User:McLennonSon/sandbox/pols/springar

NOTE: This is a script i'm planning for an essay, I might reuse a lot of this in related wikipedia articles, but i just love the formatting of wikipedia so i'm just doing it here

script
As a wise friend of mine said, “You ain’t got balls if you can’t dance pols.”



The Pols and Springar is a family of related folk dances in Norway. Its first documented uses are from manuscripts from the 1700’s, where these are indicated Polonaise (or variations in spelling thereof). [Egeland 2016]

The rhythm and music of these dances are most often defined by what district they are from, and the rhythm is most often the defining factor to differentiate these local variations. The districts mostly correspond to how they were since the Viking ages.

Almost all of the local variations of the dance music has ristetak. This can be translated to “shake-bow”, but in essence is referring to the bowed triplet in the pieces. Ristetak are most often used to define the end of a phrase. According to tradition, Jørn Hilme (1778-1854) is the one who introduced the ristetak to this family of dances. A story about Jørn Hilme and a finn named Hjorte-Jo in Borgund, which he met after leaving the autumn market in Lærdalsøyri can be interpreted as a folkloric explanation of the origins of the ristetak and the many tunings that Hilme used in his playing.


 * Gjetordet gjekk at ein finne heitte Hjorte-Jo, og som budde saman med ei heks av ei kjerring i ei fillehytte øvst på Borgund i Lærdal - like uppunder fjellet. [...] Jørn hadde vore på Lærdalsmarknaden, og no på heimturen vilde han, som ung, ihuga spelmann, freista å få han Hjorte-Jo ut med kunstene sine. [...] Den natti lærde Jørn dei kunstene som seinare gjorde han til meisterspelmann. Han lærde slåttar, og han lærde å trolla av strengene for medtevlarane og mange andre kunster. Etter den tidi fekk han dei underlege felestille som gav spelet hans slik ein dårande, duld dåm — 21 — i alt, og etter den tidi hadde han dei trollske kast med bogen som ingen — ikkje ein gong Myllaren — kunde gjera han etter. «Jørn tok ristetaki aggarhendis,» sa dei gamle. D.v.s. han tok dei vrangaste triolvik med like villt flog både fram og attende.

The writer Knut Hermundstad, in the same journal adds this quote which he had from Gamle Henrik Før on Leira.


 * Slikt spel hadde han Jørn aldri høyrt. «Ner du spela, ska du leta bøgin bufsa, men slepp ikkji strengjo!» skulde mannen ha sagt. Men denne kunsti kunde vel Jørn før.

English translation (include in closed captions)


 * There was a reputation about a finn named Hjorte-Jo, who lived with a witch of a woman in a worn down cabin on the mountain-side in Borgund [...] Jørn had been on Lærdalsmarknaden, and on the road home, as a young dedicated fiddler, he wanted to learn the witchcraft that Hjorte-Jo had. [...] That night, Jørn learned the arts that made him a master fiddler. He learned tunes, and to magically break the strings of his competitors, and many other arts. After that time he got the weird tunings that gave him a mystical sound - 21 in all, and after that time he had the trollish technique with the bow that no one - not even Myllaren - could replicate. «Jørn played the ristetak backwards,» the elder people said.

The writer Knut Hermundstad, in the same journal adds this quote which he had from Gamle Henrik Før on Leira.


 * Jørn had never heard this kind of fiddling «When you’re playing, you should let the bow sprint, but don’t let go of the strings!», [Hjorte-Jo] reportedly said. But supposedly Jørn knew this art before.

The rhythm

 * Dubbeltòki i harding-spele hev Myllaren vidka ut. Samljodande spel var ukjent til kalle, fyri honom. Spelemennane fyrr spela eingjengt og einljoda; han tok til med tviljodi, og daa visst med kvævetonane. “I spili sitt tok ’n paa fleire strengjir mæ ei gaang. De va’ sòleis ’n fekk nòko kvævetonar som ìnkji are fær” (Olav Leirlid).


 * ''I takti kom au Myllaren med noko nytt. Han er skaparen av den springar-takti dei no hev i Telemarki, og som nettupp hev gjevi springaren de rette springar-lage. Utan-um Telemarki og Hardang, der dei hev Myllar-takt i spele, hev springaren meir svip av polsdansen. DIfor kallar dei au springaren pols sume stadir (Sunnmør, Trøndelag, Gundbrandsdalen). So var springar-takti i Telemarki au fyrr, fyri 1830. Den tribytte takti vart daa trampa med eit tungt og eit langt (punktera) slag, i di at dei tvo seinste slògi liksom var samandregne til halvt-anna, og etter dette kom $1/8$ upphald (pause); denne takti var daa aalmenn i Numedal, Hallingdal og vidare aust-yvi. Ettersom taktslògi lydde daa, kunde ein mest kalle de: lett, tung, daa dei samandregne slògi lydde som eit langt. Myllar-takti er: tung, tung (eller: mindre tung), lett.


 * Alt paa Voss vert takti annarleis, um lag so: tung lett, tung (eller: mindre tung) i forslage og danselage.

