Surprisingly little information can be found on the Forsströmsson sisters. Ulla and Britt were their names and they hailed from Mörrum in the region of Blekinge. A magazine feature from the period shows that they were performing in the 1980s. Most likely, they were active as musicians earlier too. This track is based on a polska of theirs. I composed additional material, to make it a four minute song. I also did the harmonization and composed all parts except for the main melody.

Systrarna Forsströmsson (The Forsströmsson sisters)

This old herding tune was played by Jan-Erik Hammarberg in Hörken, Västmanland. He learned it from his father who had heard an old lady sing it. It was documented for posterity in 1930. Unfortunately, the name of the lady who sang it is unknown. This kind of tune was sung/played on the fäbod, to call the cattle home. Can't you just hear the cows moo on this one? I added  material to make it a full track and play the melody and two other parts on my Berglund Instruments NuEVI. The illustration shows a lineman's cottage on the narrow gauge railway Hörken – Neva. While posing for the photographer, the lineman and his family could hear this tune in the distance, from the nearby fäbod.

Vallåt från Hörken (Herding in Hörken)

This track is based on a polska played by Maria Sohlberg (1886 – 1973) from Munkedal, Bohuslän. She had become a respected fiddle player and attended the national meeting for folk musicians (riksspelmansstämman) in Stockholm already in 1910. This tune was documented in the ”Svenska låtar” (Swedish tunes) book series. It's tune number 58 in the volume covering Halland and Bohuslän. I'ts also called ”Gustavsbergens polska”. Svenska låtar is a huge collection of Swedish folk music that was printed in 24 volumes. The material was collected and documented during the period 1908 – 1940. Maria Sohlberg contributed no less than fifteen tunes to this series.
My recording adds my own harmonization and instrumental parts, effectively everything except the main melody. The illustration shows a train on the little narrow gauge railway at Munkedal around the turn of the century.

Polska efter Maria Sohlberg

Lisa Holm learned this lovely song in her youth, from a friend who served at the Urshult vicarage, in Småland. According to my calculations, this must have been around 1850. Unfortulately, I haven't found much information on this Lisa Holm. All I know is she sang and was daughter to folk musician Sven Spel-Nisse Nilsson. While Lisa used to sing and this tune is marked as a song (”visa”) in the original manuscript, there are no lyrics.
As usual, I play the lead on my Berglund Instruments NuEVI. I also play some electric guitar and a lot of synth. I did my own harmonization plus added instrumental parts. 
The illustration shows a part of the Urshult vicarage but is based on a photo showing the structure as rebuilt in 1920. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a photo from the 19th century.

Visa från Urshult (Song from Urshult)

A demo of sound from the Bergfotron Super Syncussion

SAS20 SSY1

The mining tune is a polska – the most common type of traditional Swedish dance tune. It was played by Spel-Stina, one of the very few female fiddlers in the 19th century, who became famous and had their music documented for posterity. Her real name was Anna-Kajsa Norman (1820 – 1903) and she was from Torsåker, Gästrikland.
The main theme (the original tune) is played on EVI by me. I composed the organ, bass and drum parts and did the harmonization. All sounds are from Swedish synths (Nord Modular G2, Nord Electro 3). Drums are from Swedish drum plug-in EzDrummer 2.

Gruvlåten (the mining tune)

This track is based on an old herding tune. They were usually played by women – on horn – for calling the cows home. This one was played by Anders Frisell in Mockfjärd, Dalarna, who probably had learned it from his mother or grandmother. The tune was documented for the archives in 1908 but is most likely much older.

Since herding tunes are generally rather short, I have composed an additional section to the melody. I play the melody on my EVI. All sounds except drums are from the Nord Modular G2, using patches I have programmed myself. All parts except a part of the lead melody (see above)are composed by me.

Vallåt på bockhorn (herding tune on buck horn)

This track is based on three tunes that were entered in a musician's competition in Sundsvall 1916 by Beda Bergfors. She was described as a farmer's daughter from Indal, Medelpad and was 22 years old at the time. Since she had the same last name as me, it is a possibility that we might be relatives. My father's family is supposed to be from Forsmo, which is around 100 km further north, so not very likely but possible.
Beda entered six tunes in the competition but I used the three best. To round it off, I composed a bridge. I play the lead on my Berglund Instruments NuEVI. The sounds are from a Nord Modular G2 and a Nord Electro 3. Drums are Toontrack EzDrummer. These are all Swedish products and I'm Swedish too, so this is an all-Swedish production.

