This post became quite long while I was drafting it, and so I thought I might as well publish it as a standalone. The continuation of Week 43 will be in a separate post.
Topic: Bo Nilsson, nyckelharpa builder in Sickla on the island of Nacka.
måndag.
It was grey and already raining by the time I left the dorm. The sun had stowed itself far behind a thick clump of clouds, and significant puddles had already formed in depressions on the ground. The corridor kitchen was in the process of being repainted, and so the remainder of the furniture had crept its way into the free area surrounding my door. I snuck by and headed out toward the subway station with the intention of heading to Slussen.
From Slussen, I took a bus toward Nacka and grabbed a sandwich for a quick lunch on the way. Sickla Allé was my destination, where the nyckelharpa builder (nyckelharpsbyggare) Bo Nilsson has set up shop in his home. One of his cats stirred from its nap to greet me and steal my chair, until it was shooed away by Bosse. (Note: There is another nyckelharpa builder elsewhere in Sweden named Bo Nilsson, but I don't believe he has built for as long.)
The reason why I was there, however, was not simply to take cat pictures (as much as it may seem so). I wanted to test some of Bosse's harpor to see if they would be anything I'd consider buying for myself eventually. Josefina had given a particularly positive review of Bosse's works when I'd asked her if it was worth it to pay a visit, and so I'd scheduled ahead of time to ensure Bosse would be home that day.
And, I must say, I wasn't disappointed in the least. His nyckelharpor are very lightweight, in comparison to the older style of building. While a standard chromatic nyckelharpa will weigh around 3 or more kilograms, his averaged at 1.8 instead. They are easy to hold and set around the neck without feeling the weight after a while, and the keys also glide very smoothly along the neck of the instrument. He showed me one that he would soon ship to a customer in Japan, as well as another finished harpa that happened to be around. I was also able to look at one he was currently building for a customer to be finished in December, and it will be painted entirely black, with the half-step keys painted a deep off-red shade (engelsk röd, or English red as it translates). Upon googling engelsk röd, I found several different variations of it; but if I understood his description correctly, it's most likely similar to this one: ENGELSK RÖD
Below, you'll find some photos of the harpor he has built, and the one he is in the process of building.
He also showed me a gammelharpa he repaired, as well as one he built himself. A gammelharpa (old nyckelharpa), also known as a kontrabasharpa (contrabass nyckelharpa), is the old form- as the name suggests- that the instrument was built in.
The ones in the photos at Bo Nilsson's are all what is known as a chromatic nyckelharpa (kromatisk nyckelharpa), where the keys are found on the top three out of four melody strings (spelsträngar A1, C1, G) and the bottom melody is a drone string (low C). But on a gammelharpa, there aren't so many strings. Those guitar-like tuning pegs that are on chromatic harpor for tuning the resonance strings aren't on gammelharpor- instead, all the pegs are found on the backside of the head. As such, there aren't all those resonance strings as on a chromatic model (I believe the second string is resonance, since it's definitely not played, but don't quote me).
The gammelharpa is played by grasping the bow, including the horsehair part, tightly in the fist and bowing it across either the first and third or fourth and third strings at the same time. There is only one row of keys along the neck, and so it functions for both the first and the fourth strings but not at the same time. The third string thus is a drone string, which is played in tandem with the melody string currently in use. But because the pegs on the keys press against both the first and fourth string, only one of those two strings can be played at a time. The pegs on the first string "counter" the pegs on the fourth, and that is why it is also called a kontrabasharpa (contrabass nyckelharpa), assuming I correctly understood Bosse.
He also taught me part of a song while I was there, and encouraged me to continue learning it on my own after I left- Trollpolska, "Troll Polka" in English. He suggested I learn the entire song before I next show up at Josefina's so that I can surprise her and say I learnt it from Bo Nilsson :P
We went through some videos he'd taken at some of the nyckelharpa meetings with players and builders alike, and he showed me the skilled players who taught classes or performed. He himself had been mostly keen on recording video, and so he had a lot of clips to show (including of Josefina). He had photos, as well, of the various players who had bought his instruments- some from Sweden, some from Germany, some from Norway.
