Norwegian
Instruments
I have been developing a huge interest in instruments native
to different countries. The country whose instruments are inspiring me the most
right now is Norway. I have a love for Scandinavian music, so it seems quite
natural that I have developed this interest. I have done some brief research
about Norway’s traditional instruments, and will give an overview, but one
particular instrument that I wanted to learn more about is the Hardanger
Fiddle. The other instruments I will discuss are the Langeleik, Bukkehorn,
Neverlur, Tungehorn and Psalmodikon. I’d like to mention that there are other
traditional Norwegian instruments, but I will only be discussing the ones
mentioned.
The Langeleik is a traditional droned Zither, a type of
stringed instrument consisting of a box with one or more strings attached
across it played horizontally. The earliest recorded Langeleik was in 1524 and
was found in the Oppland region of Norway. The earliest recorded documentation
of a Langeleik was from around the early 17th century, so the
instrument has certainly been around since the middle ages, if not before then.
The actual instrument is made of a wooden rectangle that acts as a resonance
box it has one melody string and up to eight sympathetic strings. There are
frets underneath the melody string forming a diatonic major scale, so a
Langeleik can’t play chromatic scales. Although the instrument is usually tuned
to A major, music for the Langeleik is written in C major, supposedly because
it is easier to read. Older Langeleik used to have frets that were an interval
of a fifth apart, but that gradually changed as music developed to be more
melodic through the ages, until it had a major scale. In all the centuries it was in existence, the
Langeleik was popular throughout Norway, and was used in types of dances such
as Gammeldans (old dance) and Bygdedans (village dance). With the introduction
of popular music in the 20th century, the playing of all traditional
instruments lessened, but there are still communities throughout Norway who
still make and play the instruments. There are different styles of Langeleik
made in Norway today. In Telemark, the Langeleiks made are straight and thin,
whereas the Langeleiks of Valdres are made with a curve at the end.
The Neverlur is probably the most ancient Scandinavian
instrument. It is also known as a birch trumpet. The clue is in the name here,
because the Neverlur is a very long trumpet made out of spruce and covered in
birch bark. The Neverlur dates back to around 805 AC, so is thought to have
been used by the Vikings as an instrument of war to scare the enemy and
indicate when to charge into battle, and research also shows that it was used
to communicate from one ship to another. Evidence that the Neverlur was used in
Viking times is found from the Oseberg ship burial where one of these
instruments was discovered. Later on in history, it was used by milkmaids to
call to one another and warn off predators.
Considering this instrument does not have any finger wholes, I find it
remarkable that you are able to get around ten tones from a natural scale just
by varying the way you blow it. Lurs are about 1 meter long and are made in
three different ways; hollowed out, striped wood that is then stuck back
together again, and a piece of wood (spruce or birch) wrapped together in birch
bark. The shape is a long tube with a bell at the end just like a modern brass
instrument, and the top would be shaped into a mouthpiece.
The Tungehorn is very
similar to the Bukkehorn, but is defined by its single reed instead of just a
hole. Nobody is sure when the Tungehorn came into existence. It was surely
after the Bukkehorn, but there is much controversy over whether the Clarinet
was invented before the Tungehorn or not. Instead of having practical uses
originally, the Tungehorn does just seem to be used for dances, and is common
in Norwegian folk music. It is also made from goats horns like he Bukkehorn,
but it can also be made from a cow’s horn. It is hollowed out in the same way,
but with the Tungehorn, four to eight finger holes can be added. This makes it
good for folk music, because it is easier to get a varied melody. The reed is
most commonly made from juniper but also spruce maple or birch.
The Psalmodikon is an instrument rather like the Langeleik,
since it too is made of a long rectangle, but it only has one string instead of
around eight, and can be bowed or plucked. Essentially it’s the Langeleik
without the drone strings. It was developed in the early 19th
century as an instrument that could be played in churches and schools. Because the
Psalmodikon is a plain, un- decorative instrument, it was seen as more appropriate
to play in church, unlike the other dance instruments. This meant is was a good
accompaniment to hymns, and was easy to learn, because of it only having a
single string. It was also useful to be used in churches, because it was very
cheap to build and was a good alternative to the more expensive organ, and
worked just as well when providing a melody. When the churches managed to get
enough money for an organ, the Psalmodikon became out of fashion by the mid-20th
century. It is still used today by folk musicians in Scandinavia, and is
gathering interest from different parts of the globe that have Scandinavian
ancestors.
The Hardanger Fiddle is a traditional Norwegian Fiddle, dating
from the mid-17th century. It is different from the normal violin
since as well as having four melody strings; it also has four or five sympathetic
strings. Sympathetic strings differ from drones, because they are each tuned to
a different note, to compliment the tunings of the melody strings. The Hardanger
Fiddle’s sympathetic strings are not actually bowed, but are fitted in a gap
cut into the bridge. They resonate when the Fiddle is played. The Hardanger
Fiddle originates from the Hardanger Fjord in the south of Norway, and was
mainly played by musicians in the south west of the country. Nevertheless, it
is thought of as the national instrument of Norway. The Hardanger Fiddle was
used as a dance instrument, and there are thought to be around a thousand
separate dances written for this instrument. Most commonly used for Bygdedans
and Gammeldans but also played as a bride was going to church. This is
interesting, seeing as the church was not fond of the Hardanger Fiddle at all,
and at one point in the 19th century, many Hardanger Fiddles were
destroyed and burned because the Christians believed that it was bad for the
soul to play these instruments, and that they encouraged sinful activities. The
Christians believed that people were taught the Hardanger Fiddle by the devil
or even the Nøkken or Fossegrim; Scandinavian mythical creature that lives in
the water. The character Fossegrim is believed to have played the Fiddle to
lure people into the water to drown, so it isn’t surprising that the Christian
people of Norway believed that the Hardanger Fiddle was bad. The tuning of the
Hardanger fiddle’s melody strings are usually A, D, A and E which is not the
common Violin tuning used today. There is also a special type of tuning for the
Hardanger Fiddle’s melody strings called ‘Troll Tuning’ this is where the
melody strings are tuned to A, E, A and C#. This tuning would be used to play
songs about the devil and used for mourning songs. The Hardanger Fiddle
survived, even though many were burnt, and it was considered a sin to play. People
did keep on playing the Hardanger Fiddle, and it is a very common folk
instrument in Scandinavia. There are even some concertos written for the
Hardanger Fiddle, by Geirr Tveitt.
I am interested to
see the use of Norwegian Folk instruments in popular culture today, with the Bukkehorn
being used in a recent Disney film; ‘Frozen’, and the Hardanger Fiddle
incorporated into the score from the ‘Lord of the Rings’ films. All the
instruments I have mentioned here have survived time, even since the Viking
period, and are still used today. Some out of cultural and historic interest
and others in modern folk groups, and even in Film scores.
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