The music of the Nyckelharpa How do you say that!? Let Väsen's Olov Johansson tell you. While this unique instrument was born in Sweden, it has taken up residence all over Europe, and these days has even infiltrated North America. Here are some CDs in our catalog that feature the keyed-fiddle called nyckelharpa. Many have sound samples to give you a good idea of the many wonderful ways this instrument can be used in both traditional and modern settings. You can also see other music from Scandinavia and the rest of the world.

Didier Francois - Nykelharpa Solo - $16.99
(cdRoots# hrbe-6079)
The Belgian nykelharpist performs works that a far ranging and challenge the limits of the instrument, from Erik Satie and JS Bach to Jobim and jazz. And his own compisitions stand up to the best of them. Listen to Nine

Kadril - Eva - $15.99
(cdRoots# wbm-07)
Eva De Roovere (vocal, clarinet), Bart De Cock (bagpipes and nyckelharpa), Hans Quaghebeur (accordeon, keyboards), Harlind Libbrecht (dulcimer, mandolin), Peter Libbrecht (violin), Erwin Libbrecht (guitar, bouzouki), Dirk Verhegge (elec. guitar), Koen Dewaele (bass), Ron Reuman (drums)

Siri Karlsson - Melan Traden - $16.99
(cdRoots# yy-sirik)
The artists say: We are a Swedish duo of Cecilia Österholm and Maria Arnqvist. We play our own instrumental folk, psych progressive version of Swedish folk music. Our main instruments are nyckelharpa (key fiddle) and alto saxophone. Apart from them we use everything we found interesting, our voices, toys, drums and so on

Trondheimsolistene w/ Gimse and Lotsberg - In Folk Style - $21.99
(cdRoots# 2l-folkstyle)
The orchestra explores folk themes from Edvard Grieg, composition for nyckelharpa and string orchestra by Emilia Amper and a suite for fiddle and orchestra by Gjermund Larsen. This is a special audio set: Hybrid SACD and a Pure Audio Blu-ray two-disc-box at the price of one ordinary Blu-ray 7.1 SURROUND + 5.1 SURROUND + STEREO produced in DXD (Digital eXtreme Definition 352kHz/24bit). The compact disc plays on all standard players and computers (same excellent music in two formats for audiophiles).

Karuna - Hyvaa Matkaa - $17.99
(cdRoots# aania-17)
Karuna perform new Finnish folk music primarily with three keyboard instruments: Esko Järvelä plays the nyckelharpa, Juha Kujanpää the piano) and Teija Niku the accordion). The music on Hyvää matkaa (bon voyage) consists of original tunes strongly influenced by Scandinavian folk music, but given a thoroughly modern reading. Guest musicians add percussion, guitar and bass on a few tracks.

Erika and Cecilia - Orhangen - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-aw59)
The artists say: The word Örhänge is best described as an evergreen – a song that is never forgotten. The tunes and songs here are precious to us. They bring back dear memories of people we have met and places we have visited. We met in 2002 and we hit it off musically right away and have since then played together in many different venues in Sweden and abroad. We come from the same region, Uppland, and most of the music we play comes from there. This is our second CD. The first came in 2004 and is called Pärlor (Pearls). Erika Lindgren plays the fiddle. She grew up in Vendel, north of Uppsala. At the age of 20 and at that time the youngest, she was honored with the title of "National Fiddler" (Riksspelman). In 1999 she got the Viksta-Lasse scholarship and in 2004 the Pekkos-Gustaf scholarship. Cecilia Österholm plays the nyckelharpa. She comes from Östhammar, in the north of Uppland, where the nyckelharpa has been played for centuries.

Kapten Bolja - Kapten Bölja - $17.99
(cdRoots# cda-dis001)
The Swedish trio Tomas "Limpan" Lindberg, Johanna Bölja Hertzberg, Ola Hertzberg play newly composed folk music for voices, nyckelharpa, bouzouki, kantele and guitar. Listen to "O Tysta Ensamhet" and "Nacken forfor Jungfrau."

Storis and Limpan Band - Storis and Limpan - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-dis002)

Mikael Marin and Mia Gustafsson - Mot Hagsätra - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-dis003)
Mia (Gustafsson) Marin is a Swedish fiddler from Värmland, in the western part of Sweden. Mikael marin is the well known member of the folk trio Vasen, as well as a respected viola soloist who has played with other ensembles from around the world. Here they perform together, in both traditional styles as well as on original tunes by themselves and friends like Antti Jarvela

Roger Tallroth and Scott Nygaard - Rosco - $temp out of stock
(cdRoots# cda-dis006)
Swedish guitarist Tallroth (of Vasen) and American guitarist Nygaard pair off on a trans-Atlantic set of new and traditional tunes, occasionally accompanied by American fiddler Emma Reid. Highly recommended! Listen to "Roger's Rough" and "Rough Crossing."