I think what surprised me most was Bosse's clear and unabashed enthusiasm for what he does. A "hobby", as he calls it; but one that he has a particular skill for, in any case. And indeed, his enthusiasm for building nyckelharpor was contagious. He showed me the schematics and measurements on pieces of wood that he was currently working on, and told me about the building process itself. I learned far more than I'd expected to, and it was fascinating. Carpentry is apparently something that has run in his family for generations, and despite his degree in engineering, he took it up as a pastime and ended up being a well-praised builder who has even made it onto the list published by the American Nyckelharpa Association (I'd found his name there a while back, before I even had intentions of coming to Sweden, and didn't recall it for a long time until I heard that there was a builder who lived around the Stockholm area).
Before I left, we had tea (which was the perfect refreshment for such a rainy day) and he gave me copies of the quarterly nyckelharpa magazine he helps to publish along with a few others. It's run by the nyckelharpa association here in Sweden, Föreningen Nyckelharpan. One copy for Josefina, and one for myself.
He mentioned that he would be present, along with others, at Oktoberstämman (literally, "October meeting", and most folk music festivals/meetings are named as such) this year in Uppsala to demo some harpor. I'd bought a ticket to attend, as a matter of fact, because it was an opportunity I wasn't about to let slip. I forewent the chance to go to Linköping for their folk music festival this past week in favour of heading to Uppsala with a friend this weekend for Oktoberstämman. It's a huge deal in the folk music realm here in Sweden- one of the annual gatherings where professionals, students and enthusiasts alike come together in the heart of the revival place of the nyckelharpa to play and listen to folk music, as well as to buy or sell instruments. The world-renowned Swedish folk music group Väsen was on schedule for a major concert in the evening of the 25th, since it happens to be the 25th anniversary of the group this year. And so, with the more-than-likely promise to see each other again on Saturday in Uppsala, Bo Nilsson and I parted ways.
The next post will be a continuation of Week 43, although I am not yet sure whether it will include the weekend, or if that will also become a separate post.
Jag hör av mig i alla fall. (You'll hear from me at any rate.)
/The Swedish Fish
Topic: Bo Nilsson, nyckelharpa builder in Sickla on the island of Nacka.
måndag.
It was grey and already raining by the time I left the dorm. The sun had stowed itself far behind a thick clump of clouds, and significant puddles had already formed in depressions on the ground. The corridor kitchen was in the process of being repainted, and so the remainder of the furniture had crept its way into the free area surrounding my door. I snuck by and headed out toward the subway station with the intention of heading to Slussen.
From Slussen, I took a bus toward Nacka and grabbed a sandwich for a quick lunch on the way. Sickla Allé was my destination, where the nyckelharpa builder (nyckelharpsbyggare) Bo Nilsson has set up shop in his home. One of his cats stirred from its nap to greet me and steal my chair, until it was shooed away by Bosse. (Note: There is another nyckelharpa builder elsewhere in Sweden named Bo Nilsson, but I don't believe he has built for as long.)
The cat seemed much more interested in the opportunity for me to pet it and scratch its back than in sitting still for a photo.
I did, however, manage to get a photo later on (and I'm honestly not sure if it's the same cat or if it was the other one). In the distance is the changing colours of the trees along Sickla Sjö (Sickla Lake) and Hammarby Backen (Hammarby Hill), where I had walked but three weeks before.
The reason why I was there, however, was not simply to take cat pictures (as much as it may seem so). I wanted to test some of Bosse's harpor to see if they would be anything I'd consider buying for myself eventually. Josefina had given a particularly positive review of Bosse's works when I'd asked her if it was worth it to pay a visit, and so I'd scheduled ahead of time to ensure Bosse would be home that day.
And, I must say, I wasn't disappointed in the least. His nyckelharpor are very lightweight, in comparison to the older style of building. While a standard chromatic nyckelharpa will weigh around 3 or more kilograms, his averaged at 1.8 instead. They are easy to hold and set around the neck without feeling the weight after a while, and the keys also glide very smoothly along the neck of the instrument. He showed me one that he would soon ship to a customer in Japan, as well as another finished harpa that happened to be around. I was also able to look at one he was currently building for a customer to be finished in December, and it will be painted entirely black, with the half-step keys painted a deep off-red shade (engelsk röd, or English red as it translates). Upon googling engelsk röd, I found several different variations of it; but if I understood his description correctly, it's most likely similar to this one: ENGELSK RÖD
Below, you'll find some photos of the harpor he has built, and the one he is in the process of building.
