Hardingfele
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A Hardanger fiddle or hardingfele (Norwegian) is a traditional stringed instrument from Norway. In modern designs, the instruments are very similar to the violin, but typically with thinner wood. It is different enough that a luthier accustomed to repairing violins could easily ruin a hardingfele. The instrument typically has eight or nine strings; four are played like a violin, while the rest (aptly named sympathetic strings) resonate under the influence of the other four, providing a pleasant continuous sound environment for the tune. In recent years the instrument has gained recognition in the rest of the world. Japan has been one of the countries that has found an interest in the hardingfele and Japanese musicians travel to Norway just to learn to play this instrument. The player usually bows on two of the upper strings at a time, and sometimes three. This is made easy by the relative flatness of the bridge, unlike the more curved bridge on a violin.
The instrument is a work of art, with a carved animal or a carved woman's head as part of the scroll at the top of the pegbox, extensive mother of pearl inlay on the tailpiece and fingerboard, and black ink decorations called 'rosing' on the body of the instrument. Sometimes pieces of bone are used to decorate the pegs and the edges of the instrument. The four or five other strings, which are not bowed, run under the fingerboard and vibrate sympathetically, giving the instrument a haunting, echo-like sound.
Most hardanger tunes are played in a common tuning (A-D-A-E). Another tuning is called "troll tuning" (A-E-A-C#). Troll tuning is used for the 'fanitullen' tunes, also called the devil's tunes. Legend had it that the fiddler learned these tunes from the devil. This tuning limits the melodic range of the tunes, and is therefore sparsely used. In Valdres, this particular tuning is called "greylighting", a reminder that the fiddler tuned his fiddle like this when the morning was near, and he had played himself through a number of other tunings. The biggest amount of tunes are therefore played in "common" or "low base" (G-D-A-E), which resembles the normal violin tuning. In Norway as such, about 40 different tunings are recorded.
The understrings are tuned to vibrate according to the main tuning. For example, when the main strings are tuned A-D-A-E, the understrings are tuned B-D-E-F#-A. There are over twenty other ways to tune the Hardingfele, largely depending on the region in which the instrument is being played or the requirements of a particular tune.
The instrument is tuned a bit higher than a violin, because it sounds better in a higher range. The 'A' on the hardingfele corresponds to B flat or higher on a standard piano. The notes given above for tunings are therefore relative to the A on the Hardingfele, not to A equal to 440 hertz. The player will try to tune their instrument into the range where it sounds best. As you can imagine, tuning 8 or 9 strings can take some time, especially if two or more fiddlers are trying to play together. The patience of Norwegian audiences is legendary in this regard. The technique of bowing a Hardingfele is also different from violin technique. It's a smoother, bouncier style of bowing, with a lighter touch. The strings of the fiddle are slimmer than those of the violin, and resembles rather the strings of violins from the baroque period. Thus, a fiddler who changes instruments has to adapt his style.
Standard musical notation is used, with the notes corresponding to the fingering on the instrument rather than to absolute pitch. Many of the very best players in Norway don't read music, however. They learn tunes by ear. In later years, many fiddlers use manuscripts as a kind of "second-hand" source, for refreshing their memories.
The Hardingfele is used mainly in the south west part of Norway, whereas the ordinary violin (called 'flatfele' - 'flat fiddle' or 'vanlig fele' - 'common fiddle') is found elsewhere. The Hardingfele is used for dancing, accompanied by rhythmic loud foot stomping. It was also traditional for the fiddler to lead the bridal procession to the church. Tunes and techniques of playing differ a great deal between different regions in Norway. This is probably because Norway consists of a series of valleys separated by mountains, and communities were isolated from each other in the past. Edvard Grieg adapted many Hardanger folk tunes into his compositions, and composed tunes for the Hardanger as part of his score for Ibsen's Peer Gynt. For example, it is widely believed that the opening phrase of "Morning" from Grieg's Peer Gynt music is derived from the tuning of the sympathetic strings of the Hardanger fiddle: A F# E D E F# and so on. The main theme from Grieg`s piano concerto is said to be inspired of a version of the tune Fanitullen, played by a fiddler from Hallingdal.
The earliest known example of the hardingfele is from 1651, made by Ole Jonsen Jaastad in Hardanger, Norway. Originally, the instrument's appearance was significantly different. Around the year 1850, the modern layout with a body much like the violin became the norm.
[edit] Use in film
The Hardanger fiddle was used in the soundtracks of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King composed by Howard Shore, to provide the main voice for the Rohirrim theme. The use of the hardanger fiddle in this movie, however, is far from traditional since the theme does not make noticeable use of the usual practice of bowing on two strings at a time for harmony.
The Hardanger fiddle also features in the soundtrack of Fargo, written by Carter Burwell. Here the context is a little more traditional. The main theme it plays is an arrangement of a Norwegian folksong entitled "The Lost Sheep".
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