Where is the downbeat in Østerdalen?
Throughout the years of academic research on the subject of the music of Østerdalen, no-one is quite sure where the border between short-3 and short-1 goes in Østerdalen. As Grundsetmartnan was one of the biggest markets for both Østerdalen and Røros in Gauldal, Sverre Halbakken argues that the communication between the Røros region influenced northern parts Østerdalen to adapt to a short-1 groove. The Røros-influence was further enforced after the railway through Østerdalen to Røros was finished in 1877.

The first notated exaample of the short-3 groove was first documented in a notebook from 1786 by Gunnar Persson in Eda, Värmland in Sweden. The groove was also documented in Åmot in 1862 by Arne Nielsen Thingstad (1797-1877), who played both fiddle and organ in the area. He wrote down traditional and self-composed tunes and sent them to Ludvig Mathias Lindeman, who published and arranged them in Ældre og nyere norske Fjeldmelodier (1853–1863). This groove was also documented in Aurskog-Høland by Anders Heyerdal (1832-1918), who documented it in a collection of tunes from 1856-1861 and a book called Urskogs Beskrivelse from 1882.

In Ole Mørk Sandvik's publication of Østerdalsmusikken, he wrote in the introduction that Østerdalen indeed had a short-3 groove, but in all of his transcriptions they were written with short-1. Why he did this is unknown, but as his work later became important to all later folk-music research, he had influenced later generations of musicians in Østerdalen.

Torvald Rugsveen (1886-1996) from Øvre Rendal claimed the area south of Tolga, Os and Røros has the short-3 groove. The fiddler Ingjald Hoel claimed that also Alvdal, Folldal and Tynset has a short-1 groove, and that they were called "Springleik", as in the rest of Gudbrandsdalen. The area is also affected by the fact that the Copper Works in Folldal were bought up by the Copper Works in Røros in 1826. Sæta quotes Halbakken's claim that Våler in Solør, Western Trysil, Åmot and Ytre Rendal have a shared tradition, but it seems Sæta misinterpreted this to refer to the northernmost border of the short-3 area. These claims support the area which Halbakken's book from 1997 covers.

With that said, the only real answer can be heard in the music. (mine strenger)

Krødsherad, like Østerdalen, was also a region with disagreements about the downbeat. In Truls Ørpen's transcriptions of the tunes from Krødsherad, he consequently writes the triplet-phrase (traditionally on the shortest beat) as the down-beat, even though he describes the groove as having a short 3rd beat. Omholt concludes that the triplet-phrase was before the down-beat, but the groove and dance was in symmetrical time.

Markets
The yearly markets (also known in Norwegian as Martnan (North-Eastern dialects) or Marken (southern dialects), were important meeting places for folk musicians, and are in most sources described as places where the music evolved the most. The most significant markets are listed here;


 * Branes (in Drammen) - from the first Tuesday until Friday in February, from 1739.
 * Grundset (in Elverum) - in March from ca. 1580.
 * Kongsberg - Started a week from Candlemas, i.e. February 9. 4 days in February and September, from 1633.
 * Kristiania (today Oslo)
 * Lærdalsøyri - Started 8 days from Michaelmas Day, i.e. October 7-11. Legally from 1876, but in practice much older.
 * Romsdal (in Devoll in Rauma, later moved to Veblungsnes from 1820) - October 6-14, from 1533.
 * Røldal - originally 8 days from the first Tuesday after Saint John's Eve, but was moved after royal resolution to the third Tuesday after Saint John's Eve in 1756.
 * Røros - 4 days from the second last Tuesday in February, legally from 1854, but in practice much older.
 * Vikøyri - around Michaelmas
 * Hardinghelgi (in Åmyri in Rauland) - lasted 3 days, began 14 after Saint John's Eve, i.e. 7-9 July.

Looking at the facts that there was a significant market in Røldal, and on the other side of Røldalsvatnet in Botnen lived Isak and Nils Botnen - it's not unlikely to assume that the spread of the Hardanger fiddle and its music was so closely knit to this market and the other markets around the country. Also weird, is that by following the river from Røldalsvatnet south we arrive at Suldal, which is where the arguably most archaic tradition has survived. this is not true

The oldest dated Hardanger fiddle is Jaastadfela, which dates from 1651, but its history may have begun with contact with the British isles. Other fiddles with resonance strings in the British Isles were made from the beginning of the latter half of the 1500s, which many believe is inspired by Sarangi. The first documented mention of Sarangi is believed to be from 1052, and is first reported to be brought to Europe in 1500s. Bjørn Aksdal also makes a point about the timber trade between the British isles and Western Norway in this period, and that the core of the Western Norwegian timber trade was in Hardanger.

