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was one of the most eminent representatives of Norwegian musical
art, the greatest theorist and contrapuntist in the land, and a
highly esteemed composer of church music. Beginning in 1848,
he collected many hundred national ballads, songs, dances and
hymns, and by his works has raised himself a monumentum ære
perennius. During the last few years, C. Elling has continued
Lindeman’s work in collecting Norwegian national music.
There is in this music an infinity of varying moods, rhythms
and colours. Every one of the harp-strings is tuned. They sing
of heroic exploits in heathen ages, of the kings and warriors of
the middle ages, of the beautiful huldre, of the draug who
presages the destruction of the fishermen, of the brownie and the
water-sprite. There are also love-songs so deep and ardent that
they have few equals, sarcastic comic songs, and children’s songs
as pure and innocent as the sleeping child itself.
The most famous of the old mythical songs is the visionary
legend, «Draumkvædi» (Dream-song).
One very characteristic and impressive kind of popular poetry
and music is the so-called stev, a little four-lined stanza of most
varied substance, now coarse ridicule and grotesque humour, now
warm, intense feeling. Among the stevs are many of the pearls
of Norwegian music. The stev is frequently used in the
mountain districts for social entertainment at the drinking-table, in the
form of alternate singing — a duel in song.
All through the Norwegian music, there runs a strong
undercurrent of affecting, sad melancholy. The scenery and
the feeling of the people have struck this chord, which rings
out even in songs where one would expect a joyous flourish of
trumpets.
The Norwegian national dances, in their melodies and rhythm,
have a natural and bold character, which gives them considerable
musical worth. The principal are the halling, a solo dance with
wild evolutions and vigorous kicks at the rafters of the room,
and the springar, a dance for two, with no less vigorous evolutions
and gyrations.
A large proportion of the Norwegian national music has
arisen from the use of, or under the impression obtained from
the national instruments, especially the langeleik (an old kind of
zither) and the Hardanger violin, both of which have played an
important part in the musical life of the country-people.
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