Hurv KRCD-28: Historic recordings of Swedish folk music: V -
The music of the summer pasture - the magical song of the forest

If KRCD-26 covers the diversity and richness of the music of one parish, the present record makes it possible to study both similarities and differences by getting to know herding calls from other parts of the country.

The aim has been to include as many as possible of the earliest-known recordings, and there are examples here from the provinces of Småland, Jämtland, Värmland, Härjedalen, Hälsingland, Gästrikland, Dalarna.

That there are no recordings from other provinces which also have rich herding traditions, like Ångermanland, Medelpad and Västerbotten, is because, to my knowledge, there are no representative recordings, or that they are too damaged to make enjoyable listening.

But here are 51 tracks with the sounds of shieling songs, birch-bark horn, letting out the cows, and different styles of herding call for cows, calves, bull-calves, horses, sheep, goats and hens.

In addition you get a booklet with 20 pages each in English and Swedish, including a rich quantity of historical photos by Hans Per Persson (1876-1959), which together with the text give a deep insight into the fascinating life of fäboden, the Swedish summer pasture.