He also showed me a gammelharpa he repaired, as well as one he built himself. A gammelharpa (old nyckelharpa), also known as a kontrabasharpa (contrabass nyckelharpa), is the old form- as the name suggests- that the instrument was built in.
Source: Sormlands museum
The ones in the photos at Bo Nilsson's are all what is known as a chromatic nyckelharpa (kromatisk nyckelharpa), where the keys are found on the top three out of four melody strings (spelsträngar A1, C1, G) and the bottom melody is a drone string (low C). But on a gammelharpa, there aren't so many strings. Those guitar-like tuning pegs that are on chromatic harpor for tuning the resonance strings aren't on gammelharpor- instead, all the pegs are found on the backside of the head. As such, there aren't all those resonance strings as on a chromatic model (I believe the second string is resonance, since it's definitely not played, but don't quote me).
The gammelharpa is played by grasping the bow, including the horsehair part, tightly in the fist and bowing it across either the first and third or fourth and third strings at the same time. There is only one row of keys along the neck, and so it functions for both the first and the fourth strings but not at the same time. The third string thus is a drone string, which is played in tandem with the melody string currently in use. But because the pegs on the keys press against both the first and fourth string, only one of those two strings can be played at a time. The pegs on the first string "counter" the pegs on the fourth, and that is why it is also called a kontrabasharpa (contrabass nyckelharpa), assuming I correctly understood Bosse.
He also taught me part of a song while I was there, and encouraged me to continue learning it on my own after I left- Trollpolska, "Troll Polka" in English. He suggested I learn the entire song before I next show up at Josefina's so that I can surprise her and say I learnt it from Bo Nilsson :P
We went through some videos he'd taken at some of the nyckelharpa meetings with players and builders alike, and he showed me the skilled players who taught classes or performed. He himself had been mostly keen on recording video, and so he had a lot of clips to show (including of Josefina). He had photos, as well, of the various players who had bought his instruments- some from Sweden, some from Germany, some from Norway.
I think what surprised me most was Bosse's clear and unabashed enthusiasm for what he does. A "hobby", as he calls it; but one that he has a particular skill for, in any case. And indeed, his enthusiasm for building nyckelharpor was contagious. He showed me the schematics and measurements on pieces of wood that he was currently working on, and told me about the building process itself. I learned far more than I'd expected to, and it was fascinating. Carpentry is apparently something that has run in his family for generations, and despite his degree in engineering, he took it up as a pastime and ended up being a well-praised builder who has even made it onto the list published by the American Nyckelharpa Association (I'd found his name there a while back, before I even had intentions of coming to Sweden, and didn't recall it for a long time until I heard that there was a builder who lived around the Stockholm area).
Before I left, we had tea (which was the perfect refreshment for such a rainy day) and he gave me copies of the quarterly nyckelharpa magazine he helps to publish along with a few others. It's run by the nyckelharpa association here in Sweden, Föreningen Nyckelharpan. One copy for Josefina, and one for myself.
He mentioned that he would be present, along with others, at Oktoberstämman (literally, "October meeting", and most folk music festivals/meetings are named as such) this year in Uppsala to demo some harpor. I'd bought a ticket to attend, as a matter of fact, because it was an opportunity I wasn't about to let slip. I forewent the chance to go to Linköping for their folk music festival this past week in favour of heading to Uppsala with a friend this weekend for Oktoberstämman. It's a huge deal in the folk music realm here in Sweden- one of the annual gatherings where professionals, students and enthusiasts alike come together in the heart of the revival place of the nyckelharpa to play and listen to folk music, as well as to buy or sell instruments. The world-renowned Swedish folk music group Väsen was on schedule for a major concert in the evening of the 25th, since it happens to be the 25th anniversary of the group this year. And so, with the more-than-likely promise to see each other again on Saturday in Uppsala, Bo Nilsson and I parted ways.
The next post will be a continuation of Week 43, although I am not yet sure whether it will include the weekend, or if that will also become a separate post.
Jag hör av mig i alla fall. (You'll hear from me at any rate.)
/The Swedish Fish
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