DDAE
medelpad nr 62 hälsingland gästrikland 276, 380, 447 gudbrandsdalen

EEAE
medelpad nr 81

FCAE
Friaren by John Dale from Valdres andris rysstad's form of frøyraken is written down in this tuning but after consulting recordings it seems unlikely

Most famous example is Kivlemøyane after Gibøen, which consists of a gangar, and two springars

telemark nordfjord

FDAE
gorrlaus hälsingland gästrikland 266 setesdal, rammeslått gudbrandsdalen valdres for the tunes Tassen, Huldrelått recorded by Okshovd. Grihamaren Sæta writes there are 5 polsk-tunes from Rendal on this tuning, but only three have seen publication.

FFAE
medelpad 120 hälsingland gästrikland 263, 268-272

martinus helgesen

F#C#AE
dalarna 704

In Nordfjord, Jon Rosenlid used this tuning for the "Kølagut"-tunes, otherwise on the FCAE tuning.

F#DAE
In Gudbrandsdalen, the waltzes "Kort-Sanden" and "Kristen Vang" are on this tuning, and lost tunes after Blind-Marit include "Jomfru-slåttane" and "Tjorristaren".

GCAE
Sumarkveld i Jotunheimen by John Dahle

setesdal telemark voss

GDGE
Only known from one springar called Klunkespringaren from Sunnfjord.

GDAB
valdres

GDAD
medelpad 233 hälsingland gästrikland 381 svartufsen, halling-jorån by groven

hardanger voss sogn hordaland sunnfjord setesdal numedal hallingdal telemark valdres gudbrandsdalen

GDAE
Makes up 11% of the tunes in Hardingfeleverket. røros

ACAE
brønnslåtten by groven

ACAD
sumarmorgon by groven

ADF#A
Erling Kjøk composed a tune of his own called "Klunkarhallingen" on this tuning.

ADF#E
hardanger telemark valdres nordfjord In Gudbrandsdalen, only known from "Gjermundhallingen" and a springleik from Torgeir Olstads sheet music collection.

ADGD/HEAE
This tuning is mysteriously only represented with one tune from each district, being Medelpad 8, setesdal, Røros., Nordfjord. It's mentioned in Erling Kjøk's list of tunings in Gudbrandsdalen, likely because the tune from Nordfjord is titled after "Loms-Jakup" from Lom in Gudbrandsdalen.

This tuning was used for the slått cycle by Torkjell Haugerud with the compositions "Tårån i Troppine", "Glima i Rupedalen" and "Ljose-Signe i Bindingsnuten". The first piece, "Tårån" is in B♭DGD, and the rest are in ADGD. They were originally in HEAE, which in essence is the same as the latter tuning. Which is after a fairytale about three gýgjar named Tårån, Glima and Signe. Torkjell Haugerud's father-in-law Sigurd Nes wrote a poem about the fairytale called "Draum", and Torkjell wrote the cycle of three lydarslåttar after the fairytale and poems. Sigurd Nes was also part of helping Haugerud reconstruct the Leiv Sandsdalen form of "Kivlemøyane" on the tuning AEAC#.

ADAC#
Førnesbrunen after Ola Bernos??

ADAD
medelpad 157

våryra by groven fan på øltunna Andreas Hauge valdres. Transferred from Langeleik slått from his mother. tussepols after hilmar alexandersen

ADAE
Makes up 81% of the tunes in Hardingfeleverket. røros

AEAB
Hardanger

AEAC#
medelpad 38, 110, 111, 159, 195 hälsingland gästrikland 150-152, 735-737, 793 røros

misspelling aeac?? anmarkrud means this is an error but bjørndal wrote both a tune and the book about it soooo, hordaland setesdal voss rogaland sogn telemark jondalen valdres hallingdal nordfjord gudbrandsdalen

AEAD
medelpad 155

AEAE
medelpad 33, 86, 132-134, 145, 146, 269 (7 av dei i anmarkrud?) hälsingland gästrikland 123, 163, 322, 388 røros sogn telemark sunnfjord setesdal hallingdal valdres numedal gudbrandsdalen nordfjord

AFAE
medelpad 34

BbDGD
Only used for the composition "Tårån i Troppine" by Torkjell Haugerud, which is part of the trilogy with "Glima" and "Ljose-Signe.

BbDAD
Only documented in one tune from Sunnmøre, after Per Bolstad.

BbDAE
medelpad 1, 11, 14, 15, 39, 40 Erling Kjøk from Gudbrandsdalen had a tune named "Bolstadspringleiken hass Alfred Bismo" on this tuning.

BbFAE
medelpad 9

CFAE
Only one Norwegian tune on this tuning, from Sogn. Reportedly after Anders Haga.

medelpad 31, 83, 84, 87

Literature
Page numbers are indicated with "p.". When not written it refers to the tune's number in its respective book.


 * Norsk Folkemusikk
 * Series I; Slåttar for the Harding Fiddle
 * Series II; Slåttar for the Normal Fiddle
 * Series II; Slåttar for the Normal Fiddle
 * Series II; Slåttar for the Normal Fiddle
 * Series II; Slåttar for the Normal Fiddle
 * Series II; Slåttar for the Normal Fiddle
 * Series II; Slåttar for the Normal Fiddle
 * Series II; Slåttar for the Normal Fiddle
 * Series II; Slåttar for the Normal Fiddle