Dan Lundberg: Swedish folk Music - from village greens to concert platforms
Fiddler - artist - tradition-bearer

FIDDLER — ARTIST — TRADITION-BEARER Visit the Hjort Anders-homepage  One of the twentieth century’s greatest folk music idols in Sweden was the fiddler Hjort Anders Olsson (picture) (1865-1952) from the little village of Bingsjö in Dalarna in central Sweden. When Hjort Anders was “discovered” by the folk music transcriber Nils Andersson in 1907, it not only changed his situation as a musician but also his whole life. Several transcribers became extremely interested in Hjort Anders, but above all they were interested in certain parts of his repertoire. During the first half of this century, the work of collecting folk music was based on the more or less conscious aim of illustrating distinctive local and regional features. Thus the folk music transcribers were primarily interested in Hjort Anders’ older tunes with Bingsjö connections. His own compositions and his vast repertoire of tunes from the neighbouring province of Hälsingland did not attract the same amount of attention. This interest in Hjort Anders’ local Bingsjö tradition can be seen as an example of a change in attitude among the Swedish cultural élite towards the function of folk music-making. Previously the fiddlers’ music had been a means, an instrument, in a social situation; a necessity at dances and ceremonies. For the transcribers, the overriding mission, both for the transcribers themselves and for folk musicians, was to perpetuate a tradition.  Min levnads afton efter Pekkos Per. Hjort Anders Olsson (GCD23) This view of folk music meant that greater importance was attached to local traditions, and to the “authenticity” of the fiddler. When Hjort Anders played Bingsjö tunes it was regarded as more “authentic” than when he played Hälsinge tunes, although there was virtually no difference in the learning process. Hjort Anders had learnt the tunes in his youth from other fiddlers, and from his standpoint there can hardly have been any difference between fiddlers from the province of Hälsingland and fiddlers from the province of Dalarna, as long as the tunes were good and answered their purpose as dance or concert music. In all probability it was the other way round; the Hälsinge tunes were actually more exciting and out of the ordinary for the Bingsjö audience than the “usual” local repertoire. The rise in status of local characteristics, paired with a strong historicism, has influenced the development of fiddlers’ music during the 1900s. Musicians have stressed the importance of the locally rooted style from which the tunes have originated. Local distinctions concerning ornaments and rhythmic subtleties have been emphasised, which has led to a greater specialisation among fiddlers. While the fiddlers’ repertoire has been divided up into distinct regions during the period from the 1970s to the 1990s, it is also evident that media such as gramophone records and radio have contributed to the spread of certain types of ensemble forms, that is to say, to globalisation. In recent times famous fiddlers such as Pål Olle (1915-87), and Pers Hans Olsson in the next generation, have not just been trend-setters within their own traditions, even if their music obviously has local roots. Their records can also be found in the record collections of nearly all of today’s Swedish folk musicians. Like Pål Olle, Pers Hans Olsson (Photo: Per-Ulf Allmo.) comes from Östbjörka in Dalarna. He was born in 1942 into a genuine fiddlers’ family. His father, Pers Erik, and his grandfather, Pers Olle, were both well-known fiddlers in the district. Pers Hans matches up to two of the principal requirements which are demanded of today’s fiddlers and tradition-bearers: — Both his music and he himself have local roots and his music can therefore be regarded as “genuine” or authentic. — Although Pers Hans has strong ties to the district, a large part of his repertoire consists of newly written compositions. Few of today’s fiddlers have such a rich output of tunes which they have written themselves. Pers Hans can therefore be said to comply with the 1970s’ and 1980s’ ideal of renewal and creativity. Besides this, Pers Hans’ fiddle-playing is characterised by a highly personal expression, coupled with an excellent technique. Together with natural local roots, this helps to overcome the conflict between the demand for authenticity and the demand for innovation.  The second part of a wedding marsch with Pers Hans Olsson (SLP2076) Thanks to the media, individual fiddlers, and at times particular records, have come to represent local or regional styles in folk music. Today we can point to individual fiddlers such as Pål Olle and Pers Hans as central to the Ore and Östbjörka traditions, respectively. By extension they can be regarded as symbols for the traditional fiddlers’ music from the whole of the East Dalarna region, and in a wider international perspective they represent the Swedish fiddlers’ tradition in its entirety. Even if their music-making starts out from older local traditions, in many respects their personal style of expression has become a model for the development of a modern style of playing among fiddlers.

Fiddler - artist - tradition-bearer
Dan Lundberg: Swedish folk Music - from village greens to concert platforms