ENGLISH BOOKLET of album“BREIM”.

Lyrics, history and more. Translation by Shari Nilsen:

THE TUNES

1. Aamundspringaren (Aamund’s Springar)

Springar as played by Aamund Dale (1810–1897)

Aamund Dale has been called “one of the finest fiddlers” of his time, and it is said that “a lot of good music went to its grave with him”. I decided to name this springar after him to memorialise this distinctive fiddler. In Arne Bjørndal’s writings, Aamund is cited as the source for Anders Reed in this tune. It is not played much today.

2. Gamalt as played by Gabriel Gloppestad (1852–1935)

Gabriel Gloppestad from Sandane was taught to play the fiddle by his father Jørn, and is said to have been among the best players of his time. Gabriel left behind a rich trove of gamalt material. Ola Ryssdal transcribed several of these old dancing tunes in the period 1905–1909, and these are most likely all remnants of the music and dances that gradually yielded to newer forms that took over, although they left their mark on the later music. Luckily, Ola recognised the value of many of these and transcribed them before they were lost. I first learned this one from Arne M. Sølvberg when he held a “gamalt course” at Pederhuset in 2021. The structure of this tune encourages the player to repeat certain segments as variations, as I have done here. 

3. Aa gjev eg hadde ei fela god (Oh, If I Owned a Fiddle So Fine)

Excerpt from a poem by Absalon Steinsaaker (1882–1948)

Melody: Sigrid Moldestad

A song has been created from a lovely poem by the rural poet Absalon Steinsaaker, from Breim. Both Absalon and his poem deserve to be remembered. They can remind us of those who dreamed of writing, playing, singing and living from their artistry in rural areas at a time when such a life could not be taken for granted. 

Oh, if I owned a fiddle so fine

That it would touch the soul

Then it could spark a flame divine

And make a crushed heart whole.

I could help when hope was gone

From one who felt betrayed,

The swords of war would not be drawn

When I my fiddle played.

A fiddler I longed to be,

Among the very best. 

Soothing lost love’s misery

To make the sad feel blessed.

When you heard the lovely tone

Away your sorrow was taken,

All the joy that could be known

My fiddle would awaken.

I would play each dancing tune

As wild as water rushing,

Then gentle as the shining moon

When in the sky it’s blushing.

My strings would bring you then to tears

While singing their tender song,

And every person’s hopes and fears

Would be expressed ere long.

True love between two hearts aflame

Would all my sounds express,

Each tone devotion would proclaim

And ardent tenderness.

Every grief or joy supreme,

Every secret great or small,

Every hidden, yearning dream,

My fiddle would reveal them all. 

4. Brureslått (Wedding March) as played by Anders Reed (1849–1924)

There are a great many short, simple wedding marches from Nordfjord. Often different forms of the same melodic material can be found. Playing for weddings was one of the most important responsibilities of a fiddler in addition to playing at dances. Anders Reed is said to have played at more than 300 weddings. In his home village of Breim, wedding celebrations were often 4 to 5 days long. Baking and, not least, brewing were important activities: a wedding in Breim with 100 guests was expected to include 15 barrels of beer and two of brandy. Both fathers were meant to do the brewing, and according to Arne Bjørndal it was best to drink from vessels made of juniper.

The springars continued night after night for five days. The residents of Breim were, in general, fond of parties and fun, and a wedding without a fistfight was considered a failure!

Wedding marches were often played to accompany the bridal party when leaving the church.

5. Springar as played by Ingebrigt Myklebust/

Springar as played by Per Bolstad

Ingebrigt Myklebust is one of the oldest sources from Breim. He was born in 1801 and died in 1877. Ingebrigt was the great-grandfather of Rolf Myklebust (1908–1990), a collector, musician and head of the folk music department at NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, for many years. He, in turn, was the grandfather of Jakob Myklebust, also a fiddler. Jakob moved to Stryn where, among other things, he founded a salon orchestra, a small ensemble. The second Springar is as played by Per Bolstad. The surname Bolstad has been prominent within traditional music in Nordfjord and Sunnmøre for several generations, and it is uncertain which of the Bolstads named Per this has been named after.

