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Trygve Bolstad
Fele (Ta:lik, Norway)
$16.99

Trygve represents an older fiddling tradition with a personal style in modulation, ornamentation, and tone shading. Through his fiddling we experience a rich folk tradition and Valdres music at its best.

The CD includes excellent notes in Norwegian and English.

See the full series of historic hardingfele recordings from Tal:ik Records, Norway

The tunes: ST. THUMASKLUKKELÅTTEN JØRN RØN FERESPEL BUSTEBAKKIN HENGSLELÅTTEN SAGAHAUGEN REINLENDER ÅT PERSSONE LÅTTEN HENNAR RAGNHILD RINGESTAD DEN SO E ALEIS STEINSRUDEN SAMILSTADLÅTTEN KRØSSHAUGEN LYALÅTT I FØRM ETTER OLAV MOE STYGGEN KYRKJETÅRNET SISTE LÅTTEN KRØSSHAUGEN LET

Trygve Bolstad was born in Øystre Slidre in Valdres in 1943 and grew up in a living folk music environment in Heggenes and Daleng. At age six or seven he received his first fiddle, made by his uncle Olav Daleng (1908-1993). Like most youngsters in those days, Trygve learned to play at home and from relatives. His father, Knut (1921-2002), as well as his uncles Ingvar Daleng (b. 1921) and Magnus Daleng (1911-1999) inspired Trygve and left their mark on the young fiddler. Traditional music surrounded him throughout his childhood and youth.

There was a new awakening for fiddle music in Valdres when Torleiv Bolstad (1915-1979) was engaged as a folk music instructor in 1966. Olav Jørgen Hegge (b. 1941) got Trygve to go along with him to the first fiddling course, and later Torleiv Bolstad initiated further courses and activities. Several spelemannslags (fiddling groups) were established in Valdres, and many fiddlers were inspired to take up the local traditional music again. Trygve mentions especially Gudbrand Dahle (b. 1946), who became a good fiddling comrade. Trygve goes on to say that his most important teachers have been Torleiv Bolstad, Ola Bøe (1910- 1985) and Andris Dahle (1925-1995), as well as his father, who was always an important guide and a great source of inspiration.

Trygve moved to Oslo in 1969 to work, and at his uncle Ingvar Daleng’s he found a home in the city where he could talk about both fiddles and cars. He came in contact with Valdreslaget and Laget for spelemenn, organizations in town where he met fiddlers who also became good friends. Ola Bøe wasa new inspiration and teacher. Bernt Balchen (b. 1931), Knut Trøen (b. 1932) and Harald Røine (1940-1997) were among the younger in the milieu. “Friendship with these fellows has meant a lot to me,” says Trygve.

After a number of years in the city, Trygve was asked to carry on the folk music work for which Torleiv Bolstad had laid the foundation in Valdres in the 1960s and 1970s. Thus in 1980 Trygve moved back to Valdres and began work as an instructor, archivist and secretary for Folkemusikknemnda for Valdres (folk music council for Valdres). After some years, he no longer had the secretarial responsibility, and in 1988 the Distriktsmusikarordninga i folkemusikk (dstrict music organization for folk music) was formed, the first in the country. Since then, Trygve has been an active music teacher and concert fiddler. Today he lives in Hedalen, Valdres, where in addition to his folk music work he runs a farm together with his wife, Borghild.

Trygve represents an older fiddling tradition with a personal style in modulation, ornamentation, and tone shading. Through his fiddling we experience a rich folk tradition and Valdres music at its best. His playing is rich in nuance, from the sensitive to the hearty, and he has a freedom and a knowledge of the material that only an experienced can have. He is a creative fiddler who clearly puts something of himself into the tunes-he has something to tell that we can hear in his playing. He has a large repertoire of tunes, and he has made a number of new tunes that are played by other fiddlers as well.

Trygve Bolstad recently received a work stipend for artists from the government so he can steep himself in folk music, finish his CD and take a pause from teaching and driving the whole length of Valdres.