June 16th, 2006
One of the foremost practitioners of the Hardanger fiddle will be coming to town next month. Hauk Buen will be performing with dancers with Karin Brennesvik and Sigbjørn Rua at the Advent Lutheran Church at 7118 Old Sauk Road.
Hauk Buen is regarded as one of the foremost Hardanger fiddle (hardingfele in Norwegian) players today in Norway.
His grandfather, Asmund Buen, was a fidder who shaped the Buen way of playing. His father and an aunt were also fiddlers, and it is in a large part due to the aunt’s influence that Hauk began to play hardingfele when he was 13-14 years old.
Hauk has won many prizes and honors in Norway. They include the the National Competition in Hardanger fiddle (1962, 1963), the Spelemannspris (Norwegian equivalent of the Grammy) for best folk music recording (1992), and the King’s Gold Medal of Honor (2003). Hauk was the subject of an hour-long program on Norwegian television (1983).
Hardanger fiddle tradition is to learn tunes in the style of a particular fiddler. Olav Løndal (1904-1986) marked Hauk’s playing style forever. Through Olav Løndal, Hauk became the particular bearer of the tradition of Lars Fykerud (1860-1902) and Svein Løndal (1864-1949). Hauk early on also came in contact with Rikard Gøytil in Rauland who gave him the original tradition of Myllarguten, transmitted through Tarjei Skinan, the grandson of the master. Through Hauk, the tunes of Myllarguten are known and learned by fiddlers today.
OK – so what is a Hardanger fiddle?
The Hardanger fiddle (in Norwegian, hardingfele) is often called the national instrument of Norway. It is similar to the violin and each one is a handmade work of art. A typical hardingfele is beautifully decorated with mother-of-pearl inlay and black pen-and-ink drawings, called rosing. It is topped with a carved head of a maiden (see photo below) or, more frequently, of an animal, usually a lion. Its most distinguishing feature is the four or five sympathetic strings that run underneath the fingerboard and add echoing overtones to the sound. The traditional playing style is heavily polyphonic. A melody voice is accompanied by a moving “drone” voice. Together, the instrument and the playing style create the sound for which the Hardanger fiddle is famous.
Tickets are $15 (half-price at door for children 5-12). Regular tickets are available at: B-Side Records, Borders Bookshops East & West, Spruce Tree Music, Orange Tree Imports, Steep & Brew (Odana Rd).
If you haven’t followed any of the links above yet, then head over to the webpage of the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America.
For more information on Madison-area players, please check out the webpage of Inna Larsen, a local Hardanger fiddle player.
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