A Brief Introduction To Traditional Norwegian Music

Traditional Norwegian music (or Norwegian folk music; known in Norwegian as norsk folkemusikk) has quite a long history, dating back to the Viking Age in Norway during the Early Middle Ages. Noteworthy historical sources indicating details about musical activity in Norway are represented by the sagas or archaeological finds. An important old Norwegian folk instrument is the lur, a long blowing horn which is very similar to the Alphorn. The lur is also similar to other blowing horns found in other important mountainous areas of Europe such as the Carpathian Mountains in Central-Eastern Europe or the Pyrenees in the Iberian peninsula. Another very important traditional/folk Norwegian instrument is the Hardanger fiddle (i.e. Hardingfele in Norwegian) which is a stringed instrument very similar to the violin. The Hardanger fiddle is a musical instrument commonly found in southwestern and central Norway and plays a very important part in many traditional Norwegian songs. In addition to the lur and Hardanger fiddle, bukkehorn is also a widely known and used musical instrument. Other important traditional Norwegian musical instruments are sjøfløyte and tussefløyte, two types of flutes. Norwegian folk music is also performed during traditional Norwegian folk dances known as lausdans or halingdans.

Norwegian folk music has been influenced by the picturesque and beautiful natural landscapes of Norway as well as by the Norwegian folklore and its supernatural creatures (e.g. fossegrimen, water spirits who dwell in or near waterfalls). Here you can see such an example of a very beautiful and picturesque natural landscape in Norway in Steinsdalsfossen, Norheimsund. Photo credits: Tobias Tullius. Image source: www.unsplash.com

Two notable Norwegian folk bands are Bukkene Bruse (called after a Norwegian folk story De Tre Bukkene Bruse or The Three Billy Goats Gruff, part of the volume Norske Folkeeventyr or Norwegian Folk Stories in translation by Norwegian folk collectors and authors Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Moe) and Tiriltunga. Other important Norwegian folk music bands and artists are Folque (a Norwegian folk-rock band), Erik Bye, Øystein Romtveit, Agnes Buen Garnås, Sinikka Langeland, Ingebjør Sørbøen, Kurt Foss, Harald Foss, Helene Bøksle, Egil Storbekken and his band, Tolga-Tusseladdene. Norwegian folk music also influenced renowned jazz and jazz fusion saxophonist Jan Garbarek.

A black and white photograph of a hardingfele, a very important musical instrument in Norwegian folk music as well as a very important cultural and artistic symbol of Norway. Photographed by
Narve Skarpmoen. Image source: National Library of Norway via Wikimedia Commons

Below you can listen to several Norwegian folk songs from Gudbrandsdalen (one of the most picturesque regions in Norway), in a very beautiful compilation on YouTube. I truly hope you’ll like listening to this compilation as much as I do. I have been listening to this one for quite some time.

• Music of Norway on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
• Norsk folkemusikk on www.wikipedia.org (in Norwegian Bokmål)
• norsk folkemusikk on www.snl.no (Store Norske Leksikon/The Great Norwegian Encyclopedia)
• Lur on www.snl.no (Store Norske Leksikon/The Great Norwegian Encyclopedia)
• Bukkehorn on www.snl.no (Store Norske Leksikon/The Great Norwegian Encyclopedia)
• Hardingfele on www.snl.no (Store Norske Leksiokon/The Great Norwegian Encyclopedia)
• Sjøfløyte on www.snl.no (Store Norske Leksiokon/The Great Norwegian Encyclopedia)
• Tussefløyte on www.snl.no (Store Norske Leksiokon/The Great Norwegian Encyclopedia)
• Hardanger Fiddle: A Historic Musical Instrument From Fjord Norway on www.lifeinnorway.net