Video Wednesday: The devil’s instrument

Here is a brief look at the Hardanger fiddle

Famous Norwegian fiddler Knut Buen performs the equally famous Norwegian tune Fanitullen

Linked from YouTube channel Jon Borgersen

Fanitullen is a famous Norwegian tune played in different variants in Hallingdal and Telemark. The name Fanitullen means “the devil’s song”

There is a story connected to this tune. Parts of it is actually true, but the devil’s involvement may be somewhat more dubious.

It started at a wedding in 1724 at the farm Hovet in the municipality of Hol, Hallingdal. This is in Buskerud county. Two young boys, Levord Person Haga and Ådne Knutson Sindrol started to quarrel and ended up in a fight.

A little bit of fighting was considered fun entertainment, so the toastmaster at the wedding went down into the cellar to fetch beer to present to the winner of the fight. When he got down into the cellar, he saw a man sit on top of the beer barrel playing a tune that he had never heard before. The man had the fiddle the opposite way with the neck towards his chest. He beat the rhythm with his left leg that had a hoof instead of a foot. It was obvious that this was the devil. The toastmaster ran up from the cellar and came out in the yard to find that  Levord was killed and Ådne, under the treat of death punishment had fled, eventually making it over the mountains to Numedal.

The tune the toastmaster heard in the cellar was allegedly Fanitullen.

This story was so fascinating that  Norwegian folklorist, bishop, poet, and author Jørgen Moe* wrote a poem about the incident.

*You remember Asbjørnsen and Moe

It may seem a little disrespectful to name this post “The devil’s instrument”. The Hardanger fiddle is a beautiful instrument, so I share this video by fiddler Rachel Nesvig who explains the difference between a violin and a Hardanger fiddle.

Linked from YouTube channel Rachel Nesvig

Be sure to check out Rachel’s other videos where she shows her virtuosity on the Hardanger fiddle.

Rachel Nesvig plays the violin in the Tacoma Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Seattle Rock Orchestra and other local groups. She has coached camps such as the Icicle Creek Summer Symphony, Seattle Rock Orchestra Summer Intensive, Evergreen Music Festival and the Kenya National Youth Orchestra. She graduated from St. Olaf College with a double major in Music and Norwegian, followed by her K-12 Teaching Certificate and Masters in Violin Performance from the Central Washington University.

Sources

Wikipedia Fanitullen