I discovered this tune in Ola Ryssdal’s notes. Per M. Bolstad lived from 1833 to 1910, and his son Per P. Bolstad from 1875 to 1967. Both have been important sources. Per Støyva held his namesake Per P. in high regard, calling him “the wisest man I’ve ever met”. They wrote each other letters until the very end.

6. Bøssen

Waltz as played by Lars Evebø (1865–1941)

Lars “Bøssen” Evebø, also called “Bøss-Lars”, carried on in Gabriel Gloppestad’s tradition. Per Støyva said in an interview that he was only 14 or 15 years old when he met Lars Evebø for the first time. At that time Lars was in Breim as a construction worker building the road between Bergheim and Reed. A large number of people were involved in this project, and as a result several parties were organised at “Nygårdsholene” at Byrkjelo, according to the interview with Per Støyva that I heard. It was at one of these parties that the very young Per Støyva was engaged as a fiddler for dancing, and he alternated with Lars “Bøssen” Evebø. Per said that “Bøssen” was a very good fiddler.

7. Springarkule

Springar as played by Nils J. Kobberstad/Støyva-Nils and Magne Maurset. 

Three springars emerged somewhat spontaneously while we were recording. The first is a well-known tune called “Kobberstadspringar”. It is said to have been composed by Nils Jakobson Kobberstad (1807–1886). I remember this as one of the first tunes I played at a competition, as a member of the youth ensemble “Blanda Drops”, formed of young players from Sunnmøre and Nordfjord in the late 1980s. The second is a springar as played by Støyva-Nils, or Nils Ingebrigtsen Støyva/Støve (1835–1925), his real name. He moved to Bruland in Utvik, and later used the name Nils Bruland. The third springar is one that Anders Reed had learned from Magne Maurset. He was a distinctive fiddler in inner Nordfjord, and was surrounded by female fiddlers in his family line. His mother, Margrete Maurset (1789–1888), often played together with her sister-in-law, Bø-Mari Støverstein. Lise Jyvall, another woman who Magne is said to have spoken of, was a neighbour at Maurset. I like the thought that some of the teachers who perhaps had the greatest influence on Magne were women.

(Bildetekst s. 68) Gabriel Gloppestad 1852–1935) was an important tradition bearer and fiddler from Gloppen. He learned to play the fiddle from his father, Jørn, and left behind several gamaltar. 

8. Halling as played by Gabriel Reed (1869–1957)

“An ancient tune”, said Gabriel Reed himself about this halling. There is not a large repertoire of hallings in Breim.

This tune is special in a number of respects: it is in 6/8 time, it has a distinctive melody line, and as far as I know there are not many similar tunes in other districts. It is a halling that I learned early on. Incidentally, Gabriel Reed was a very active man, and often arranged hallingspark (hat-kicking) competitions for young people. He was a sportsman, not least a well-known speed skater. When he was studying to be a teacher in Hamar, he even raced against the legendary Oscar Mathisen (1888–1954). Gabriel was considered one of the greatest speed skaters from Sogn og Fjordane. 

9. Gamalt frå Breim (Gamalt from Breim)/

Gamalt as played by J. Gloppestad (1820–1896)

The first of these is a fiddle tune that has always been a part of my life. We used to call it “Gamalt frå Breim”, and many variations of it can be found throughout Nordfjord. The second gamalt is not heard often. These two tunes are similar, and obviously related. I found the second one in Ola Ryssdal’s transcriptions.

