Hurv KRCD-23: Dance Minuets 1731-1801

This CD is a showcase for Swedish minuets selected from fiddlers' books - handwritten notations of dance music made by Swedish fiddlers during various periods over the past two-three centuries. These were musicmakers - some amateurs, others professionals - of differing social status, but who had in common a certain musical education and the ability to notate and read music.

It may be hard to believe today, but, judging by sources such as music notations and contemporary writings on music and dance, the most popular dances of those times were the polska (Swedish for polonaise) and the minuet. As regards popularity over such a long period of time, no modern dance form can compete with the polska and the minuet, whose origins date back to the 16th century. But whereas the polska was popular mainly in the north European countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, the minuet was danced all over Europe. With this in mind, it is perhaps not too daring to call the minuet "The" Dance: in fact, it was actually often called "The Queen of Dances".

The polska and the minuet are complementary but contrasting counterparts, sister dances from two different worlds, but with matching deep mysticism and enchantment. It was even customary to play them as a pair, with the polska as an 'after-dance' to the minuet, as is still common in Finland.

Like the polskas, minuet tunes are to be found in many versions. The fact that one and the same tune can be found with slight variations in several music books shows us that this was indeed a kind of music that was played and taught by ear, in the same way as is traditional 'folk music'. Very few of these dance tunes have a title and composers' names are seldom mentioned. This leads us to believe that the old music-makers regarded their tunes more as pieces of handicraft than of art. Despite their modesty - none can be accused of insisting on being recorded for posterity - these spelman have left us a treasury of melodies, many of which are true musical gems that deserve to be rescued from half-forgotten archives, dusted off and given new life.

Ulf and I share the same background in Swedish folk-fiddle tradition. We have also studied baroque violin for some time. Swedish folk-fiddle tunes are often synonymous with 'living baroque', so we felt that in the musical crucible, our discoveries and experience would help us to interpret this music..
Before making this disc, I attended dance courses so as to be able to dance the Oravais minuet in the way they do in the Swedishspeaking districts of Finland. I believe that one needs to have a feeling for the dance steps in order to be able to play dance tunes with the right feeling. The spelman should feel the rhythm in his feet and body, just as dancers do. That is why Ulf and I hope that our record will prove just as enjoyable for dancing to as for listening. After our first recording of this music, released as a very limited casette edition in 1988, we played at some minuet music and dance workshops and even received a positive response for our style of playing the minuets from a teacher of historical dances in France.

There has been a tendency to play the minuet ever more slowly, especially when divorced from the dance. We anticipate therefore that we shall be criticized for playing too quickly and for this reason I must emphasize that our style of play is based on i) the actual dance steps, ii) what is reasonable, using the written music, in order to give a lively interpretation, iii) the extant tradition, iv) 18th century sources giving detailed directions concerning tempo.

For those who would like to use our CD for dancing practice, we would recommend a skipping style of minuet to the quickest tunes - a style that seems to have been common even in the days of the Swedish 18th century poet Bellman. Otherwise, it would he best to restrict both steps and gestures in order to keep pace - one does not stride round as in a hambo. The very name of the dance, minuet, tells us that it is diminutive, light and nimble in essence.

All duet arrangements are the originals from the music books.

Ulf plays a violin of the style from around 1800. The e, a and d strings are plain gut, the g string is silver wound. Anders plays a violin of an earlier style on which all strings are plain gut.

The bows are of a style common in the 18th century. The instruments are tuned slightly lower than is common today.

Anders Rosén, Yttermalung, August 1998

Ulf Störling, baroque and early-classical violin
Anders Rosén, baroque and early-classical violin

list of tunes