Scandinavia

Swedish polska, Arr. I. Podyachev

 

At the northernmost part of Europe one can find rich variety of folk music as well as a strong tradition of classical music.

The situation between the East and the West is audible in Finnish folk music. In the western parts of Finland, the influense of ‘spelman’ tradition is dominating. In the East the ancient Karelian tunes have been preserved. In the Swedish as well as Norwegian folk music the violin or fiddle has an important role. In Norway there is an own version of violin, the beautifully decorated Hardanger fiddle. In Sweden one can find a very special keyed fiddle „nyckelharpa“.

Speaking about Nordic composers, three names come to mind immediately: Norwegian E. Grieg, Danish C. Nielsen and Finnish J. Sibelius. They arranged or used in pieces the folk music of their country, or let the folklore inspire great compositions. On the other hand these composerd created an universal language, which makes their music popular and loved all around the world until these days.

 

Related projects

Finland 100 years (and more)   Music from Finland and related countries

Música Hispánica – Música Escandinava   Music from Scandinavia and Iberian Peninsula