10. Bøaelva (Bøa River) by Sigrid Moldestad

The Bøa River is the long river that runs from the top of the Bøa Mountain in Breim. I grew up in the shadow of that mountain. With the changing seasons the rush of the river’s current changes in intensity, and the sound is very familiar to those of us who come from the “shady side” of Breim. The river flows like a white stripe down the distinctive black slabs of the mountain. According to legend, the reason why the mountain is so smooth is because the people who lived beneath it began to argue about who should have more of the cut grass. They became greedier and greedier, and chopped grass farther and farther up the mountain. Finally they began to cut grass on Sundays to gather as much as possible. As a result, St. Peter became so angry that he let the entire side of the mountain crumble away, and the naked, black surface remained as a reminder of people’s “selfish sickness” (I. Næss). The Bøa River runs out into the Stor River, located in the middle of the valley at Breim, which in turn flows into the large Breim Lake. This body of water used to form part of the Trondheim postal route.

11. Sindrespringar (Sindre’s Springar) as played by Jo Døsen

In “Sindre tuning” a fiddle’s D string is tuned up to E. This gives the sound extra brightness and power. Many fiddles respond by singing more beautifully in this tuning (EAEA). In Breim this tuning is also called “halvforstemt”. The repertoire from Breim includes several pieces in this tuning, some of which are related to other fiddle tune formats in other districts. I found this one among Ola Ryssdal’s transcriptions. Jo Døsen was the son of Zakarias. When Ola Ryssdal visited in order to transcribe the old tunes. Jo played them from memory as he had learned them from his father.

12 Springar as played by Per Støyva (1896 – 1988)

and Peder Råd (1915 – 1997)

This springar is found in several variants, also in areas where the springleik is prevalent. It is also known under the title “Mons Nerhole” in Gudbrandsdalen. My version is based primarily on recordings I have listened to by Per Støyva and Peder Råd. They play the second part quite differently, and I have decided to use Per’s version in this recording. A really good tune for dancing!

13. Den fyrste springaren (The First Springar)

Springar by Anders Reed (1849–1924)

I call this the “first” because it is the first one I can remember having learnt. It was composed by Anders Reed, and my sources here were Johan Kandal and David Fløtre. I learned it from John Oddvar Kandal at the Breim Spelemannslag (Fiddle Club). Folk music researcher Olav Sæta wrote in Feleverket (volume 3: Fiddle Traditions in Nordfjord) that both the first and second parts of this tune have “kin” in other districts, and that Anders Reed was, in any case, unconsciously inspired by tunes he had heard.

14. Ingen klokkar vil eg ha (I Want No Sexton)

As sung by Andreas Lyslo

“I want no sexton in the church

Who will stand and sermons make.

No, I want a smiling priest

Who serves butter with my cake.”

This short “priest verse” is apparently sung often in Breim, and was something that “everyone” knew. I learned it from a recording by Andreas Lyslo, found in the county archives. 

15. Den fiineste kone på stranden (The Finest Woman on the Shore)

by Claus Frimann (1746–1829)

I have included here a version of this lovely tribute to women, written by the poet-priest Claus Frimann from Davik. It is also called “The Rare Woman”. Frimann was considered the west-coast equivalent of the well-known poet-priest Petter Dass, and produced a large number of lyrics and songs. Folksinger Elin Grytting is among those who have ensured that the treasure trove of song he left behind has been preserved and passed on. I have heard at least two different versions of this song: one with Olav Tveitane and Grytting in the group Frimann, and one in a recording by Alfred Maurstad. Alfred sang several of Claus Frimann’s songs. My melody has been influenced by both versions but also features my own input.

An interesting fact is that my great-great-great-grandmother’s sister was married to Claus Frimann’s son. The son, Peder Frimann (b. 1782), married Marthe Margrethe Tonning (b. 1780), who was the sister of my ancestor Henninge Elisabeth Margrethe Olsdatter Knoph (née Tonning).  

The finest woman on the shore

I take in my arms each night,

And I would be a fool or more

If I lost her out of sight.

She does not bother or complain

Even if I stay out late,

Though it surely gives her pain

Her patience remains just as great.

And never will she slam the door

Though many others would have done,

She is the woman I adore,

My heart unworthy she has won.

16. Flute tune as played by Akselina Kvile

This lovely tune is said to have been composed by a woman who played it herself while on her way to church in Breim.

