This research aims to introduce selected piano works of Estonian composers Eduard Tubin and Juhan Aavik, which were written in Sweden but show signs of homesickness. Tubin and Aavik had been prominent musicians in Estonia; Tubin was the former conductor of the Vanemuine Theatre (in the second largest city of Tartu) and one of the first Estonian modernists. At the same time, Aavik was the conductor of major song festivals and rector of the Tallinn Conservatoire. After the tumultuous events of the Second World War and fearing the Soviet regime, they fled to Sweden, where they hoped to find a temporary home. However, their exile was longer than expected: the occupation lasted almost 50 years and neither could return to free Estonia. As the years went by, the homesickness did not abate, but it found a new expression in the creative plan: more and more composed works are associated with folk tunes. This work explores also the feeling of homesickness on a personal level – for the sounding part of this project, I chose the pieces based also on my own experience of living abroad, trying to capture the feeling of nostalgia by having side by side the works of internationally known exiled composers and Estonians abroad, plus pieces that have some connections to the topic of childhood. 

Keywords: exile, diaspora, homesickness, nostalgia, piano music, folk tune