Dram (Ask-Upmark and Rynefors) - Dråm - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-dram1)
Musicians Erik Ask-Upmark and Anna Rynefors are both riksspelmän and combine ancient instruments to create new sounds with their combination of nyckelharpa, Celtic harp with Swedish and medieval bagpipes providing the endless dråm (drone) that gives them their name.

Catriona McKay and Olov Johansson - Foogy - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-foogy)
They met in Stockholm 2002 to share a concert with their bands, Väsen from Sweden and Shetland based Fiddlers' Bid. Backstage before the concert Catriona asked Olov "Do you know this one?" and played Eric Sahlström's Spelmansglädje. Join their exploration of traditional and new music from Scotland and Sweden, the sound of Scottish harp and Swedish nyckelharpa.

Eva Tjörnebo and Viskompaniet - Klara stjärnor - $18.99
(cdRoots# cda-klara)
A great Swedish vocalist, accomanied by Kjell Landström (nyckelharpa, guitar), Pär Furå (nyckelharpa, säckpipa, bass, mungiga [Jew's harp], lira), Leif Åhlund (guitar, nyckelharpa, ukelele, mandolin, cittra), and Inge Henriksson (one and two row melodeons, mungiga).

Ewa Lindahl and Birger Bjornerstedt - Klimakterietango - $18.99
(cdRoots# cda-klimak)
Swedish songs performed by Björnerstedt and Lindahl on guitar, harmonica, fiddle, accordion, clarinet, flute, nyckelharpa, and piano. It's a relaxed mix of folk songs, pop tunes and jazzy cabaret styles.

Johan Hedin and Gunnar Idenstam - Låtar II - Swedish Folk Tunes - $18.99
(cdRoots# cda-latar2)
Gunnar Idenstam, organ and Johan Hedin, nyckelharpa, play tunes, reels and other dances in this second volume of duets.

Johan Hedin and Gunnar Idenstam - Låtar - Swedish Folk Tunes - $18.99
(cdRoots# cda-later)
Gunnar Idenstam, organ and Johan Hedin, nyckelharpa, play tunes, reels and other dances in eighteenth-century late Baroque style, a waltz tinged with the Spanish Renaissance, a dance from Italy and a number of original compositions. A unique combination and a unique recording. (Hybrid CD/SACD)

Kersti Ståbi - Ute blåser sommarvind - $17.99
(cdRoots# cda-mod03)
Kersti Ståbi sings the songs of Alice Tegnér, the Swedish icon of children's music, accompanied by the folk trio Nordic (Anders Löfberg on cello, Erik Rydvall on nyckelharpa and Magnus Zetterlund on mandolin and munspel.)

Nyckelharporkestern - N.H.O. - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-nho)
Nyckelharpa masters unite again: Johan Hedin, Ola Hertzberg, Olov Johansson, Anders Mattsson, Niklas Roswall, Marcus Svensson

Svanevit - Rikedom och gåvor - $17.99
(cdRoots# cda-nt11)
The second recording by this wonderful Swedish ensemble, Anders Larsson mandola, vocals; Maria Larsson fiol, härjedalspipa; Anna Rynefors nyckelharpa, Swedish säckpipa (bagpipe), slagverk; Erik Ask-Upmark harp, säckpipas, härjedalspipa, offerdalspipa, mungiga

Svanevit - Gryning - $temp out of stock-17.99
(cdRoots# cda-ntcd01)
Swedish folk music with a distinctive 'ancient' feel to it, performed by a quartet on vocals, mandola, mandolin, fiddle, flute, nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle), drums, harp, Swedish bagpipes and Medieval bagpipes.

Tallroth and Johansson - Orsprang - $out of print
(cdRoots# cda-orsprang)
Curt Tallroth comes from Harbo in northern Uppland, and plays fiddle, nyckelharpa , clarinet and guitar. Olov Johansson plays nyckelharpa and fiddle, and is well known for playing with Väsen. On this recording we hear two master musicians playing together on 37 traditional Swedish folk songs from Uppland.

Erika Lindgren and Cecilia Osterholm - Parlor - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-parlor)
On Lindgren and Österholm's 2004 release, Pärlor, the young fiddle and nyckelharpa duo present a fine set of 17 traditional Swedish tunes, primarily from the region of Uppland, from the works of fiddle player Viksta-Lasse and the nyckelharpa player Eric Sahlström.