Akselina or Akseline Kvile, née Hjelle (1754–1844), is said to have played the fiddle while riding with a group on their way to the old church by the Breim Lake. She was mounted on the first horse, and the occasion was recalled by a woman who was around 90 years old at the turn of the last century. She clearly recalled the sight of the fiddling woman on the horse, and supposedly could even hum the tune Akselina played. The lyrics she sang were “Angel of the heart, trusting the fidelity that you will find”. The elderly woman did not remember any more of the lyrics than that, and I have not found them either. (Arne Bjørndal Collection)

I learned the three sections of this tune from John Oddvar Kandal.

17. Søtegamalt (Sweet Gamalt)

Gamalt as played by Einar Henden/Gamalt as played by Gabriel Gloppestad

I call the first of these two the “Sweet Gamalt” in order to distinguish it from the second one, and because I actually think its melody is very sweet. This gamalt is said to have been hummed by Eva Ladehaug from Lote/Hennebygda. She used to hum when calling cows. I associate this tune most closely with Einar Henden (1927–2011). Einar was from Hennebygda, and was involved in establishing the Nordbygda Fiddler’s Association. He had a distinctive and authentic style of playing. I regarded him as an excellent fiddler for dances, and am grateful for having had the opportunity to experience his playing. Einar came from the same village as my grandmother Kristina Henden. I have fond memories of my early years, when Einar and the rest of the Nordbygda fiddlers were still playing. Two of my finest fiddling companions from Nordfjord are his son Rasmus Henden and Ingbjørn Lotsberg, both of whom have inherited some of their style from Einar. It is with pleasure and a touch of reverence that I have recorded the first gamalt here, as a way of paying tribute to the Hennebygda fiddlers and everything they have meant for my life in folk music. The second gamalt is from Ola Ryssdal’s transcription, and both Gabriel Gloppestad (1852–1935) and his father Jørn are cited as sources. There was also a lovely postlude to this, a closing that might have been usual for several of these short gamalt tunes. 

(Bildetekst s. 79) Joint effort in Breim

18. Hamborgar as played by Støyva-Nils

Nils Ingebrigtsen Støyva/Støve (1835–1925) was one of many Breim natives who, after moving away, had a great influence on the music of their new homes. There were a number of examples of this: Jakob Myklebust moved to Stryn, Nils to Utvik, Jakob Slettemark to Naustdal and Pilestein-Per til Rugsund. We have an especially strong musical bond with these areas.

The hamborgar was a dance that arrived in Nordfjord from continental Europe. This dance was extremely popular in Breim and other villages in the area. The repertoire is large, and includes both older and newly written tunes. Gabriel Reed, Per Støyva, the Paulen lads and others all composed their own hamborgars for dances. Many of them are technically demanding to play. This is one of the simpler ones, but still swings quite well. It was transcribed by Ola Ryssdal from the playing of Zakarias and Jo Døsen.

19. Tyrolean waltz as played by Ola Bruland (1873–1971)

I learned this fine waltz from a recording of Bendik Brynestad (1908–1989) from Olden. He played a lot of music as he had learned it from Ola Bruland. In Fiddle Traditions in Nordfjord, Olav Sæta writes the following about Ola Bruland: “Noteworthy for the special structures of his tunes and his old-fashioned playing style.” Both Bendik and his brother Daniel learned music from their father, Jørgen Brynestad (1863–1936). They played both ordinary fiddle and Hardanger fiddle. The brothers moved to Sunnfjord, but brought with them an extensive repertoire that differed somewhat from other Nordfjord fiddle music. Much of this came from Ola Bruland.

20. Giv meg igjen min barnefryd (Let me feel childish pleasure again)

Melody and lyrics: Gabriel Reed

Let me feel childish pleasure again,

In my own home, safe from harm

In the warmth of mother’s arm,

Let me feel childish pleasure again.

Let me feel childish pleasure again,

Playing with angels in the sky

Knowing that God is there on high,

Let me feel childish pleasure again.

