Allôr E'rô Å Allôr Bir'o Polska After Pers Erik Olsson

Th e Nordic Harp

Solo arr angements for Celtic harp by Erik Ask-Upmark First published 2008 Nordic Tradition Publications Öslöv 45, SE-241 92 Eslöv, Sweden [email protected]

Cover photo by Anna Rynefors

All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced without the writt en permission of the publisher. Second edition ©2009 Nordic Tradition Publications www.nordictradition.com/harpbook www.nordictradition.com www.myspace.com/erikaskupmark www.draam.com Contents

Introduction...... 4 Skomakarpolska/Shoemaker’s Polska...... 6 Evighetspolskan/Th e Eternal Polska...... 8 Koral från Seglora/Chorale from Seglora...... 9 Polska aft er Juringius...... 10 Fingersträckarn/Th e Finger Stretcher...... 11 Öppningspolskor (I)/Opening polskas (I)...... 12 Öppningspolskor (II)/Opening polskas (II)...... 13 Vallvisa/Herding song...... 14 Valltrall/Herding lilt...... 15 Skebergslåten...... 16 Blekingar (I)...... 17 Blekingar (II)...... 18 Allôr e’rô å allôr bir’o...... 20 Himlens polska/Heaven’s polska...... 22 Jag minnes dig/I remember you...... 23 Blomgren...... 24 Norsk brudmarsch/Norwegian Bridal March...... 26 Melodies for other instruments, chords, and more information about the music...... 30 About Erik...... 37 Bibliography...... 38 Discography...... 39 Introduction

Welcome to this collection of Nordic music for the Celtic harp! Here you’ll fi nd arrangements of 17 tunes from the Nordic sphere (15 Swedish, one Finnish and one Norwegian), all taken from the traditional repertoire mostly associated with the fi ddle and the Nyckelharpa. Most of the tunes come from my diff erent CDs (see a complete discography in the back) but some are included as teaching tunes and some are general “session” tunes; stay tuned for vol. 2 which will feature many more of these!

I should mention that these are not precise transcriptions of what I play on the CDs; when I play there is a large amount of improvisation involved and some of it would be very hard to recreate as sheet music paper aft erwards. Th e Swedish folk music tradition is mainly an oral one; and the idea of a sp ecifi c arrangement set in stone is very alien to the spirit of Nordic folk music. Instead, I invite you to see these arrangements as suggestions to get yourself started in experimenting with what works or not. As always when playing traditional music, it’s very important not to lose track of the “real thing”—the actual melodies being played! Today, thanks to CDs, MP3s etc, fi nding good music to listen to is not that hard any more, and notation—no matt er how good—can never make up for hearing a live musician.

When you fl ip through this book, you will notice that quite a few tunes are called something with “polska” in the name. If you’re new to Nordic music, maybe it isn’t entirely clear what a “polska” actually is. Th is is not the place to provide an in- depth discussion about Swedish folk music, but let me nevertheless provide a brief presentation of the polska (pronounced “poll-ska”). It is a partner dance in 3/4-time (technically the same as the waltz, but VERY diff erent!) and arguably the most popular of all Sweden’s traditional dances. Th e origins go back to the early 1600s, when everything Polish and European was very popular in Sweden (and so was waging lots of wars there...). Th e great exchange that took place between Swedish and Central European musicians resulted in a new dance—the polska. Today, we have hundreds of unique variations throughout Sweden—and more in Norway, Denmark and Finland as well. It is possible to divide the Swedish polska into three main categories:

• Th e “eight-note polska” (“ått ondelspolska”) or simply polska that we fi nd throughout the country, but probably with its strongest roots in the regions of Dalarna and Hälsingland in central Sweden. Here, uniquely styled versions can be distinguished in communities only a few miles apart, like the Bodapolska, Bingsjöpolska, Orsapolska etc. Th e basic rhythm is always tapped with the feet while playing, usually on the fi rst and the third beat (so you end up with a charact eristic “dumm – da, dumm – da, dumm – da” rhythm, not unlike the heartbeat. Th is basically simple rhythm then varies in complexity from not-so-complex to mind-bogglingly-complex! Examples in this book include “Valltrall/Herding Lilt” (page 15) and “Allôr e’rô å allôr bir’o” (page 20), but the vast majority of tunes herein are slängpolskas.

• Slängpolska, also known as “sixteenth-note-polska” (“sextondelspolska”), is typically played and danced in a smooth way and even rhythm. You fi nd it predominantly in the south and east of Sweden, with Småland and Skåne in the south being the main slängpolska areas (but it certainly exists in the west as well, most notably in Västergötland). Th e dance is still in 3/4 rhythm and the emphasis can be both at the “1-3” beat like the eight-note polska, but more commonly evenly distributed over each bar, so you would tap just as strongly on each beat (1-2-3). In extreme slängpolskas this leads to the 3/4-rhythm being very subtle, sometimes feeling more like a simple “1-to-a-bar” walking rhythm. Oft en you fi nd an under-division leading to a “2-against-3” feeling; that is, a 2/4-rhythm going at the same time as the basic 3/4-rhyhtm. Don’t worry, it sounds more complicated than it is! You have to experience and play it (and preferably dancing it as well) to get the hang of it. Typical examples here would be “Blekingar”, “Juringius” and “Blomgren”. “Heaven’s polska” is one of those tunes that can be played in either way.

• Triolpolska, or “triplet polska”. Th is style is most common in the mountainous west ern sections of the provinces bordering Norway: Värmland, west ern Dalarna, Jämtland and Härjedalen. It is generally a very quick and vigorous dance and the closest thing we have to the jig in Sweden. I’ve left off the triplet polskas for the next, more advanced collection, as they can be prett y daunting on the harp.

