Svenska Folk Music- A Brief History
Contents
A brief history of Swedish folk music and some of the most popular folk musicians today.
Origins
Swedish folk music has its roots in the music of the Scandinavians who settled in Sweden during the Viking age. The music was passed down through the generations orally, and was not written down until the late Middle Ages. The first written record of Swedish folk music dates back to the 13th century, and is known as the Codex runicus.
The first Swedish folk music recordings
The first Swedish folk music recordings were made in the early years of the phonograph, around 1900. At that time, there was a great interest in collecting and recording traditional music from all over Europe. In Sweden, this work was carried out by musicologist Hugo Alfvén and his brother Erik, who travelled around the country making recordings of folk musicians.
Alfvén’s work was continued by others, such as Östlund, who made field recordings of folk music in different parts of Sweden in the 1920s and 1930s. These recordings were collected and published by Folkpelaren (The Folk Player), a society which aimed to preserve and promote Swedish folk music.
Folk music was also recorded and published by commercial record companies. In the 1920s and 1930s, several record companies issued records with Swedish folk music, including Sonora, Odeon, His Master’s Voice (HMV) and Telefunken. Many of these records were created for the export market and were not widely available in Sweden itself.
The influence of American folk music
In the early twentieth century, American folk music became a significant influence on Swedish folk music. This was due in part to the popularity of American Ragtime in Sweden. American folk songs were also collected by Swedish scholars and performers such as Bertil Malmberg and Erik Sandström.
The Revival
The 1970s saw a revival of interest in Swedish folk music, led by groups such as Väsen and Garmarna. This new wave of folk music was different from the traditional music in that it was mostly played on electric instruments. This revival period also saw the release of a number of influential folk music albums, such as Väsen’s Visor och Ballader and Garmarna’s Eld.
The Swedish Folk Music Revival of the 1960s
In the 1960s, there was a renewed interest in traditional Swedish folk music. This was partly due to the work of folksingers like Vera Mattsson and Evert Taube, who popularized traditional songs, and partly due to the influence of the American folk music revival. Folk musicians such as Stefan Benno, Arne Domnérus, and Bo Anders Persson started to experiment with folk music, incorporating jazz and other genres. This led to the development of a new style of Swedish folk music, which became known as the Stockholm sound.
The New Swedish Folk Music
In the early 2000s, a new generation of Swedish musicians began to experiment with traditional Swedish folk music, incorporating modern influences to create a new sound. This new style of Swedish folk music came to be known as the “new Swedish folk music” or “nu-folk.”
One of the most popular and influential bands in the nu-folk movement is Väsen, a trio consisting of two nyckelharpa players and a violinist. Väsen’s albums have topped the Swedish folk music charts and their music has been featured in video games and films.
Other notable bands in the nu-folk scene include Kelly Larsson &bandet Brunnen, Galaxie 5006, Garmarna, Hedningarna, and Råddstugan. These bands have brought Swedish folk music to a new audience both inside and outside of Sweden.
Contemporary Swedish Folk Music
The history of Swedish folk music is long and varied, with influences from both near and far. Swedish folk music has been shaped by both the music of other cultures and by the natural environment. The climate and geography of Sweden have had a profound influence on the music, as have the political and social changes that have occurred over the centuries.
The new wave of Swedish folk music
The new wave of Swedish folk music has its origins in the late 1960s when a number of young musicians started to experiment with traditional Swedish folk music. Using unconventional approaches, they created a new and unique approach to music that was both modern and rooted in tradition.
Among the leading figures of this new wave were Gitt Busk (1942-2011) and Stefan Grossman (b. 1947). Busk was a self-taught musician who developed his own style of playing the fiddle, which combined traditional Swedish folk music with jazz and rock. Grossman was trained as a classical guitarist but became interested in folk music after hearing Busk play. Together, they founded the group Settembrini in 1970, which became one of the most important ensembles of the new wave of Swedish folk music.
Other notable musicians associated with this movement include Kjell Westling (b. 1945), Mats Eden (b. 1947), Janne Strömstedt (b. 1948), Lars Hollmer (1948-2008), Bo Hansson (1943-2010), Dan Weiss (b. 1950), and Bengt Berger (b. 1949). These artists all made significant contributions to the development of contemporary Swedish folk music, both as performers and composers.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in Swedish folk music, both among performers and audiences. This has been due in part to the efforts of some of the leading figures of the new wave of Swedish folk music, who are still active today, as well as to younger musicians who are keeping the tradition alive.
The influence of social media has been a game changer for Swedish folk music. In the past, folk music was largely oral tradition-based and passed down from generation to generation. But with the advent of platforms like YouTube and Spotify, Swedish folk music has found a new lease on life, becoming more popular than ever before, both in Sweden and internationally.
Folk musicians are now able toupload their music online and build up a following, without having to rely on record labels or radio play. This has allowed for a more diverse range of Swedish folk music to emerge, as well as a number of new hybrid genres that mix traditional folk with other styles like pop, rock, and hip hop.
There are now more Swedish folk musicians than ever before, making use of social media to reach new audiences and keep the tradition alive.