Gabriel Reed wrote several songs, both music and lyrics. He also set to music works by other rural poets from Breim, including Elias Skinlo. He wrote this lovely hymn to be played at his own funeral, where it was indeed performed when he died in 1957. 

21. Vals (Waltz) as played by Zakarias Døsen

This is an appealing waltz with an unusual tonality. I have been playing this tune for many years. I think of Zakarias as a seaman and the head of a fishing crew. The waltz seems to me to have a foreign influence. Maybe it came rolling in on the waves of the fjord with one of the boats that came and went. 

22. Ka har dåkke gjort-springaren (What Have You Done Springar) as played by Anders Reed

I have called this springar “What Have You Done” because someone once asked me that after I had played it. This springar has an unusual key change at the end of the first section. That is how it is played in Breim and so that is how I learned it. In Fiddle Traditions in Nordfjord, Olav Sæta writes that Anders was said to have learned this springar from Gabriel Gabrielsson Reed, the older Gabriel, and that it is one of the few fiddle tunes that changes key within the piece.

23. Den fyrste reinlenderen (The First Reinlender) 

This reinlender was transcribed by Ola Ryssdal. It has been described as the first reinlender to arrive at Gloppen, supposedly arriving with “a southerner”. That would have referred to someone from Hordaland/Hardanger. Many people in Gloppen and Breim worked along the coast during the winter. There was significant trade between the villages of the coast and those inland along the fjords. Fish from the sea were exchanged for the fruit and vegetables of the inner fjords. Those exchanges also included music.

24. Masurka frå Gloppen (Masurka from Gloppen)

These two tunes were found in the collection “Tunes that have been played in Gloppen, Nordfjord” by Ola Ryssdal. There is limited information about the tunes themselves, but one of them mentions the name Johan Vereide. The masurka was among the last of the “new” dances that arrived in Nordfjord. Per Støyva said that his grandfather was among those who brought the dance to Breim. He had been working in Nordfjord and had learned it from the daughters of a man he had worked for there.

25. Springar as played by Zakarias Døsen/David Fløtre/

Springar as played by Per Støyva

I have put two springars together here. The first has interesting bowing variations that make it more dynamic. The first part of this one can be found in countless variants. Mine is from the transcriptions of the playing of Zakarias Døsen, but was also played by David Fløtre, the grandson of Stranda-Jo (Jon Eriksson Fløtre, 1830–1902). The other is a springar as played by Per Støyva. This is one of my favourite springars, and I play it often. In my mind it has the sound of the forests around Støyva, with their view of the mountaintops Vora and Eggenipa. 

26. Den siste springaren (The Last Springar)

Springar as played by Anders Reed

It has been said that this springar was the one Anders Reed would play to indicate that it was the last dance. I have been playing different variants of this tune for many years. I think I heard it first on a recording by Honndalstausene. I chose to moderate the beat somewhat and like to imagine the atmosphere in the dance hall when a wedding that had lasted for four or five days was approaching its end.

Folk music. It gains new nuances according to where it has been. And it is always on its way somewhere. In you yourself, or from you to someone else. It has lived here before. In my mind I see images of small cottages in black and white. Women wearing shawls and long skirts, men in coarsely woven trousers, buttoned jackets and a cap. Oh, yes, and with beards. They often had beards in the olden days. The cottages look cosy in pictures, but I can’t help thinking of all the people who had to live under that small roof. Of the smells and tastes. Of the one cow and two sheep they had to keep themselves alive. They forged their everyday lives and their celebrations with other resources than we have. I have been drawn to the music that accompanied them throughout their lives. The music that was so important to them then. It is important to me now. It is made of tried and true sounds. It is enduring. It joins me together with time. Music has survived on dance floors and at parties, in private kitchens and living rooms. It pulls me into people’s fates and their secrets. Village registers and archives. I become so immersed that I’m sometimes uncertain of what I am actually looking for. But time continues to whisper in my ear. Come here! Listen. Look. Learn. Give it to others.

