Hurv KRCD-19: Tagelsträngalåten - Horsehair strings

- Fiddle tunes from Älvdalen parish in Dalarna, Sweden

'I began to play the fiddle when I was eight years old. Both my mother's father, Einar Britt from Blyberg in Älvdalen, and my father's father, Anders Ståhl from Blecket in Rättvik, were fiddlers, and we had fiddles available in the family which no-one played. I actually wanted to play the piano, but we didn't have one at home.

'In large part, I learned the tunes on this recording from my mother's father. Some I got from transcriptions, and some from recordings. My mother's father, Einar Britt (1897-1978), was first called Håll Lars Einar Andersson. From the name of his family farm, he took the name "Britt" for himself. He lived his entire life in Blyberg, Älvdalen. Einar was the second of three male siblings. The three brothers were orphaned at an early age. Their father died of tuberculosis when Einar was four years old, and their mother died when Einar was 16 years old. Grandfather Einar got his interest in music from his mother, Maria Julia. She played the pump organ, sang, and kulade. During the summers, he went along with his mother to the summer pastures, to work as a herding boy, while she was 'summer-farm mother'.

'Grandfather Einar sent for his first fiddle from Ahlén & Holm. His school teacher, Lars Åhs, gave him the basic principles in violin playing and also taught him many tunes. It is said that Ahs walked around between the rows of school desks and played the fiddle. That undoubtedly also contributed to Einar's interest for violin playing. Einar heard and also got musical impressions from other fiddlers in the village, such as Isak Anders and Sålder Jannes.

'Anders Zorn used to organize dance evenings in his house in Gopsmor. Einar occasionally went along with the other young people and one time took out his fiddle and played several tunes. Zorn thought that it sounded so good that he gave Einar a two-crown coin, as a thanks for his playing.

'In his youth, Grandfather Einar supported himself in many different ways, among others as coal maker, photographer, woodsman, and painter. Eventually he became the manager of the Konsum grocery store in Blyberg. The first inventory fit on a sofa cushion, he used to tell. Einar ran the store until his retirement. Additionally, he had a little farm together with his wife Maria. 'Grandfather Einar was a very positive, happy, and companionable person. He was a good storyteller, both fun and interesting to listen to. As my folk music teacher, he was inspiring and indefatigable. He could repeat tunes either "as wholes, or in small pieces," without end; and he never became irritated. He merely said sometimes, after what I thought was an eternity, "now that's good, now that's good enough." 'In his older days, he got to experience how his tunes became "modern". Many folk musicians, both older and younger, came to his home and wanted to learn tunes. 'I feel happiness and thankfulness for having had such a grandfather; and I hope that in my turn, I can carry forth at least a part of all that I have been able to take part in through him.' The booklet includes detailed notes in both English and Swedish and a wealth of archive photos, illustrating i.a. older ways of holding the violin.

Kristina Ståhl Cedervall, violin 1
Anders Rosén, violin 2

list of tunes