SLÅTT FRÅ RYGJAFYLKE

2022 - Violin & Cello

DETAILS

• Instrumentation Violin & Cello

• Duration 6-7 mins

• Composed Dec. 2021 - Feb. 2022

• First Performance Glasgow 26 Apr. 2022, performance by GAIA: Alice Allen(cello) & Katrina Lee(violin)

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DESCRIPTION

There is usually a gap between a culture’s authentic traditional music and how it is portrayed in popular culture. Norwegian folk music is often thought to be intense with low drums, droning strings, and chanting in Norse or some Viking-esque language. One of the most iconic traditional instruments from Norway is the Hardanger fiddle, an instrument developed in the 17th century, six centuries after the Viking age ended in Norway. Droning strings is a feature of in Hardanger fiddle music, but it was used for accompanying dancing, not for Viking raids.

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Slått frå Rygjafylke is inspired by gestures from Hardanger fiddle music; by ornamentation, the raised fourth, asymmetric meters, and by imitating the resonating understrings on the fiddle with double stops. These elements are combined with stereotypic elements from music from the film and game industry to create an amalgamation of tradition and commercialization.