Thank you!

/Sigrid

Recorded at Pederhuset in Breim, August 2022 and June 2023, and in the director’s residence at Vaksdal Mill, November 2022

Recording and mixing: Morten Skage

Mastering: Morten Lund

Guest musicians

Sigbjørn Apeland: harmonium

Torbjørn Netland: cittern 

Morten Skage: double bass

Design: Eva Karlsson

Photo: Magnus Skrede

Historical photos from:

Jostein Aardal, Nynorsk Kultursentrum, University of Bergen, and private

Norwegian proofreading: Marianne Granheim Trøyflat

Supported by

The Audio and Visual Fund

Vestland County Administration

Norwegian Centre for Traditional Music and Dance

I have chosen to focus mainly on the older types of tunes, especially the springar and the gamalt. A few exceptions are made for some runddansar and marsjar. 

The springar in Breim – the old and the new

We are in a unique position in Breim in the sense that we can clearly see a musical division between the old and the new eras. The gamalt has been considered one of the older types of dance. The music that went along with it was used in a large part of the district. Its distinguishing characteristic is its metrical structure, which is similar to that of the gangar. It can be played with either two or three beats per measure, and the short tunes are repetitive and insistent. Not many of these tunes remain, as the popularity of the dance faded and the newer springar, which was more similar to the pols, took over. Breim is located at a border area for the Hardanger fiddle (Jølster/Sunnfjord), and it is logical to believe that the oldest of our tunes might have most closely resembled the average springar in these areas. In some villages the dance is called “Jølstring”. It gradually fell out of use. At pre-war weddings it was only danced by the “old folks”, according to an interview with fiddler Per Støyva. I have drawn the newer springars from a variety of sources, both living/oral, written, and my own internal index file of tunes that I have played since I began.

Ola Ryssdal’s transcriptions

Ola Ryssdal (1872–1963) from Sandane left behind a treasure trove of written music and fiddle tune transcriptions from Nordfjord. He transcribed an especially large number of tunes played by Zakarias and Jo Døsen (1841–1928). He also transcribed many of Anders Reed’s tunes in 1909. There is a large amount of unused material here, and I have tried to feature tunes I have not heard played much, as well as those that have been named by several sources but that have not been mentioned often in previous publications. Ola Ryssdal himself came from a very musical family at one end of the long Breim Lake. He later lived in Trondheim and collected folklore, particularly from Trøndelag and Nordfjord. He transcribed more than 300 fiddle tunes.

Other sources

I have made use of both oral and written sources, including notes, letters and other material from the Arne Bjørndal Collection at the University of Bergen. A wealth of detailed information about the fiddle tunes can be found in Olav Sæta’s fantastic Feleverket, volume 3: Fiddle Traditions in Nordfjord; in Slåttar i Nordfjordtradisjon (Fiddle Tunes in the Nordfjord Tradition) by Rolf Myklebust, booklets 1–6; and in the book Femti år med folkemusikk (Fifty Years With Folk Music). Other sources of information have been the books Glimt frå Breim i farne år (Glimpses of Breim from Years Gone By) by various authors from Breim/Gloppen; Bygselmenn i Breim (Tenant Farmers in Breim) by Ingebrigt Næss; Soga om Gloppen og Breim (The Saga of Gloppen and Breim) by Per Sandal; Bygdebok frå Nordfjord (The History and Culture of Nordfjord) by Jacob Aaland, also called “Aalandsboka”; various articles in Jul i Nordfjord (Christmas in Nordfjord), Kjelda (The Source), Ljøren (annual review of local history and culture); and newspaper articles and memorial volumes found at the National Library. I am grateful for the help and kindness of the music department at the Vestland County Archives and the archives of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation in contributing recordings of various fiddlers, and for their interviews with people such as Per Støyva, Kristense Fløtre, Peder Råd and Lars Fjell. Other knowledge has been drawn from my years as a folk musician and from conversations with sources including John Oddvar Kandal and others.