Folk Music Revival in Sweden: The Lilla Edet Fiddle Club

Extract

Since the end of the eighteenth century we in Sweden have been taught by collectors, and later even by scholars, that folk music is a dying species, threatened by urban culture, schools, communication, or other “bad” gifts from civilization (Dal 1956; Malberg 1971). Levi-Strauss' famous warnings against pseudo-archaism have rung unheard by many collectors whose only interest has been to save music from the “good old times.” But, as Levi-Strauss put it, “A cracked bell, alone surviving the work of time, will never give forth the ring of bygone harmonies” (19:144). Today, in spite of—or perhaps owing to—mass communication, music education, synthesizers, etc., we have a very rich folk music culture in Sweden (Anonymous 1984). There have probably never been so many folk musicians in Sweden as at present, and it is likely that in the future we will hear more and more singing of folk songs and even herding calls!