Pettersson and Fredriksson - Brand - $out of print
(cdRoots# cda-petterson)
Folk music from Västerbotten and Lappland county in Sweden, played on nyckelharpa and mandola by two young and exciting musicians, Daniel Pettersson and Daniel Fredriksson.

Ranarim - För Världen Älskar Vad Som Är - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-ranarim2)
From some of the best bands in Sweden comes the second CD by the musicians of Ranarim: Ulrika Bodén - voice, Sofia Sandén - voice, Niklas Roswall - nyckelharpa, Jens Engelbrecht - guitar and mandola, Sebastian Notíni - percussion, drums, Anders Johnsson - Bass.

Johan Hedin and Harald Pettersson - Skikt - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-skikt)
Two of Sweden's finest musicians joined forces in 1999 to create a unique series of original compositions, brilliantly played ou on nyckelharpas, moraharpa, fiddle, mbira, percussion, bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, ancient flutes, accordion and strakharpa. It's a modern-primitive approach to the music, rooted in folk but looking towards innovation and improvisation. An unsung gem from the Swedish folk catalog!

Skromta - Grejhojta! - $18.99
(cdRoots# cda-skromta)
The name of this group from Stockholm group comes from a local expression from Angermanland, a province in the north of Sweden, referring to supernatural creatures like ghosts, gnomes, trolls and vittror. The quintet is led by Matti Norlin (composer, nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy, vocal) and includes violin, flute, guitar, double bass and percussion.

Per Sundin - Kontrabasharpa 1914 - $17.99
(cdRoots# cda-sundin)
Historic recordings of kontrabasharpa (a nyckelharpa) by Per Sundin (1858-1928).This CD is collected from ancient recordings, so there is a low quality of sound (by modern standards) and a lot of audio 'artifacts.' This is for the serious collector, scholar or player who wants to know the history, not for casual listening. Notes are in Swedish. Listen to a sample

Leif Alpsjo - Tidlöst / Timeless - $temp out of stock-17.99
(cdRoots# cda-tidlost)
Leif Alpsjö with Dan Erixon, Seth Lindell, Malin Svensson, present music for the Swedish nyckelharpa, accompanied by piano, accordion, church organ and guitar

Vasen - Levande Vasen - $19.99
(cdRoots# cda-vasen-levande)
The live recording from one of Sweden's best acoustic ensembles.

Vasen - Vilda Väsen - $19.99
(cdRoots# cda-vasen-vilda)
The 1992 recording from Sweden by Olov Johansson - nyckelharpas, Roger Tallroth - guitar and oud and Mikael Marin - viola; this is the record that brought them to international attention in 1992 and certainly was part of twhat launched the Nordic music revolution of the 1990's.

Cecilia Osterholm and Kerstin Andersson - Zeke - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# cda-zeke)
Duets for Swedish nyckelharpa.

Henrik Jansberg - Omnivor - $15.99
(cdRoots# go-jansberg07)
The young Danish fiddler comes to 2007 with a full band and an insatiable appetite for new musical idea. Joined by his own tourning band of violin, viola, guitars, mandolins, banjo, drums, percussion, nyckelharpa, dobro and doublebass with guests Christopher Davis Maack on violin and Sonnich Lydom playing harmonica and diatonic accordion.

Stine Michel - Natravn - $15.99
(cdRoots# go-stine07)
The first recording by a fine Danish songwriter and vocalist, joned by an excellent band that includes a wide musical pallette of guitars, pedal steel, nyckelharpa, dobro, drums, percussion, bass, harmonium, Hammond organ, bozouki, flutes and more.

Stine Michel - Frejas Viser - $15.99
(cdRoots# go-stine10)
Singer Michel is joined by a fine band of Danish folk and modern musicians: Gustaf Ljungren: mandolin, clarinet, tenor guitar; Perry Stenbäck: guitar, nyckelharpa, dobro; Nikolaj Busk:keyboards, accordions, harmonium; Hal Parfitt-Murray: violin, cello, bratsch, mandola; Morten Lundsby:bass; Jesper Uno Kofoed: drums and percussion

Sussie Nielsen - Day is Dawning - $15.99
(cdRoots# go-sussie)
The wonderful and warm Danish singer focuses on Celtic music and themes, but delivers them with a distinctively Nordic feeling. Accompanied by Helen Davies, Harp; Alan Colfer, Guitar; Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Fiddle, tin whistle; Nikolaj Busk, Piano, piano accordion; Niklas Roswall, Nyckelharpa, moraharpa; Soma Allpass, Cello; Peter G. Sørensen, Fiddle and Bjarne Schmidt, Bouzouki.

