)
Response 6: I agree. I have updated the text in the manuscript according to this comment.
Comment 7: Line 830 (4.2.1) can me] can be (a rare typo)
Response 7: I agree. A typo. I have updated the text in the manuscript according to this comment.
Comment 8: Line 843 Rubins] Rubin’s
Response 8: I agree to this comment. A typo. I have updated the text in the manuscript according to this comment.
Comment 9: ;lin 953 yet not heard ] not yet heard (if this is the meaning; surely about creating music that is not heard)
Response 9: I agree. That is what I want the meaning to be. I have updated the text in the manuscript according to this comment.
Comment 10: Line 1164/5 If I simply would have heard a lot…] If I simply heard a lot…
Response 10: I assume you mean the sentence that starts with ”If I simply would have learned”, and not ”heard”. I however agree that your suggestion is better, and I’ve changed it to ”If I simply learned”.
Comment 11: Linw 1200 respected and celebrated] respected, and celebrated
Response 11: Thank you for pointing this mistake out. I have updated the text in the manuscript according to your comment.
