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Author Topic: Melodeon tunes from Iceland  (Read 2509 times)

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Sage Herb

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Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« on: October 24, 2014, 11:35:36 AM »

I received the following message, via Rod Stradling, from Chris Foster (with whose music many of you will be familiar):

"I have recently acquired an archive recording of an Icelandic squeezebox player, Einar Kristján Einarsson. I’m not sure when it was recorded, probably 1960’s at a guess.  There is also a fiddle player, Garðar Jakobsson, on a few tunes.  The music sounds as if it’s the sort of 19th century Danish dance music that came here [to Iceland] with squeezeboxes and fiddles in the 19th century.  This part of traditional music has been largely ignored here (even more than the older vocal traditions that we have been more focused on) because it has been regarded as ‘not really Icelandic’.  As a result, recordings like this are not exactly thick on the ground and are definitely underrepresented in the archive records. I'm sending you this link so that you can have a listen.  In particular I am interested to see if any of my more 'tune orientated' acquaintances recognise any of the tunes. Please feel free to pass the link around to anybody you think might be interested.  I’d be glad of all and any feedback I can get."
 
Chris has given me permission to post his message and link (below) on Melnet. I recognised only one tune (a version of Soldiers's Joy) but others may do better. If you do recognise any of the material, please post replies here and I will make sure that Chris is kept informed. But you might enjoy the music anyway; certainly there are a couple of tunes that I shall learn.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fahcjq8h78r43lo/V2dYwxRXu6

cheers
Steve
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Robert Tromp

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2014, 10:44:43 PM »

Sounds just like gammeldans musik from Sweden or Norway.

Robert
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TomB

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2014, 12:48:58 AM »

Why have you titled this 'melodeon tunes', the instrument playing sounds nothing like a melodeon that I've ever heard. Possibly a CBA?
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2014, 07:52:40 AM »

Track 26 stirred a memory here. I believe I heard it in Holland in 1969, more or less when I met Chris, a folk camper in those days

I "think" it was more probably a tune at the winter NEVO dance course than something on a Dutch dance floor. Our Scandi teacher was Bo Peterson of Malmö, and he did nearly as much Danish as Swedish stuff (which is how I learned 'Swedish' Masquarade to be a Danish dance! ;)

But it is a rather distant memory! It "could" still be Dutch, though seems unlikely?  I got to Iceland 3 years back and looked for their folk music but found none in my week there. Got an impression that there was more on in their long, long summer.  :|glug
« Last Edit: October 25, 2014, 08:58:09 AM by Chris Ryall »
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Sage Herb

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2014, 02:18:47 PM »

Why have you titled this 'melodeon tunes', the instrument playing sounds nothing like a melodeon that I've ever heard. Possibly a CBA?

Chris Foster thought it was melodeon and I totally agree. It sounds pretty much like most of the Hohner melodeons that I've ever played. Another clue is the key - I seem to remember that all the tunes are in G - and the very restricted left hand part.

cheers
Steve
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Pete Dunk

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2014, 08:48:04 PM »

I don't care where it's from, there are some lovely tunes in there so thanks for the share!
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Howard Jones

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2014, 09:41:44 PM »

If I'm not not mistaken, this is the album, with tune titles:

http://www.tonlist.is/Music/Album/3964/einar_kristjansson/einar_kristjansson_leikur_a_tvofalda_harmonikku/

If Google Translate can be trusted, he's playing a "double accordion" and although it's a very small picture it certainly looks like a melodeon to me.

Robert Tromp

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2014, 12:23:16 AM »

I think 'tvöfalda hamónikku' means just two row melodeon.

Robert
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Pierre-Emmanuel

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #8 on: October 28, 2014, 02:44:53 AM »

I think 'tvöfalda hamónikku' means just two row melodeon.

Yes, that's what it means.

http://bgmusik.is/notur2/flokkur/4/ : Here are a few songs by Baldur Geirmundsson, an Icelandic accordion player - I believe some of the tunes (Gleðipolkinn among others) could be played on a two row melodeon (maybe with slight modifications).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILy1uzXasGg : At 23:24 you can see Einar Kristjánsson play Norska bóndabrúðkaupið (Norwegian Peasant Mariage) on a Hohner melodeon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1kUFhQIFis : a video about the Icelandic association of accordion enthusiasts (there's a nice polka on a Hohner melodeon at around 18:27)
« Last Edit: October 28, 2014, 03:18:30 AM by Pierre-Emmanuel »
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #9 on: October 28, 2014, 07:38:13 AM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1kUFhQIFis : a video about the Icelandic association of accordion enthusiasts (there's a nice polka on a Hohner melodeon at around 18:27)

Indeed ;D does it translate "polka from Lapland"? , I was personally intrigued too, by what seemed to be a Fishwife (?) competition 10'30  with the same ladies singing a robust song 14'52.  I am constantly amazed and delighted by the cultural miracles that turn up on melnet. Thanks for another one
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Sage Herb

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #10 on: October 28, 2014, 04:37:04 PM »

If I'm not not mistaken, this is the album, with tune titles:

http://www.tonlist.is/Music/Album/3964/einar_kristjansson/einar_kristjansson_leikur_a_tvofalda_harmonikku/

If Google Translate can be trusted, he's playing a "double accordion" and although it's a very small picture it certainly looks like a melodeon to me.

