Album Notes

From the liner notes:

Although this is first and foremost a recording for all you folks who already have an understanding of Swedish folk music, I think others new to this sound can have an enjoyable experience listening to it as well. All the tunes are traditional Uppland tunes for fiddle, nyckelharpa or clarinet, with the exception of Hårgalåten which is from Hälsingland, and Hardangermarschen which is Norwegian. These are, quite simply, tunes that I like very much. I think the contrabass complements the nyckelharpa beautifully, enhancing the depth and breadth of each tune. I hope you agree. Enjoy.

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Peter “Puma” Hedlund, Sweden’s master of the traditional Swedish folk instrument, the nyckelharpa, with Bosse Nordenfeldt on contrbass.

The nyckelharpa most closely resembles an expanded violin, combining melody strings with resonance strings, and lots of wooden keys, to produce an instrument that always brings a smile to everyone’s face. It has been played, in one form or another, for more than 600 years and just barely escaped extinction in the mid 1900s. Interest in the nyckelharpa and its music has exploded all over the world in recent years, largely due to the influence of Peter Hedlund.

Having earned the designation “Riksspelman” (Fiddler of the Realm) while still in his teens (1975), Hedlund went on to win the Nyckelharpa World Championship title twice, in 1992 and 2000. Peter’s musical career spans roughly 35 years. He has been actively performing, recording and teaching nonstop just about his entire adult life.

Peter, 49, lives in Iste, Hälsingland (about a four hour drive north of Stockholm) with his wife, Karin, and their two sons Jonas and Mathias.