Flickan som trampade på brödet (The girl who stepped on the bread)

Knagg Brita Andersdotter bought her cow horn in 1837. She was later regarded as one of the best cow horn players in Dalecarlia. She used to play the herding tune that is the main theme of this track. Since herding tunes are quite short, I composed additional melodies to go with it.
As usual, I play the lead on my NuEVI. Sounds are from the Nord Modular G2, Nord Electro 3 and Toontrack EzDrummer.

Knagg Britas vallåt (Knagg Brita's herding tune)

This track is based on a polska from the repertoire of Kings Selma Olofsdotter.
Her father and the rest of the family were musicians. The world famous painter Anders Zorn made a painting of the entire family. Later, Kings Selma stood model for a couple of Zorn's paintings. As payment for this, Zorn gave her a fiddle. She played this and other tunes on that fiddle, among other times when Zorn used to arrange dance evenings for the youth at Gopshus.
The tune is in 9/8 time and frequently three notes are played on two beats of the basic rhythm. This polyrhythm gives the track character. All synth sounds are played on the Nord Modular G2 and programmed from scratch for this song. Melodies are hand played on the Berglund Instruments NuEVI wind controller.

Polska efter Kings Selma

This is a walking tune. Basically, it's the same thing as a march, but not in military style. It was documented in 1952, performed by Katrina Lundstedt (1876-1962) who hailed from Ölsjön, Hassela, Hälsingland. Her father was one of Sweden's most proficient fiddlers but back in those days, it was uncommon for women to play the fiddle. Instead, Katrina was diddling (traditional Swedish scat singing) the fiddle tunes and soon mastered even the most difficult ones.
As usual, only Swedish synths were used in my version. I played the lead on the Berglund Instruments NuEVI, triggering a Nord Modular G2.

Stormarschen (The great march)

This is Swedish folk music from the 1880's. In my version, I updated it to the folk music of the 1980's: Synth pop.
The tune is from Henrik Åsberg, who had got it from Staffan Venngren, who had got it from his uncle Jan Venngren. The uncle played at the midsummer dance in Österbybruk, Uppland 21 years in a row. It's unknown if he played this tune all those years. It's a waltz but maybe my version is a little too slow for dancing.

Lazarus

Tullitova is a nonsense word, like ”hey baberiba”. This track is based on a tune from Morkarlby, Dalecarlia. It's after Anders Otter (born 1877), who probably had learned it from his grandmother, who had heard Knagg Brita blow her horn.
There is lyrics on the original manuscript, but it's written in ancient dialect with bad handwriting. Not a good combination. After finishing recording, I had another go at trying to decipher the lyrics. The story is about a twelve man strong band of thugs, vandalizing the fäbod (mountain pasture). They ruined the big axe, killed the herding dog and scared the critter far out in the woods. The herding girl realizes that they will go after her next. What a horrible story! 
It was probably just as well, that I found out the meaning of the lyrics after finishing recording, because in my version it's a somewhat cheerful uptempo track and I like it that way. I suppose I was misled by the whimsical ”tullitova”. 
Except for drums, Mellotron and Rhodes piano, all sounds are from the Bergfotron MiniStorm – an analog synth I designed and built myself.

Tullitovalåten (The tullitova tune)

This track is based on two tunes from Elsa Siljebo (1916 – 2009), who lived way up north in Fredrika, Lappland. I guess you could call this progressive folk music, since Dansa liten piga (Dance little maid) is the most rhythmically complex Swedish folk tune I've come across. You might wonder if the little maid really was able to dance to this. I combined it with Elsa's tune Klockarpolskan (The bellringer polska), which combines a triplet rhythm with long-short and an occasional short-long. But most of all, it's a lovely tune.
I play the lead on my NuEVI, which triggers the MiniStorm – an analog synth I have designed and built myself. The sound is inspired by the traditional Swedish spelpipa (playing pipe, a sort of recorder) – although the spelpipa can't play portamento, of course... The MiniStorm also plays bass and the rest of the sounds (including drums) are from the Nord Modular G2.

Dansa liten piga (Dance little maid)

With two old herding tunes as basis, I made this track using the Reason Europa softsynth. The tunes are from Åmot in Gästriklands finnmark and used to be played by Anna Ersdotter on cowhorn around 1840.
All sounds are from Reason Europa and I programmed all of them myself, from scratch. The lead melodies are played on my Berglund Instruments NuEVI wind controller (using a Europa sound).

Bergfotron

Popular tracks