Annbjørg Lien and Bjørn Ole Rasch - Come Home - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# grcd-7244)
With Lien on fiddle, hardanger fiddle and nyckelharpa (and a bit of vocal) and Rasch playing harmonium, the duo offers both traditional and original material on this 2010 release.

Soetkin Collier - Nocturne - $16.99
(cdRoots# hrbe-027)
Soetkin Colliers first CD is a collection of songs about love, hope, despair and faith in a dark and romantic setting. She is accompanied by Tom Theuns on guitar and Didier François on nyckelharpa (Swedish key-fiddle). She contributes her own compositions along with personal arrangements of traditional songs from Flanders and Sweden. A recording of stark beauty and powerful moods.

Blink - Blink - $18.99
(cdRoots# nor-1103)
Blink is four women from five countries who met at the Nordic Master in the Folk Music programme in Norway. Together they have travelled throughout Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland for almost two years, seeking out old traditions, creating new music, and exploring the sensitive and powerful constellation of the two strings and two voices of Johanna-Adele Jüssi (Estonia) on fiddle, vocals; Jullie Hjetland Jensen (Denmark/Norway) on vocals, autoharp; Charlotta Hagfors (Finland) on vocals, percussion and Emilia Amper (Sweden) on nyckelharpa, vocals.

Vasen - Linnaeus Vasen - $14.99
(cdRoots# ns-6093)
On the 300th anniversary of the birth of botanist, physician and zoologist Carl Linnaeus, known as the father of modern taxonomy, Väsen was commissioned to arrange music to mark the occassion. Virtually all of the source material they used is traditional music from the period and region of Linnaeus's life, including pieces writted by his brother-in-law and by a cousin, and pieces newly rediscovererd on Linneaus's own restored "barrel organ." The trio invoited their percussion collaborator André Ferrari to join them on the quartet's first new studio album since 1999.

Vasen - Vasen Street - $13.99
(cdRoots# ns-6096)
The Swedish acoustic trio celebrates 20 years together with 16 tracks of all original new tunes. Includes "The Late Waltz", "Yoko", "Rob's Polska", "Absolute Swedish", more.

Arto Jarvela - Polska Differente - $16.99
(cdRoots# oart-1)
Starring as the lead player of fiddle, nyckelharpa and mandolins, Arto Järvelä is joined by a long list of guests including Timo Alakotila, Tapani Varis, Olli Varis, Kimmo Pohjonen, Petri Hakala, Morten Alfred Hoirup, Sinikka Jarvinen, Roger Tallroth, and many more for a round of traditional and original songs and tunes.

Ampron Prunni - Ampron Prunni - $16.99
(cdRoots# oart-ap)
Arto Järvelä (nyckelharpa, fiddle, mandolin) , Risto Hotakainen (fiddle, mandolin, jouhikko) and Timo Valo (harmonium) have been playing together for years in this ensemble, but it took until 2006 for them to finally finish a recording. JPP's Arto Jarvela needs little introduction. Risto Hotakainen and Timo Valo are founding and current members of the important Finnish national folk group Tallari (Arto is also a former member).

Fatang - Fatang - $16.99
(cdRoots# rpm-fatang)
Swedish trio plays traditional folk music from the province of Uppland and new compositions. Peter Rousu (electric bass and guitar), Olle Bohm (percussion) and Henrik Eriksson (nyckelharpa - keyed fiddle).

Barry Phillips - Trad. - $16.99
(cdRoots# sst-philtrad)
On Tråd American cellist Phillips tackles traditional Scandinavian fiddle tunes and original pieces with Vasen's Olof Johansson on nyckelharpa, and Olof Gothlin on fiddle. String ensembles for solo and duo cello, trios and quartets, plus a bit of percussion and pipe organ.

Kadril and Alumea - La Paloma Negra - $15.99
(cdRoots# wbm-50)
Two ensembles, from Belgium and Spain, join forces in a musical trans-European express ride. Kadril is: Eva De Roovere (vocal, clarinet), Bart De Cock (bagpipes and nyckelharpa), Hans Quaghebeur (accordeon, keyboards), Harlind Libbrecht (dulcimer, mandolin), Peter Libbrecht (violin), Erwin Libbrecht (guitar, bouzouki), Dirk Verhegge (elec. guitar), Koen Dewaele (bass), Ron Reuman (drums) / Alumea is Sonja Palomo, Noëlla Palomo, Miguel Palomo (percussion) and Santiago Palomo (bagpipes).

Annbjørg Lien - Annbjorg - $temp out of stock-18.99
(cdRoots# kkv-lien1)
the first album by the Norwegian fiddler and her band