Låtar På Nyckelharpa Från Österbybruk - CD Home Page | Newest Releases More music from Sweden and of the nyckelharpa

Search for music Need Help?

various Swedish fiddlers
Låtar På Nyckelharpa Från Österbybruk (Tongang)
$18.99

Reissue of a classical nyckelharpa LP originally published in 1975.
Features Justus Gille, Viktor Vikman, Hans Gille, Eric Sahlström, Per Oskar Hellgren, Per Jernberg and other fiddlers from the region around Österbybruk, Sweden.

The following text is from the original sleeve notes.

The nyckelharpa, having a history that is reaching back to the Middle Ages, is a bow instrument. It is equipped with melody-strings, resonance-strings and drone-strings. One gets different tones on a melody string by means of keys which can be pushed. Attached to the keys are small tangents that press against the string and shorten it.

The nyckelharpa is being played exclusively in Sweden and especially within a limited area of northern Uppland. Some important foundries are situated in this district. One of them is Österbybruk where the nyckelharpa is known to have been played continously since the 18th century and most likely long before that time. A special type of the nyckelharpa, the kontrabasharpa med dubbellek, has been developed here.

This ancient instrument is still being played in it's, customary form thanks to two old fiddlers, Justus Gille and Viktor Vikman. Justus Gille's nyckelharpa was built about 1860 by the famous, Österbybruk fiddler, Klas Harpare. Justus Gille and Viktor Vikman are both born in 1896 and have worked as labourers at the steelworks up to the time of their retirement. They began playing the fiddle in 1912 at the age of 16. A couple of their teachers were born in the early 1840s, Jonas Spets and Salmakar-Kalle and another teacher, Karl. Svensk, was born in 1873. At the age of 79, Justus Gille and Viktor Vikman are making their debut on gramophone with this recording. One characteristic of their way of playing is the distinctly marked rhythm on the constantly resounding drone, and resonance-strings. This was evidently done on purpose in order to make it easier for the dancers to follow the music.

In former times, the midsummer festival definitely was the feast of the year with the raising of the maypole, and the dances performed by the different work teams. The proprietor of the foundry, acting as host on these occasions, saw to, that there was food and drink in abundance. In a shed for carriages, put to the people's disposal by courtesy of the foundry, a community dance was held. Every phase of the festival was accom-panied by the nyckelharpa. It's not a coincidence that many melodies from Österbybruk are called 'vagnshuslåtar' (tunes of the shed of the carriages) as they were composed expressly for those dances in the shed.

Hans Gille, born in 1931, plays the silverbasharpa but also the more-modern type, the chromatic nyckelharpa. He is a labourer at the steelworks and has learnt most of his tunes from Justus Gille and Viktor Vikman.

Eric Sahlström (1912-1986), is often called The Champion of the Nyckelharpa. On this recording he is only playing the chromatic nyckelharpa but masters also the older types. He has a large repertoire of tunes, probably exceeding the number of 1.000. Eric Sahlström has performed in all parts of Sweden and also in several other countries.

Per Oskar Hellgren, born in 1909 and Per Jernberg, born in 1949, are both from fiddler families. Per Jernberg is here playing, among others; a marching-tune, known to have been played by his great great grandfather.

The other performing fiddlers are also from Österbybruk or it's neighbourhood, sometimes called The golden land of the nyckelharpa.