Thanks Howard, you're a star! Chris Foster had understood these to be archive recordings, so we'd never imagined an album.
cheers
Steve
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Sage Herb

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2014, 09:15:28 PM »

Thanks to all, especially Howard and Pierre-Emmanuel, from both Chris Foster and me.

Could I ask one more favour from any Melnetters who can help? Chris is interested in the transmission of tunes across national borders. Do you recognise any of the tunes on this album as also occurring in countries such as Norway, Sweden or (especially, given the political history of Iceland) Denmark?
cheers
Steve
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Hohner Erikas & Club 2s
Hohner gob-harps:
Vega Senator 5-string banjo; Alex Burns plectrum guitar

Black Box Band - www.theblackboxband.co.uk
Annie Dearman & Steve Harrison - www.dearmanharrison.co.uk
Phoenix - www.phoenixdanceband.co.uk
http://soundcloud.com/sage-herb

Sebastian

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2014, 09:48:45 AM »

In the icelandic WP is an article about Einar Kristjánsson and the record (with a reproduction of the cover showing the two to play melodeon and fiddle).



The cover text in english translation (sort of):

"This record is special because two self-taught instrumental players of the elder generation play here only dance-tunes from the latter part of the 19. century and the very first years of our century. Many of them are now completely forgotten, so that now no other people know them than those born around or before the turn of the century.

"Garðar Jakobsson, farmer in [...] in Reykjardal plays here on the fiddle of the classic making. Garðar got a fiddle when he was still young. Than, the fiddle was a common instrument in Þingeyjarsýsla, especially in Reykjardal and Mývatnssveit. Since than Garðar has often played the fiddle at home and when meeting good friends, but he has little thought of praise and glory.

"On the accordion plays Einar Kristjánsson from Hermundarfell in Þistilfjörður, living in Akureyri for a long time and more known for his writing than for his playing an instrument. In his childhood his uncle was Guðjón Einarsson in Sævarland, who played mostly and best for dancing in this region. Together with him played sometimes Jóhannes Guðmundsson in Flaga, who is still alive, a man of high age. Guðjón played the accordion of this making, which was called the two-fold accordion, to distinguish it from the accordion, which had only one button-row and offered few possibilities. Although the two-fold accordion has only 21 buttons, it has half more notes, because every button changes the note, according to if the bellows are pulled apart or pushed together. Thus it may be sayed, that it is by no means without difficulties, to exploit the simple possibilities offered by this instrument. Einar learned in this years tunes and technique from Guðjón, until the old instrument was abandoned for its age and new and more perfect accordions appeared.

"And now not long ago Einar managed to get a newly build instrument of this old making. Since than he has polished up those old dancing tunes, so that they may be conserved as memories of a bygone time when our grandfathers and great-grandfathers danced lightly with our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. These tunes will sound nice in the ears of the eldest generation, because many of them are nice and joyfull. They are a chapter from the dance-culture of [our] people and in them are alive the youth and joie de vivre of a past generation.

"The majority of the tunes originates probably from Norway or Sweden. There is no information about authors. Many of them got an icelandic name in their time, without doubt because to them were made icelandic songs which became popular. These names are given here. Than Einar Kristjánsson has translated the names of the other tunes and finally given an icelandic name to those, which have no foreign name."

I forgot to mention: There is a video when Óttar Einarsson, son of Einar Kristjánsson, brings the recordings of his father to the icelandic music museum.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2014, 10:02:17 AM by Sebastian »
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Howard Jones

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #13 on: October 29, 2014, 02:30:24 PM »

On the question of tunes crossing national borders, many years ago I visited a museum in Canada which had an exhibition of Inuit artefacts.  This included a replica igloo, when you went inside you could hear some recorded singing.  I would swear one of the tunes was "What shall we do with the drunken sailor?"

Sage Herb

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Re: Melodeon tunes from Iceland
« Reply #14 on: October 29, 2014, 02:42:55 PM »

Sebastian - many thanks indeed!

cheers
Steve
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Hohner Erikas & Club 2s
Hohner gob-harps:
Vega Senator 5-string banjo; Alex Burns plectrum guitar

Black Box Band - www.theblackboxband.co.uk
Annie Dearman & Steve Harrison - www.dearmanharrison.co.uk
Phoenix - www.phoenixdanceband.co.uk
http://soundcloud.com/sage-herb
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