So why then, have I kept mostly to slängpolskas in this collection? Well, in part because frankly that’s the tradition I’m most immersed in, and also because it is geared towards newcomers to the Swedish tradition, and I think this is the most accessible way in. On the next page we’ll discuss the sp ecifi cs of the polska rhyhtm some more.

4 ÖppningspolskorÖppningspolskor (II) • Opening (2)polskas (II)

Polska from Småland aft er Bernt Olsson, Malmköping

D œ œ œ b 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ. ? 3 Ç. Ç. œ. œJ œ œ b 4 Ç. Ç. J

1. 2. œ j b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ j . œ ‰ œ & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ ? œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ ‰ œ. œ. œ ‰ œ Ç . œ Ç b J J J Ç Ç

œ œ œ œ œ œ & b . . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ œ Ç ? . ‰ ‰ ‰ Ç b œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ œ

1. 2. œ œ œ œ j & b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ repeat adœ Çlib, last time go to « œ. œ. œ ? œ. œ œ œ œ j œ Ç . œ Ç b J œ œ œ. œ œ Ç . Ç rit. « Ç b j œ œ œ œ œ œ ÇÇ & œ œ œ Ç œ ? b œ œ œ Ç

Polska aft er Pers Erik Olsson Allär(1912-1983), är äRätt vik-Östbjörka / Dalarna

intro, freely # # 3 Œ‰. œœ œ Ç œ œœ œ œ œ œ & 4 œ œœ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ç. Ç. Ç. Ç. Ç. Ç. ? # 3 ÇÇ. ÇÇ. ÇÇ. ÇÇ. ÇÇ. Ç œ # 4 Ç œ œ

A D # j # . œ . & . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ç ? # œ œ. œ œ. œ # . œ. œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ œ œ . œ. J J œ

# j & # . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ ? ## . œ ‰ œ. ‰ œ J œ œ œ œ J œ. œ

# œ & # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ Ç

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ? ## œ œ ‰ œ œ œ Ç . œ œ J œ œ œ œ Ç B j œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & # . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ç .

D j œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ. œœœ œ œ œ œ & c ‰ œ œ œ. J œ œ œœ. J œ. J œ œ Ç œ œ œ

simile œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœ œ ? c œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ

. œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ. œœœ œ œ œ œ & œ. J œ œ J œ. J œ œ Ç œ œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ? œœ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ Ç œ œ œ Ç

œ. œ Ç œ œ œ œ œ œ. œœœ œ. œ œ œ œ œ œ & J J J œ w œ œ

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ? œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ç œ œ œ

Jag minnes dig var morgon solen tänder / Sitt klara ljus och lyser världen opp II: Min tanke städse blott till dig sig vänder / Till dig som var min vän, min tröst, mitt hopp :II

Jag minnes dig när middagssolen strålar / Och sänder värme, liv och ljus och fröjd II: Mitt hjärta dig i kärleksfärger målar / Och suckar sänder emot himlens höjd :II

Jag minnes dig när aft onen sig sänker / Och sveper oss uti sin slöja in II: men natt ens tystnad mig ej lugnet skänker / Jag minnes dig den tid då du var min :II

I remember you when the sun lights / Its clear light and shines upon the world II: My thoughts always go to you / To you, who were my friend, my solace and my hope :II

I remember you when the midday sun beams / And sends warmth, life, light and delight II: My heart paints you in love’s colours / And sends a sigh towards the heavens :II

I remember you when the sun is sett ing / And dusk pull s down its dark veil II: but the silent night does not calm me / I remember the time when you were mine :II

Arrangement © 2008 Erik Ask-Upmark 23 Blekingar (II) Polska aft er Johannes Erlanson, Hall and D A œ œ ## 3 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ D Bm GA D ## œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ç . & œ . D A Bm GA # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ & D A Bm GA D œ # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ç & # œ œ I won’t even try to explain the nomenclature here (it’s explained in my CD!), suffi ce it to say that Bleking is just another name for slängpolska. Look out for the C natural in the bass in this arrangement! On the second tune I scaled down on some notes in the second part (as seen above in the alternate bar) that work fi ne on the fi ddle but tend to be a litt le “too much” on the harp.

Allôr e’rô å allôr bir’o Polska aft er Pers Erik Olsson, Dalarna DABm A GA ## 3 . & 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ç DBm GA G 1. A 2.AD # j # . œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ . & œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ Ç Behind this cryptic and diacritically replete title, hides one of my all-time-favourite tunes. Th e full song name is “Allôr e’rô å allôr bir’o, så rôli’ som när man går på vall” which in the dialect rätt viksmål (Rätt vik tongue) means “It never is, and never will be so wonderful, as when we go herding”. Don’t worry—not many Swedes outside of Rätt vik would understand the title either... Remember that “short fi rst beat” we talked about in the introduction? Well, that doesn’t apply on this tune—just keep a good, steady beat, fi rmly emphasizing the fi rst and third beat (as always!).

Jag minnes dig • I remember you Love song aft er August Strömberg, Småland Am Dm E sus4 FG6 Am j j & c ‰ j œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œœ jœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ Ç œ œ œ F GAm FG6 1. Am 2. Am . j j . & . œ. œ œ œ œ œ. œœ jœ œ . œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ Ç œ œ œ w And back to the melancholy again, in a truly brooding love song! It has been said of Sweden that the national pastime is “cultivating regret”, and while I don’t agree completely with this, it does capture the feelings spot on in this song!