“Spelman’s-gladje”
During the pre-performance lecture on Swedish Folk Music and Dance, presented by Bowdoin College professor June Vail, she showed a picture by Hans Viksten that depicted a man playing a fiddle while golden rays of light came out of his instrument, bounding toward the heavens. The piece was titled “Spelman’s Glädje.” According to Vail, this translates to mean “Fiddler’s Delight”.
I’m not gonna lie, I looked the words up on Google translator when I got home (to compare definitions and to make sure I was spelling it right), and their definition translated my new vocab words to “Musician’s Delight”. Whether you’re a musician, or a fiddler, or someone that just appreciates good music, the concert by Väsen this Thursday night was pure delight.
The buoyant music played by the three members of Väsen was irresistibly alluring as melodies from celebratory polskas filled Hannaford Hall. Waltzes and minuets were also mixed intermittently amongst the polskas, but even Guitarist Roger Tallroth admitted to the audience “You’re being polskanized!” I don’t think anyone minded one bit.
While stories were told about the origins of songs or the inspiration behind writing a certain number, the three men of Väsen were both charming and humble as they introduced a new song and spoke about the inspirations for songs they composed. Tallroth, Mikael Martin (on viola), and Olov Johansson (on nyckelharpa, a Swedish stringed instrument) demonstrated a connectedness and familiarity with each other, and also showcased their impressive personal mastery of their respective musical instruments.
Towards the end of the evening the three men of Väsen welcomed Darol Anger and 12 students from Berkley to the stage to join them for the final numbers of the concert. The conclusion was a beautiful piece written by Johansson about his hometown in Sweden – I only wish I could have made out the name!
For an encore, local students from 317 Music Center in Yarmouth joined the 16 musicians already assembled on stage for a sweet, gentle waltz that brought together musicians of all ages and many backgrounds.
As mentioned in the lecture before the show, folk music is traditionally passed on from generation to generation. In this final number of the evening, the inclusion of the young students, the pre-professional college students, as well as the seasoned, professional musicians (who admitted to still being students themselves), gave hope to the possibility of younger generations learning the craft of fine musicianship from those who have done it before them and passing that along to generations to come – like Väsen does today. Wouldn’t that be a “Spelman’s glädje” as well?
